102 
Mr. K. Morikawa ( Cherif eridea ) , Mr. M. Mo- 
ritsu ( Aphidae), Dr. T. Nakane ( Coleoptera ) , 
Mr. N. Nozawa ( Orthopteroidea ) , Mr. H. Ni- 
shijima (Diptera), Dr. S. Saito (Araneae), Dr. 
T. Sakai (land crabs), Dr. T. Shiraki (Orthop- 
teroidea), Dr. R. Takahashi (Coccidae), Dr. 
K. Tsuneki (ants), Dr. H. Uchida (Aptery- 
gota), Mr. T. Yaginuma (Araneae), Dr. E. 
Yamaguchi ( Oligochaeta ) , and Dr. T. Tuyama 
(plants) . 
Some names have been added or changed on 
the basis of studies done upon the insects of 
Micronesia by J. C. M. Carvalho, H. G. Barber, 
and H. de Souza Lopes not cited in my ref- 
erences. 
Valuable information on the animals and 
plants during wartime was obtained from Mr. 
M. Matsubara, the commander of the Japanese 
garrison on Marcus Island during World War 
II. Messrs. Y. Nakada and K. Fujisawa of the 
Remote Islands Section of the Observatory gave 
me suggestions on the land biota. Dr. T. Kira 
of Osaka City University kindly answered my 
inquiries on the climatic and vegetational fea- 
tures of the island. 
Suggestions for improving the manuscript 
were given by Dr. J. L. Gressitt of the Bernice 
P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, based upon his 
wide biological knowledge on the Pacific is- 
lands. 
I should like to express my sincere thanks 
to all of these gentlemen, whose help was in- 
dispensable in preparing the present paper. 
SUMMARY 
Based upon information obtained directly dur- 
ing the period from April 30 to May 6, 1952, 
and from previous works and personal com- 
munications, a general perspective of the land 
biota of Marcus Island in the western Pacific 
is outlined. As might be expected from the small 
size and lack of environmental diversity, the 
land biota shows the typical poor structure com- 
mon to low reef islands of the Pacific. Most 
constituents of the biota seem to have been in- 
troduced during relatively recent years, prob- 
ably aided by direct and indirect human activ- 
ities upon the island. 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XV, January 1961 
APPENDIX 
AN ANNOTATED HISTORY OF MARCUS ISLAND 
As mentioned by Bryan, the discovery, nam- 
ing, and early history of the island cannot be 
thoroughly traced in the obscurity of the chron- 
icles from the last century. The following table 
was prepared from the accounts of Yoshida 
( 1902 ) , Bryan ( 1903), and Shiga ( 1903 ) , and 
from personal communications from Mr. Ma- 
tsubara and staff members of the weather sta- 
tion. 
Before I860: Some reports of Pacific whalers 
give some information on the island, but 
with much confusion about its name and 
location ( Bryan ) . 
1868: Captain Kilton, aboard the "David Hoad- 
ley,” visited in May and described the place 
as a low sandy island covered with trees 
and bushes (Bryan) . Discovered in this 
year by an American, and thereafter visited 
occasionally by French and British ships 
(Shiga). 
1874: U. S. survey ship "Tuscarora” (Com- 
mander Belknap ) visited. The Hawaiian 
Mission ship "Morning Star” ( Captain 
Gelett) visited and reported a dense cover 
of trees and shrubbery, with a white sandy 
beach ( Bryan ) . Tsunetaro Shinzaki visited 
as a passenger in a British ship (Yoshida) . 
This was the first visit by a Japanese 
(Shiga). 
1889: Captain Rosehill landed in June while 
engaged in trading in the Pacific. He rec- 
ognized the island’s value as a source of 
coconuts. Believing himself to be the dis- 
coverer, he claimed it for the United States 
(Bryan, Yoshida) . 
1896: A stone lantern (Ishi-doro) , with an 
inscription of February 12, 1896, written 
in Japanese, existed on the island until 
its destruction by U. S. bombers during 
World War II ( Matsubara ) . Shinroku 
Mizutani, Chief of the South Sea Section, 
Tokyo Animal Company (Tokyo Kinju 
Gaisha) , while he was a sailor aboard the 
"Tenyu-maru,” was cast ashore in a storm 
(Yoshida, Matsubara). 
