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Transcription
Lehner, P.
1964
Nov. 17
We were up by 6:15 A.M. and stirred about
gathering up our gear; George collected the
rat traps which contained one Rattus exulans;
we loaded the boat, shook hands and were on our
way amid many "Tiakabo's" by 6:35; we had
hoped to get down to the southern end of the
atoll this morning to survey the birds that we
were told were nesting there - they indicated
that they all nested in trees and from the
description we concluded that they were Hawaiian
Noddies; the tide was too low to go anywhere in
the lagoon except straight out toward the ship,
which we did; about a quarter mile from shore
Binion shot a Black-naped Tern (included in
the total of yesterday); we covered the distance
was little trouble outside of a loose gas line,
and arrived at the ship at 8:05; George had
left earlier with the island dignitaries in
their large outrigger - they went through the
south passage while we went over the reef and
arrived only minutes behind them; their canoe
was the largest we had seen to date and carried
twenty men at a time. George told me later that
the crew was composed of prisoners of the
village who had been convicted of over indulgence
in sour toddy and fighting - the island sentences
for this crime run from 1 to 3 months and the
sentence is served as follows: they serve their
time in a local prison and work for the community
during their sentence - they spend six nights
a week in prison, go home Saturday noon and
return Sunday evening - manning the outrigger
was part of their community work; we had break-
fast on board, the visitors were shown around
the ship and then the anchor was pulled at
9:00 and the natives returned to their outrigger;
as we rounded the southern tip of the atoll on
our way to Kuria Atoll, George and I watched
from the flying bridge for birds over the island,
(over)