R.D. Erwin - Seawards #13 - Series Account 1966 Sosty Term Leranochi power) was set off to signal the ship that we were leaving island (ca. 2130). Hundreds of Terms poured off the island and swirled about the flare as it floated down to the water. Since the burning time was less than a minute, this reaction by the birds was almost sinister tensions. Why not Stani; a flare of equal bright- ness - set it up on camp and let the birds come into camp to be branded?? Perhaps not as well an idea as it may sound - aided with some sort of must met arrangement. Shelton believes there may be as many as a million birds on the island - I think more in the neigh- borhood of 750,000, but I could be less - he has gone out into the extremities of the colony more than I have, but I have had opportunity to observe populations here. The fact of the matter is - how the hell does one count 500,000 or a million birds anyway.