Huberka 1966 Journal Nov. 24 somewhere in the impenetrable ocean. Reading through a batch of sooty tern I came upon something interesting. Yesterday at 07°18S 173°18'W, about (in weymouth miles) 180 miles from the nearest breeding island (Hull), I collected 5 ad. sooty terns. Aside from their all being BT, which may or may not mean something, they possibly show a good story with possibly, a interesting ending (to me anyway). Each bird when arranged in order of progressive molt of the primaries and secondaries are only one primary ahead of the preceding bird. When placed in order of progressive tail molt 4 out of the five correlates with the primaries. I am going to have to stop here and explain my theories (or better yet ideas) on the etiology of sooty tern Primolt. For convenience sake I will break it down to Betsy's P-1-3 replaced, 4-6, replaced, 7-9 replaced and their 10 replaced. So at sea bird I cannot correlate molt with anything but say were over islands. New=old-new would be on offshore high forefood paths). 1-3replaced would be on mid to wey large chick), 7-6 would be only imm and shortly beyond after they leave the island (Prepatation & patch). and T# 7-10 somewhere out of sea many days date (perhaps on this watering ground. I don't know whether they normally make another round at molt or not before they come back to the island to breed or not but I suspect not. But anyway by the time they start nesting again P#1 is about 1/2 grown and R#6 is about 1/2 grown. When they settle down to nest BP is almost all unfeathered. R#6 band new and unbroken and Pal new. Well to get back to my 5 sooty coll at Sea. Bird #1 loss R all new but #6 1/2 and P1-7new 8-10old first step. Huberka 1966 Journal 24 Nov-, somewhere with watery horizon all around us, I guess I'd better present this in a better way. P B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 N N N N N N W/ O O O N N N N N N NN / % O N N N N N N NN NN / % N N N N N N NN NN N W N N N N N WW WN 8 7x3 7x3 8x1 4x3 5x3 Tail #6 1/2 N N N slightly W badly worn Bleeding through? W - worn (outworn vane and turnold foot) N - new O - old G - grown R repeating 1 bone bithodolain if it didn't henused. I know I read for more than five birds to show anything but what I am getting at is do birds that decision for some outside stimulus do not go back to the island to breed every year (weak, sick, lack of food supply around breeding island, bad weather for breeding etc) go through a partial breeding cycle at sea. Like, for example gorade gosip and regura and BP partially unfeathered and then repeateth. Just try I shot a almost ad subad and it's ovary was up but it's oviduct had never been used. ? ???