30 June 1964 27. Midway -> Honolulu via Tropic plane. As one arrives, the most striking aspect of the island as one leaves are the birds - White Ibonies around the fields of the runway, Red-tailed Tropic birds abound. It is said to leave this island with its great bird populations. The navy does a fair job in keeping the men from destroying the airfields which they invariably would if left to their own devices. One sailor got drunk, went on a rampage & killed some 20 or 30 goonies. For his indiscretion he received 90 days in the Brig, a transfer from Midway, & who knows what else. It is sad to think, however, that only through such rigid discipline can the birds survive; the sailors apparently lacking any instinct to admire & respect these birds. There is one unprotected species - the "morning bird" - Wedgetail - that is not protected, with the predictable result that it has been killed off to the point of near extinction on Sand Island. The Eastern Island pop. is OK, perhaps because of its distance from the bulk of the men.