we intercepted the ? and proceeded to Cook Island. On Cook there were noticeably less Phoenix Island Petrels and Christmas Island Shearwaters than on Motu Upua, but more blue-gray noddies and fairy terns. Red-tailed tropicbirds were nesting heavily on the N side. A cloud of sooty terns hung over the S central part but were impossible to catch. Nested terns were flying over the island, usually in pairs. Hawaiian noddies were present in moderate numbers. Strangely, fairy terns were nesting here but not on Motu Upua. Some red-foots roosted in Messerschmidtia - <100. The same shorebirds were present as at Upua with the exception of 3 sanderling, two of which were collected. After setting up camp I took a shorebird count while the others surveyed the island. After dark Dick and I banded fairy terns while Doug collected some Haw. nods, blue-gray nod., and fairy terns. On the way we worked along the beach grabbing 25 crested terns and banding them. Collected a few skink and gekkos from an abandoned tent and also some fish amongst a school of mullet whichwe had never collected before. 23 November Doug and I set off for the N end of the island to band red-tailed tropic~ birds. Saw three Sanderlings on the way and called Dick with the bun and collected two. Red-tails were nesting in nearly all the Messerschmidtia and Scaveola bushes and we quickly finished a string of 100. Dick collected shore- birds. Broke camp at 1130 and chugged back to Loudon where we picked up more gasoline and drinking water. Left immediately for Motu Tabu, over an hour's trip against the waves to the middle of the lagoon. Everything was wet when we arrived; set camp and Dick and I skinned birds we had collected while Doug surveyed. Phoenix Island petrel and Christmas Is. shearwaters were more abundant than on Upua. Phoenix were nesting very sparsely, Christmas nesting. Common and Hawaiian noddies were both abundant, as were blue-gray noddies and fairy terns. Wedgetails were nesting in small numbers. 24 November Got to bed at 2, up at quarter to seven and off with one cylinder still asleep due to the damp night. Rendezvous'd with IPAN's whale boat and em- barked Loudon at 0830. Sailed for Washington 0900. 25 November Arrived Washington early with unusually cloudy skies despite presence of the dry season. Took limited gear ashore. Washington is part of a large firm whichruns coconut plantation throughout the Pacific, owned by Australia. This one had an Australian manager, Mr. Kruz, who had been there nine years and had no plans for leaving. Less than 100 Gilbertese work the plantation, signing up to come to Washington for a number of months and then return to their native Gilbert islands. We were all treated to huge can of Victoria Bitters in the manager's pleasant open-air-house. Then all set off for the freshwater lake in the interior via a dirt road and paths backed for coconut harvesting. On the way down to the lake we saw several Washington Land Warblers and many Scarlet-breasted Lori keets?. Fairy terns and Hawaiian Noddies were abundant in the coconut trees and red-footed boobies roosted in high Pisonia. Land