316 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 194 7 



Undoubtedly, countless animal individuals have perished at Bikini 

 because of the atomic bomb experiments and still others may perish. 

 But this destruction of life in a large atoll like Bikini amounts to 

 only an extremely small percentage of the total animal life. The over- 

 all picture of life on the reefs has changed little because beneath this 

 surface layer, and from extensive adjoining unaffected areas, indi- 

 viduals have come forth to repopulate and occupy the reefs. The pres- 

 sure of population from all sides into the damaged areas is very great 

 and soon replaces the losses. Thus nature begins the repopulation 

 cycle, and, if given sufficient time, the wounded reefs will be cleansed 

 of their contamination, biological equilibrium will be reached, and life 

 will establish itself as in past millenniums — similar to that before man 

 released the greatest destructive force in his history. 



