Amerman, Kenneth 1965 31 November 16--Albatross banding in afternoon. We handled about 260 birds, with the aid of Silock and Gibson. Worked south along runway-- East side, and south antenna field. November 17--Began clearing vegetation plots in afternoon. Nearly finished one in morning glory on west side of runway, south of buildings. Completed another in grass at north end of runway and started a third, in mixed Vegetation, along the shore at the same area. Bill and I banded seventy Laysans and got twenty-nine recoveries behind barracks and in south antenna field before dark. Jim began setting up albatross study nests. November 18--Bill and I ran the traplines. Weighing each individual in the wind was a real chore. It took us all day. We managed to finish just in time to reset the traps for tomorrow. 131 captures. November 19--Second day of trapping. 139 captures. A great many Laysan albatross now in the study area and the rest of the antenna field, most of them unbanded, which is disheartening. We have given up all hope of keeping up with them as they arrive on the island. Many are in pairs now and there is a great deal of the "talking to the chick" calling. So far we have seen very little dancing; what displays we have observed have all been short. We discovered that most of our ticks have died, which means a great nuisance for us in catching rats and searching them all over again. We caught and killed sixty-three rats this evening and tallied over hundred three ticks from them. They had better remain alive and there had better be a plane Thursday!