﻿Birds 
  of 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  Islands. 
  211 
  

  

  by 
  Dana"^, 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  four 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  atolls 
  amounts 
  

   to 
  only 
  25 
  square 
  miles, 
  so 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  islands 
  taken 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  cannot 
  possess 
  a 
  habitable 
  surface 
  of 
  100 
  square 
  miles, 
  

   and 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  about 
  equal 
  in 
  area 
  to 
  Guernsey, 
  or 
  

   Jersey, 
  or 
  the 
  half 
  of 
  Rutlandshire. 
  The 
  extent 
  of 
  reef, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  ascertained 
  by 
  Dana 
  to 
  be 
  seventeen 
  times 
  as 
  

   great 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  figure, 
  though 
  large, 
  is 
  again 
  far 
  exceeded 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  Marshall 
  Islands, 
  where 
  the 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  dry 
  ground 
  to 
  reef 
  is 
  1 
  : 
  100 
  to 
  200. 
  In 
  such 
  a 
  soil, 
  as 
  

   might 
  be 
  expected, 
  very 
  few 
  species 
  of 
  trees 
  and 
  plants 
  have 
  

   ever 
  contrived 
  to 
  gain 
  a 
  footing 
  and 
  to 
  subsist, 
  notwith- 
  

   standing 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  such 
  quantities 
  of 
  drift-wood 
  are 
  

   brought 
  to 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  these 
  islands 
  and 
  the 
  Marshalls 
  by 
  

   ocean 
  currents 
  and 
  the 
  trade 
  winds 
  that 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  

   last-named 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  side-planks 
  of 
  their 
  boats. 
  

   Nevertheless, 
  such 
  forms 
  of 
  plant-life 
  as 
  are 
  found 
  here 
  — 
  

   cocoanut-palms 
  and 
  screw-pines 
  being 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  — 
  

   often 
  flourish 
  in 
  abundance. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  Islands 
  

   are 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  being 
  well- 
  wooded, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  fertile 
  

   southern 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  Marshall 
  group 
  have 
  so 
  luxuriant 
  an 
  

   appearance 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  them, 
  Ebon, 
  is 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Gulick, 
  who 
  resided 
  there, 
  as 
  " 
  almost 
  a 
  small 
  Paradise 
  '^f. 
  

  

  Where 
  little 
  diversity 
  of 
  vegetable 
  food 
  exists, 
  only 
  a 
  

   small 
  number 
  of 
  animal 
  species 
  can 
  be 
  expected. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  

   Gilbert 
  Islands 
  themselves, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  no 
  

   general 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  fauna 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  impossible 
  that 
  some 
  

   may 
  have 
  escaped 
  my 
  notice, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  group 
  has, 
  I 
  

   believe, 
  been 
  visited 
  for 
  missionary 
  purposes 
  by 
  two 
  able 
  

   naturalists, 
  Mr. 
  Gulick 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Whitmee. 
  Chamisso, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  who 
  still 
  remains 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  authorities 
  for 
  what 
  

   is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  similar 
  Marshall 
  Islands, 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  

   record 
  there 
  only 
  rats, 
  fowls 
  (tame 
  and 
  feral). 
  Herons 
  (doubt- 
  

   less 
  Ardea 
  sacra), 
  Columba 
  australis 
  (this 
  must 
  be 
  Carpophaga 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  his 
  ' 
  Coral 
  Islands 
  ' 
  ; 
  quoted 
  by 
  Meinicke, 
  Zeitschr. 
  f. 
  allgem. 
  

   Erdkunde, 
  1863, 
  p. 
  376. 
  

  

  + 
  Cf. 
  Meinicke's 
  valuable 
  articles, 
  op. 
  cit, 
  pp. 
  369-417, 
  and 
  in 
  ' 
  Die 
  

   Inseln 
  des 
  stillen 
  Oceans,' 
  1876, 
  ii. 
  316-331. 
  Mr. 
  Gulick's 
  papers, 
  which 
  

   I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  directly, 
  were 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Nautical 
  

   Magazine,' 
  1861, 
  1802. 
  

  

  