DeBenedictis 1964 Feb 16 Punta Suarez, Isla Espanola (Hood), Galapagos rapidly in succession, unless a large rock is being turned, when it will push with both feet together (out of necessity) until it either gives up or the rock gives up & rolls. Some- times the wing is opened for balance and occasionally & very briefly the carps may be temporarily used as a brace, although the head is the main support. I was able to get to within 2 1/2 ft. of this bird. The bill is used as a tool in two main ways. The bird may grab a stone and pull it out & throw the stone aside, a 10g gram stone being thrown 4" inches to the side. Grass stems and small pieces of stick were siezed in this manner. Two large stones moved in this way weighed 23 and 16 gms. respectively. The power was on a slanting piece of lava & I and was slid along the lava to rest on the flat. The tatters were wedged in a quiet hole of a large piece of lava and the finch spent about a minute freeing it. After it had succeeded, it picked up the rock to a feet (normal posture) height, then threw the rock 2" to the side. Got a picture of the bird tugging at this rock. The bill is also used as a probe and scrape. It is placed with the culmen parallel to a lava rock, the tip down a small crevice between a larger rock and small gavel, and then the gravel is scraped aside in a movement of the bill to the back and side I saw this done 2 or 3 times, and suspect it is