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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON. D. C. 20560 
4 August 1964 
Mr. Winston Banko 
Division of Birds 
U. S. National Museum 
Washington, D. C. 205^0 
Dear Dins 
Just a short note to let you know how things are going, 
I an sure you have read my previous correspondence to Maryanna. 
It has seemed easier to write to her and let her distribute it 
to the proper people. 
Things are going very slow as we had imagined they would. 
If that cannon net would only arrive this week we should be 
able to band 100-200 birds a day easily, I have a message in 
to St- Paul to see if it came in on yesterdays flight. If it 
did it will come over on Friday on the FSR. 
The Golden Plover arrived for sure on August 1. ^ 
Fe saw 
six yesterday with the turnstones on the killing grounds. The 
turnstonc flock now numbers from 1000-2000 birds, Fe have been 
amazed to find that they are apparently eating insects and not 
maggots. The ground around the carcasses looks as if it had 
been plowed from their diggings 
Our nets have been practically destroyed by the high winds 
and foxes. The other morning the nets were empty except for a 
bird carcass that the foxes had drug from the beach and put in 
our net for us. They are real helpful. Twice I have arrived 
just in time to see the foxes carrying birds off t .at they have 
snitched, Fe have taken to extermination of them in the netting 
areas with some success. However, there are so many of them 
that it is a never ending problem. 
We will be looking forward to hearing what plans you have 
for us in September. In view of the plovers arriving already, 
I think that it is almost certainly a waste of money to go to 
St. Lawrence, I don*t think that it would be profitable to stay 
in the chain more than a week either but it is difficult to tell 
about that not having been there. 
We will be looking forward to seeing you in September again 
and in receiving our future assignments 
Sincerely yours 
MtfuoC 
Max C . 'Thoi roson 
