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Wetmore—Journal 4 
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me through the colonies of Laysan Albatross and Frigatebirds. Kept careful watch for 
any sign of rabbits without detecting any. 
May 6— In the early morning I went out with Schlemmer and collected some albatross and 
other birds. 
At dusk with Schlemmer I crossed to the Sesuvium patch and sat against a pile of 
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rock waiting for darkness and watching the marvellous bird life about me. Wedge¬ 
tailed Shearwater were common and as darkness came on Bulwer's Petrels appeared and with 
soft calls clambered over the rock piles. As they passed I had a whiff of this petrel 
odor. One came over and looked down my coat sleeve in its search for a nesting 
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burrow. When darkness had came on we went out through the bird colonies armed with 
our search lights. Shearwaters were present in innumerable hordes and blundered 
against us at every turn. I had to walk carefully to avoid treading on them. Sooty 
and Gray-backed Terns turned their backs to the light while Golden,. Plover, Turn- 
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stones and Curlew walked About uncertainly. Any c©uld be picked up at will. The Laysan 
Albatross paid little attention to the light but were frightened at their own 
shadows especially when they waivered or flickered in the dancing light. After some 
search w;e found the Teal in a small salt pond and captured four. Going was bad here, 
as the ground was soft and quivered like jelly but we gout out without difficulty. 
Schlemmer brought in a bag full of live curlew, plover and turnstones which 
he released in the cabin where they blundered about uncertainly. 
May 7--Reno has put out several blocks of poisoned alfalfa near rock piles where the 
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last of the rabbits seem to be hanging out. 
Counting birds and walking across the sands here is precarious business as at every 
ten steps I step into a covered petrel or Shearwater buorow. Schlemmer and I have 
discovered ;the ramains of stumps of 2 palm trees northeast of the lagoon. I have seen 
these figured in old cuts. 
May 8—At the northern end of the island [after morning rain] we found three small 
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