J.P. Ludwig 42 11-21-63 Up today with the thumb still inflamed. In the AM I took care of odds and ends in the bulidings, prepared a kit for tick collections at Midway, soaked the thumb, and had a long talk with Sundell and Bushmann at Sand via the Short Wave. I think that the talk with Bushmann straightened him out on some of our problems out here, and gave him first hand information on what is available to Deseret from this atoll. He seemed particularly interested in getting live Rats from Kure shipped back, and expressed interest in obtaining some of the albatross to be killed at Midway in January, and also an interest in obtaining live Bonin Petrels. We will have to talk with Chan about his work before getting many from Midway. In the afternoon we finally got a flight to Midway ( Bill and I ) taking the precious cargo of ticks along. Herb was very helpful when we arrived. In the evening we looked at the Bonin Population and saw even fewer than when I was at Midway last week. About 30 - 40 percent of the roosting numbers seem there now. 11-22-63 Today in the midst of a terrible rain I went to Eastern to look for ticks - No luck. While there I saw a water spout ( tornado over water ) go between the two islands, and the ominous day turned worse when news of President Kennedy's assassination reached me. While there I noted that the Frigate population is quitelow - Counted 43 soaring and 11 in the trees of Eastern, and the Red-footed Boobys were also very few in number. Saw only two. No Sooty terns. Turnstones, plovers, several tattlers, and one Br. thighed Curlew were the shorebirds seen. There is an immense population of albatross however. And, on the beach facing Sand Id. NONE are banded. I looked at at least 500 birds near the boat landing seeing only one ( unmated ? ) unmated bird with a band. This state of affairs is very annoying and leads me to ask the embarrassing question of what has Dr. Fisher been doing the past six years? The answer may be obvious. Back at Midway we began and finished the uncrating of the building in the afternoon while it deluged and turned much colder. In the evening it was Shrimp Creole at the O Club for a pleasant change. Also saw today Dr. Pettengill, my Biological Station professor, today who is photographing the gooneys here. A pleasant suprise.