Wetmore—Journal 
May 1J—Temperature 7:00 a.m. 7^°; noon 72°; 6 p.m. 7^°. 
[Re: seal killed night before] It was a male apparently between two and three years 
old that had shed into fine fresh pelage. It is much easier to skin these animals 
when fresh than after rigor mortis has set in as the flippers stiffen so that it is 
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difficult to force them apart becausedof the near proximity joints to cut on the 
inner sides. Like all others this animal had the body overlaid by a coat of fat 1 1/4 
inches thick, certainly superfluous so far as heat is concerned in this climate. I cut 
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out the heart of this anima 1 with the larger vessels leading from it and preserved it for 
dissection. The blood is very dark and the heart sm s !1 in proportion to one bulk of 
the animal. 
Both Laysan and Black-footed Albatross are not overly abundant and, hs on Ocean Island 
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where similar conditions prevail, they were rather wild. The Black-footed was 
especially wary and only one was secured.. .Walking across the fuats is dij.ficuj .0 as 
one steps through a shearwater burrow every ten feet on the average. Conditions are 
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not much better on the beaches as there the coral shell sand does not pack even where 
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wet from the wash of the waves. 
.had only to turn my flashlight behind to see dozens of the Sooty Terns standing over 
their eggs. Frigate birds went past with m a ny Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and occasionally 
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a Bulwer’s Petrel was seen. 
We came across a huge female turtle above high water mark and Eric turned her over to 
wait until tomorrow. 
We looked carefully through the grass and in half an hour had secured five Bonin Island 
Petrels. Frigatebirds flapped up heavily and boobies were dazed by the glare Ox our 
lights. Terns chattered at us.and turned their backs but many did not fly.. 
Turtles are enormously abundant here and coccur especially in certain bays. Algae 
grow in great patches in quiet sheltered water three or four feet deep and here the 
animals browse with no enemies save the sharks. As they feed they thrust the head to the 
STjxface at intervals for air and then go down again 
