ii8 Director's Annual Report. 



the skinks and geckos feed on it as well as on the small flies just 

 mentioned. 



The birds were infested with various species of Mallophaga. 

 A large gooney louse was quite troublesome to the Japanese by 

 reason of its poisonous bite which caused painful, ulcerous sores 

 to break out on the hands and legs. Foully two-thirds of the colony 

 were disfigured by them in this way. 



The only spider that had established itself was the widely 

 distributed web-spinning species, Epeira nautica Koch. Their 

 stout webs were stretched from tree to tree in such a way as 

 to be a nuisance as we walked through the forest. The trees and 

 grass showed little or no signs of insect pests. In fact I found 

 only one species of plant that had been molested by biting insedls. 

 Since these depredations were to be seen only in a very limited 

 area, and as I was unable to secure the miscreant either by day or 

 night I concluded the species must have been a recent Japanese 

 introducftion that had not had time to thoroughly establish itself. 

 No species of Coleoptera were secured. 



CRUSTACEA. 



The small collection of crabs secured consists of eleven species, 

 four of which were found abundant on the land, while the remain- 

 ing seven were colledled on the reef and may be considered as 

 representing the commoner form to be met with in the waters about 

 the island. 



The land Crustacea make up in numbers and a(5livity for their 

 comparative poverty in kind, and are exceedingly important agents 

 in the economy of the island. In addition to adling as general 

 scavengers certain of them take the place of earth worms by aiding 

 in mixing light surface materials into the sand; while others, as 

 the Coenobita^ by bringing shells to serve as habitations and sub- 

 sequently discarding them inland, aid in a material way to the 

 building up of the land. 



To Miss Mary J. Rathbun and Mr. J. E. Benedict, both of the 

 National Museum at Washington, I am indebted for assistance in 

 the determination of the species and for many courtesies. 



Geograpsus grayi (M. Kdw.). 

 By far the most common species on the island this interesting 

 crab was everywhere abundant, especially about the settlement 



