Wetmore —Journal 
15 
naturally was the focus for bird-life and here I found a colony of Gray-backed Terns, 
many Sooty Terns, Frigatebirds, Blue-faced Boobyes and Common boobied. A few 
Christmas Island Shearwaters were scattered about with the other species. Noddies are 
fairly common and I see a few Hawaiian terns. One love-bird appeared last night 
and $ula piscator is fairly common. Such is a brief review of ghe bird-life. 
Encountered two apparently gray phase of Wedge-tailed Shearwater. Schlemmer, then 
Wetmore two others. Altogether four collected and two or three more seen. 
Mr. Wilder encountered last night a seal asleep in the grass and Wetmore found same in 
the morning, "lyimg on one side in a depression. As I approached several terns 
fluttered out across it and It raised head and flippers in protest. The skin in 
these animals seems very sensitive as it reacted to the slightest touch foom wing 
or foot of a bird. I killed- this animal with a neck shot and found it to be a young 
female in full molt on the dorsal surface with the old hair adhering in large patches 
to the back and new short hair camin in beneath. The animals have a beautiful 
>< 
silvery sheen to the hair when they are just shed. 
The teats in the female of this species number four and are arranged at the corners of 
a ijuadrangle with the scar of the uBEbilicus in the center as shown below 
They are slight depressions in the skin. In the present animal the posterior ones were 
approximately 120 mm. apart, the anterior ones 1^0 mm and the anterior and posterior 
mammae were separated by approximately 180 mm. Apparently this a nim al had not 
moved from its position assumed the night before.thThe stomach was filled with the fish 
known as Ma nini. Digestion seems somewhat slow in these great beasts and from recent 
observations I believe that when they have secured a full meal they haul ashore and 
often remain there asleep or resting for as much as tow days if not longer. Toward 
dusk Eric... announced another. [Killed with rifle by Schlemmer] 
