122 Director'' s Anmial Report. 



VERMES. 



Believing that a-collecftion of any earthworms that might occur 

 on the island would be of interest I requested Mr. Sedgwick and 

 his assistants to keep a close lookout for them. Although they 

 made a large number of excavations in various places while prose- 

 cuting their investigations they were unable to discover a single 

 specimen. ■ The conditions in and about the dry lagoons seemed 

 most favorable, as the soil was there composed of rich loose allu- 

 vial earth. Since no specimens were collecfted, or even seen, by 

 any of our party I am persuaded that worms of this class have not 

 as yet found their way thither. 



BOTANY. 



Ten species of indigenous plants were found growing at the 

 time of our visit, none of which could be said to be peculiar to 

 Marcus Island. The few species that have found their way thither 

 through natural agencies are of tho.se widely distributed, hardy, 

 pioneer plants which are well adapted to maintain life on an 

 isolated speck of coral sand, where rain is uncertain, soil uupro- 

 ducftive, and storms often violent. 



By referring to Figs. 2, 3, 5 it will be seen that the land is 

 fairly well covered with vegetation of one kind or another down to 

 the high water mark. There seems to be but little contention 

 among the few species as all have found conditions more or less 

 suitable to themselves, so that all work together for the upbuild- 

 ing of the island and the enrichment of the soil. The coconut 

 palm, Cocos nucifera L,inn., the only plant of economic importance, 

 is well established growing in the larger of the dry lagoons in the 

 •centre of the island. Perhaps three acres have been thickly planted 

 by nature to this most valuable palm. All the trees of sufficient 

 age were in bearing. The nuts were not especially large, nor the 

 trees prolific, although there was sufficient fruit to more than sup- 

 ply the colony at all times. The Japanese put the tree to many 

 uses ; the trunk is used to form the sills and principal posts of their 

 shacks ; the leaves made an excellent thatch ; the nut shells were 

 of service as utensils ; the midrib of the leaves made serviceable 

 poles with which they secured the birds to be skinned. The trees 

 must have been of great age, as many of them were sixty feet in 



