40 Director's Annual Report. 



edges, which gives it the general torm of a broad, flat platter. 

 Although composed of coral and coral sand it differs from Sand 

 Island in having the interior portion mixed to some extent with 

 vegetable mould and guano. Almost the whole surface of the 

 island is honeycombed with the burrows of the Wedge-tailed 

 Shearwater. Near the middle, on the northwest shore, were three 

 crude shanties, two made of wood and one of grass. These had 

 been standing a considerable time, and had doubtless been built 

 by the Japanese poachers during some of their early visits. 



Midway was discovered by Captain Brooks, of the Gambia, in 

 1859, who took possession of it for the United States. At one time 

 the Pacific Mail Steamship Company intended using it as a depot 

 for its transpacific steamers in preference to Honolulu, which was 

 then under foreign influence. With this plan in view it was sur- 

 veyed in 1867, but it was never utilized for the purpose intended. 

 It was again carefully surveyed by the officers and men of the 

 IT. S. Iroquois in 1900, and an elaborate map, showing several 

 thousand soundings, has been published. The second survey was 

 made preparatory to the establishment of a cable and naval station 

 there, which now gives the island an importance far out of propor- 

 tion to its area. 



The island has been repeatedly visited by small tramp vessels, 

 and has more than once been the haven for shipwrecked sailors. 

 However, it was not until Mr. Henry Palmer visited it in July, 1891 , 

 that the nature of its bird life was definitely made known, although 

 all those who visited it made frequent reference to the swarms of 

 sea birds that inhabited it. 



Limited as our stay was to but a few hours, the following can 

 be regarded as little more than a running list of the plants and 

 birds which we were able to secure in a short time. Doubtless 

 both the number of plants and birds could be increased without 

 difficulty, while a protradled stay on the island would no doubt 

 bring to light many interesting records of rare visitors, as well as 

 record forms of bird life which would be common enough at other 

 seasons of the year. 



On the two islets I colledled, in all, eleven species of plants, 

 securing six on Sand and ten on Eastern. With the exception of 

 a single species, Eragrostis cynosiiroides (Retz), all the plants 

 secured on Sand Island were found growing on Eastern. The 



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