A Monograph oj Marcus Island. 95 



to hold to objecfts to maintain an equilibrium ; so that the shock 

 must have lasted some seconds. 



The temperature varied but little in the few days on shore. 

 B}' the thermometer the lowest temperature noted was 72° P\, the 

 highest 82° F.; but the heavy squally weather together with the 

 steamy evaporation from the sand, rendered it almost intolerabh' 

 hot and oppressive. 



As a place of residence Marcus must be considered both healthy 

 and habitable. In the six years that the island has been more or 

 less regularly inhabited there has not been a single death, and no 

 sickness that was attributable to the island or the climate. 



avp:s. 



When in advance of setting forth on the expedition to Marcus 

 Island we were commenting on its isolated position and anticipating 

 the probable results of a general colle(5ling trip thither, much hope 

 was felt and expressed that there might be found on the island 

 land birds which would be sufficiently different in habits or struc- 

 ture to throw needed light on the question of the probable source 

 from whence certain land forms inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands 

 had been derived. Consulting the meagre information available, 

 I found the island reported as being five miles long, densely wooded, 

 and rising 200 feet above the sea. Certainly a high island, well 

 wooded and of considerable size — located where Marcus is, did seem 

 to give promise of being a spot which might have served sea-blown 

 land birds from the Marianas and Bonin groups as a stepping stone 

 on their way to Laysan. 



However productive of distribution figments the fancied field 

 might have been, the reality was most disappointing. A pains- 

 taking search for land birds resulted in satisfying me that had 

 any existing terrestrial or arboreal bird been in any way introduced 

 on the island, it would have perished for want of suitable food. 

 The island was little more than one-fifth the size I had expected; 

 was less than one-third as high as reported, and, though densely 

 wooded, the trees were of such species that no nedlar-loving bird 

 could have gained a livelihood from their blossoms ; and certainly no 

 insecftivorous bird could have eked out an existence on the few small 

 iusecls found ; while the supply of fruits and edible seeds was all 

 but )iil . Nevertheless the absence of land birds was made up for, 

 in numl)ers at least, by the abundance of certain sea and shore 



