A Monograph of Marcus Island. 8i 



brought the knowledge of it to the attention of the Japanese, and 

 from time to time hunting and fishing vessels called there, and on 

 all such visits found it entirely uninhabited. In 1S96 these visits 

 were made of a more or less permanent chara(5ler, and since that 



ICf*' 



W 





Fig. I. Photographed from the beach in front of the settlement. Show- 

 ing the wooden monument eredled by the Government of Japan in 1S98. 

 which sets forth her claim to the island. The palm-thatched shed wa.s 

 used by the colony in preparing birds for fertilizer. 



time Japanese have repaired to the island each 3'ear during the 

 summer months and have established a thrifty colony. However, 

 no official steps were taken by their Government to lay claim to 

 the island until in July, 1898, when it was incorporated in the 

 Bonin Group and of!icially named Minami Torishima ( South Bird 



OccAsioxAL Papers B. P. B. M., Vol. II., No. i.— 6. 



