MAMMALS Little-piked Whale Baleenoptera acutoroatrata 2 Two individuals were seen, one on 23 April at 30°49'N, 117°41'W, and another on 24 April at 29°30'N, 117°18'W. Both animals were adults. The sightings are believed to represent different animals as there were small distinctions noted in coloration of the two animals. They seemed to be attracted to the ship. During both periods of observation the large fathometer was working. This equipment emits a ping at frequent intervals, and I believe it possible that the animals were attracted to this. During both observation periods the ship was stopped or moving only slightly (holding against the current). The observation of the animal on 23 April lasted for an hour. During this period the animal stayed around the bow of the ship, swimming back and forth. This animal was never noted to blow with a visible vapor cloud. Instead it began its exhalation below the surface of the water, finished it just as it surfaced, and inhaled while the blowhole was exposed. On this animal the broad white bands on the flippers were visible each time the animal surfaced and even when it was swimming several fathoms below the surface. The animal observed on 24 April first appeared at the fantail of the ship where it surfaced only 10-15 meters off the port side. The animal was observed by most people on the ship. The animal surfaced in a rolling mo- tion, forcing the pointed upper jaw out of the water, the forepart of the head then submerged exposing the blowhole; as the blowhole submerged and the roll was continued, the strongly recurved dorsal appeared and was above the water for several seconds. The animal never exposed the flukes during its play. It did make several passes by the ship, swimming on its back ex- posing the brilliant white underneath. Baird (Common) Dolphin Delphinus delphis bairdii 158 This animal was seen frequently. The pods were not large, ranging from 2 to 35 animals with a mean of 9. They often came to the bow of the ship and rode the "wake" while the ship was underway at full speed. They would not stay with the ship if it was travelling at slow speeds. Tursiops sp. Tursiops were seen in the vicinity of Guadalupe Island where one was collected (see Guadalupe Island Report). Otariidae There were several sightings of eared seals, generally associated with floating kelp patches. One sighting of a pair of large sandy colored animals may have been Stellar Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubata) although these would have been far south of their normal range. On the San Benito Islands there is a light-colored race of California Sea Lion (Zalophus californiana). Since the observations of Dr. Hubbs and myself were short in duration, we discredited our initial identification of Eumetopias, and decided that the animals probably were migrant Zalophus from the San Benitos.