
It was concluded that destruction of all birds and eggs prior 
to completion of the laying season will result in immediate reinvasion 
of the area by other nesting birds. Destruction of all birds and eggs 
after the laying season is completed will eliminate nesting in the 
area, but an influx of unemployed birds will populate the srea. The 
question remains, would the birds that laid eggs after the first kill 
have nested in the area regardless of whether or not the December 2 
kill took place? Perhaps mates of birds killed remated with new 
arrivals after returning from the sea. 
affects of the loss of one member of each pair during 
incubation (Plot No. 2).--On this plot, all setting Laysan albatrosses 
were banded and dye-marked. Their mates were then killed when they 
returned to take over incubation duties. At 76 nests one member of 
each pair was thus eliminated. The fate of these nests is as follows: 
Number of nests at which one pair-member was killed - 76 (100%) 
Mumber of nests at which mate continued to incubate - 59 ( 79%) 
Number of nests immediately deserted - 17 ( 23%) 
Number of nests at which additional (presumably 
unemployed) birds incubated ~ 26 ( 34%) 
Number of young which hatched ead oh VED) 
Only one bird which continued to incubate did so long enough 
to hatch a chick, and it did so with the help of a new mate. A111 birds 
left the area immediately uron ceasing to incubate. 
It was concluded that elimination of only one member of each 
pair during incubation will result in immediate or eventual desertion 
of 99 percent of the eggs. The remaining member of each pair will 
leave the area as soon as it ceases to incubate. 
Effects of ege destruction early in incubation (Plot No. 3).-- 
Eggs were destroyed at a total of 95 nests between November 30 and 
December 25. In four nests new eggs were laid. In each case the 
original male remained et the nest site. In one instance the male had 
acquired a new mate; in two instances it is not known whether it was 
the first or second mate which laid the second egg. In only one case 
did the same pair appear to lay another egg; however, this egg could have 
been laid in their nest by another female. Two of the four eggs success- 
fully hatched. One male whose egg was destroyed deserted his nest and 
nested again nearby with a new female; this egg did not hatch. In two 
cases, pairs which lost their eggs adopted deserted eggs in nearby 
nests, and successfully hatched and raised the chicks, 
Birds which lost their eggs remained in the area for several 
months as unemployed birds. The numbers of these birds remaining 
near their nest territories are shown in Figure 18. All of the birds 
which disappeared did not leave the island however. A thorouzh 
search of the general area of the study plot on January 30, revealed 
38 marked birds from the plots; at that time only three or four could 
be found near their nesting territories. 
34 
