758 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
two nearer and a general stampede would follow, and immediately not 
a fish was to be seen, and to all appearances they had made their 
escape; and such was the case so far as their safety was concerned. It 
was discovered that the fish could escape by a number of passages, in 
which they concealed themselves. An unsuccessful effort was made 
to frighten them out, standing by with a dip net to capture those that 
might appear. 
The wire trap captured 2 fish on the first trial and 4 more on the 
second. The third trial gave very good results, amounting to 20 fish, 
representing 5 species. In the last trial the trap remained down 
twenty-four hours and contained 24 fish when taken up, among which 
were 4 species not before taken. By the different methods employed 
at this island 300 fish were taken. 
Shore collections were made on the outside reef, extending over a 
mile or more, and on the beaches in the lagoon. Among the material 
gathered were holothurians, sea-urchins, starfishes, shells, and crabs. 
The fringing reef on both sides of the passage leading into the lagoon 
is very rough, being composed chiefly of huge coral slabs, in which 
shallow places have been hollowed out by the action of the sea and 
are filled with water at each tide. In all these pools fish were noticed, 
but were hard to capture on account of the numerous outlets from one 
pool to another. Some, however, were taken and found to be the 
same species as those caught in the seine and trap. 
The reef makes off from the beach about 500 feet. It is quite level, 
and when the tide is flooding the sea breaks on the outer edge and 
rushes in for a distance of several hundred feet, covering the reef to 
a depth of about 6 inches; receding, it leaves the reef bare except the 
pools, each incoming wave giving them a fresh supply of water. 
After a while the water begins to remain on the reef, only a portion of 
it running off. At this time fish are seen darting in various directions 
ahead of the incoming wave. Many of those that have been confined 
to the pools and channels now leave their narrow surroundings and 
mingle with other fish just in from the sea. At this time the natives 
usually repair to the reef to get their daily supply of fish. 
Near the outer edge of the reef fewer fish were found in the pools 
than further up. Fish are abundant in gullies along the outer edge, 
where the reef makes off suddenly into the deep water, leaving many 
rough and jagged places 6 to 8 feet long and 2 to 4 feet wide, into 
which the sea breaks with considerable force even in moderate weather. 
Standing upon a shelf formed by the indentations fish could be seen 
at a depth of 10 or 15 feet. Frequently a heavy sea would surge in, 
churning the water into foam with sufficient force apparently to 
destroy all life within its reach. In some of these places the col- 
lecting seine was let down and held in position by the aid of a dip-net 
handle and a long pole, thinking that the surging might cause at least 
one fish to become entangled in the folds of the net; but before the 
