16 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



the materials for this Bulletin were made by Dr. Streets while connected 

 with the Xorth Pacific Surveying Expedition in 1873-'75. The Fan- 

 ning group consists of four small coral islands, Christmas, Fanning 

 Washington, or New York, and Palmyra. They are situated imme- 

 diately north of the equator, extending from latitude 1° 57' north to 5° 

 49' north, and from longitude 157° 27' west to 162° IP west. Three of 

 these islands have been terra incognita to the naturalist, and furnish 

 much new matter. This was particularly the case with Washington 

 Island, which is an obliterated atoll, having been lifted up by some 

 disturbing force, so as to close up the lagoon-outlet, and what was-the 

 old salt-water lagoon is now a fresh-water lake. It is probable that the 

 salt-water of the lagoon has drained off through the light, porous soil 

 and its place been supplied by rain-water. It is unfortunate that the 

 exigencies of the naval service did not permit of a longer stay at this 

 island, and especially that sufficient time was not given to investigate 

 the life in the fresh- water lake. During the half day which he was 

 allowed to remain on the island, Dr. Streets succeeded in fixing the 

 habitat of a lory (Coriphilus kuldi), which has long been a puzzle to 

 ornithologists, and he also discovered a diminutive species of the gad- 

 well duck inhabiting the lake. The specimens of the lory brought 

 home by Dr. Streets are, it is believed, the only ones in this country • 

 and they are exceedingly rare in the museums of Europe. The island is 

 densely covered with vegetation, the cocoanut-palm tree predominating. 

 The collection represents the complete avifauna of the group during 

 the winter months, with two or three exceptions. A point of interest 

 in connection with the fish collection is that it extends the area of dis- 

 tribution of many species that were previously confined to the East 

 Indian region. The conditions surrounding life on the southernmost 

 island of the group, Christmas, were generally found to be very different 

 from that on the others; and in cases where it was the same, the habits 

 of the species were observed to be greatly modified. The notes accom- 

 panying the names of the sea-birds are thought to be very interesting 

 in this connection. Purely land-life, as is natural to be supposed, is 

 very scantily represented on the islands. On Palmyra there was found 

 a minute shell, a Tornatellina, and a land-leech, that fastened itself upon 

 the eyelids of the young birds. Eats and house flies are abundant, but 

 neither are indigenous. In addition to the land-birds already men- 

 tioned, there was also observed on Washington a bird resembling a fly- 

 catcher. Giant land-crabs were numerous on the same island. 



After the Portsmouth, on which Dr. Streets was stationed, had com- 

 pleted the survey of the Fanning group, he was transferred to the 

 Xarragansett, which was making a survey of the west coast of Mexico. 

 This portion of the collection does not pretend to be exhaustive even 

 of any one locality, the nature of the work, a running survey, precluding 

 the idea of a protracted stay in one place. The elucidation of some 

 doubtful points in the history of two species of birds and an account 



