102. Sunday 24 Jan. Bob Standen arrived this afternoon, we showed him around the island, checked seals as well. There are very few seals on the beach now - Sand Island is back. While I transcribed data, and read, Bob and Dennis got some Black-foot returns. I put out 13 traps in an area where the rats were feedi ing on the live Laysan, then removed the Laysan. Next morning caught 12 rats. Set traps for rat trapping 25 Jan. Rat trapping all morning - we are catching large numbers of new rats - 40 new ones today, out of 119 rats trapped. Freeze the captured dozen rats for autopsy. Blue-faced Booby behavior. Cl has not got the new female. 05 is O.E. Blow out the Bonin eggs, spin down the blood sample from a "sick" Laysan caught yesterday. 26 Jan. Rat trapping AM. Checked Laysans before lunch - 4 eggs were pipped - 3 at 64 days, and one at 63 days. No chick has yet emerged. Some paper work in the after- noon, checked Blue-face Booby behavior after dinner - it was raining, the birds were inactive, so I only stayed 15 minutes. At 1800 I checked the Laysan Albatross from whom the feathers on the preceding page were taken; the rats are continuing their assault. Lets look at this Laysan chronologically: 1). Sat., Jan. 23 - loose feathers all about the Bird, cut off, stubs of the shaft remain in the back of the bird - no opening in the flesh - seems healthy. 2). Sun., Jan. 24 - as above. 3). Tue., Jan 26 - small hole, 1/2" across, in lower back, area from which feathers were removed, slight bleed- ing, blood stains in region of uropygial gland, bird still on nest. It looks like the rats are wholly responsible for the deaths of these gooneys. Found Fairy Tern, broken wing - FN 20430. 27 Jan. Rat trapping AM. Several rats dead in traps - it was cold (56) last night, and many rats were wet - from their urine. The Laysan study nests are rapidly changing in charact er. 9 of the eggs are pipped or cracked - the chick has emerged from two eggs so far. Many pairs are