trend over the major portion of the survey period, the regression line was calculated starting on about the 36th day post-Nectar, and the same for other islands except Olive, where the maximus was reached at 20 days, and at Leroy, where collections vere first made on the l2sth day. It is inferred from the failure of early samples to attain levels in line with later samples on log-log plots, that a pertod of approximately 30 days was generelly required for the uptake of radioisotopes to reach equilibrium with the non-radtfoactive constituents of the tissues, although at Olive this had apparently occurred within 20 days. The deviation of the decline points from log-log linearity seems not to follow a pattern but to be random. Only the decline curve for gut at Henry resembles that of Belle Halimeda (Pig. 14), land plant leaves (Pig. 16), Acropora (Pig. 18), and crab carapace (Pig. 25), tz days (sec 3 sinusoidal with point of inflection about 150 =—Ss sation, p. 40). Pig 0 29 and Table 18 show decay curves for sea cucumbe *slected to include Belle, Leroy, ain. Henry, and other islands rendomly. They are unusually straight lines from as early as 50 days to 1100 days post-Nectar, and are typical of other sea cucumber decays. The slopes to 700 days renged from -1.1 to -3.%. Slopes steeper than Declines exceeded all but two of the decays (curves 1 and 5). For sea cucumbers, then, declines vere more rapid than decays. Taple 18. Sates of rediaative ceeez, ef samples ef cee eusmmere. coferred to Sector, Cate for “izure Z. ieee i eet UE if A3 BHU Bros BESS oes SNE de eat. 22 OS & tle, wwe *? ieee ee NS 2480 @ 1. COe0 BEBO sollas- 4 ° aie ne. - JE Carve Plate Lesalitp late of Tissun > 4a AT \ 2 , \ we mee aoe NN \ » x % SONS . . . ’ -a- ma ncect o ar -1.6 oceurred only at Henry, and at Leroy vhere they vere particularly steep. At 700 days the steepest slopes moderated, approaching the slopes of the other curves. . ‘ ? 3

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