ew me ee ”! cw Birds were collected at two stations, Igurin and Rigili, prior to Mike detonation. After the shot they were taken at eight stations and, with the exception of two stations, consisted entirely of terns (Laridae family). Within this group the fairy tern, Gygis aiba, and the common noddy tern, Anous stolidus, were taken when available. These two species usually remain close to the nesting grounds, although they may forage over a range of several islands in search of food. Other terns taken included the sooty tern, Sterna fuscata, the crested tern, S. bergti, and the arctic tern, S. paradisaea. All birds were collected with a shotgun. The food of the terns inhabiting Eniwetok Atoll consists almost entirely of small live fish caught near the surface of the water. Occasionally smali octopi are eaten. Terns are not scavengers and do not eat refuse. The food of the shore birds is composed mostly of insects and small crustaceans found on the beaches. At Aaraanbiru one shore bird was taken in addition to the terns, and at Rojoa the collection consisted entirely of shore birds. The shore birds taken included the golden plover, Pluvialis g1- dominica fulva, the wandering tattler, Heteroscelus incanus, and the turnstone, Arenaria interpes morinella. Shore birds are not desirable specimens for this survey becauseof their extensive migratory habits but were collected when terns were not available. In the instances where shore birds were taken, however, the factor of migration was of little consequence. It was apparent that these birds were on the island where collected at the time of the detonation since they were injured and burned to such an extent that they were unableto fly. mi Rojoa was the closest island to Ground Zero on which live birds were seen or taken. The birds at Runit, Rigili, and eepecially at Rojoa had been burned, sometimes to the bone, and were ill (Figs 4.5 and 4.6). Birds with dark-colored feathers were burned more severely than were the white fairy terns. The birds were placed on ice as soon as they were shot. The rats were returned alive in the traps. When the traps withthe rats were returned to the USS Oakhill, they were placed in a deep-freeze unit so that death occurred from freezing. The following tissues were taken: for rats, skin, muscle, bone, liver, stomach, gut, kidney, and lung (in postshot specimens); and for birds, skin, muscle, bone, liver, proventriculus, gizzard, gut, and lung (in some specimens). Special care was taken in all dissections to prevent cross contamination between organs. The dissection instruments were washed and wiped after each step, and the digestive tract with its contents was dissected out last to prevent general cross contamination by the more or less fluid digestive-tract contents. 4.7.2 Results The specific activity of the organs and tissues of the rats is given in Table 4.16. In Tables 4.17a and b the disintegration rate for activity within the organs and tissues of the birds is given. i”, 4.7.3 Analysis of Organs and Tissues, Preshot The amount of radioactivity found in the organs and tissues of rats and birds in the preshot collections is small (Tables 4.16 and 4.17a), with a maximum of ‘7? d/m/g in the terns and 26 d/m/g in the rats. However, there are similarities in the distribution of the activity according to the different tissues and organs of the rats and birds. In Fig. 4.7, histograms of the average disintegration per minute per gram for the organs and tissues of 2ll the pre- shot birds and rats are given. Similarities in radioactivity levels for like organs or tissues in the birds and rats are apparent, with gut, muscle, liver, skin, and stomach in both groups containing measurable amounts of radioactivity. In bone nune was detected. If the organs and tissues are arranged in descending order of average activity, the order is identical in the UNCLASSIFIED.