SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON. D. C. 20560 
St, George Village 
Pribilof Islands, Alaska 
27 July 1964 2100 hours 
Mr. Winston E. Banko 
Pacific Project 
Smithsonian - Div. Birds 
Washington D.C. 
Dear Win, 
ihanks for the clirnoing clipping. Once in a while x get to thinking where 
I was a year ago at this time in the mountains, but neither the past nor the fu¬ 
ture are places to spend the present, and there is much to do here. Since we 
were rowed ashore at Zapadni Landing on this island in a native baidar ten days 
ago, we have gotten established here. Eight turnstones are banded (2 others net 
mortality;, over 100 rosy lincnes and small numbers of rock sandpipers, lapland 
10iir ; opuio, winter wren, and least auklet have been banded# Although the numerous 
blue ioxes are a definite hazard to mist—netting here, the visibility of the nets 
and their limited efficiency in wind render them impractical for such a mass- 
Ocuidiii^ program as ours# I think the cannon—net stands a good chance of workings 
we uhank you zor your last action in securing the equipment and look forward to 
its early arrival. Over 1000 turnstones are on the island already and most of 
them feed at East Killing Ground where we have mist-nets set on all but the kill 
dcby and one most stormy days, We have the use of a jeep, but roads only go to 
East and Zapadni Bay. 
Hie lemming population ( Lemnus nigripes found only on this island) is low 
out noward & Ann Baltzo, who are here also, and a deaf-mute sealer have a total 
of 3 that they 1 ve captured alive and are keeping as pets. They tame easily and 
are quite attractive. I think my friend, Harold Egoscue, the ecologist at Bug¬ 
way Proving Ground in Utah, might be interested in starting a laboratory colony 
0x tiiem and I chink 1 could secure enough for breeding stock before we leave. 
When 1 write co Harold sxiould 1 uell him to put a request through our military 
contacts, or through you, or can I just send him lemmings directly? 
Two days ago we added snowy owl and king eider to the list of birds we*ve 
seen in the Pribilofs, a list that numbers just 29 birds so far, the only very 
unusual one being the osprey. He should get more migrants next month. 
Because our principal effort must be made here and the difficulty of arrang¬ 
ing transportation when 
VjQ want it? we*ve decided we can*t crowd in the St, 
