418 
sional stronger wind blowing from the north, 
usually after a period of calm. The prevailing 
ocean current is from the southeast; this current 
splits on coming to an atoll, sending a very 
strong current sweeping northward up the east- 
ern side, with a much slacker current being de- 
flected round the southern tip and up the west- 
ern side. The effect of these winds and currents 
on the atolls is very marked. On the eastern 
weather sides there is constant heavy surf, while 
on the western lee sides calmer seas prevail. 
The "land” of the atolls is often more developed 
on the weather side than on the lee. This is es- 
pecially noticeable on the larger lagoon islands, 
which have islets all along the weather sides, 
while the lee remains a mass of barrier reefs 
and shoal patches (as in Butaritari, Abaiang, 
Tarawa, Maiana, and in particular Arunuka, 
Nonouti, and Tabiteuea). The main anchorages 
on all the atolls are on the western lee sides, 
and, in the case of lagoon islands, so are the 
main ship or boat channels into the lagoon. 
Between the months of October and March, 
there may be gales from the west bringing 
heavy rain, but several years may pass without 
any westerly weather developing. In years of 
heavy or continual westerly winds, an ocean cur- 
rent may develop from the southwest; the Gil- 
bertese believe that a change in current actually 
precedes a severe westerly gale. During this 
westerly weather, big seas develop on the usu- 
ally calm western sides, heavy surf breaks on 
the barrier reefs and may even sweep right 
across the lagoons. These westerly gales do not 
normally last for more than a few days, but they 
may blow up without warning and may be the 
cause of an occasional shipwreck, even in these 
days of motor vessels (as at Nikunau, in 1955), 
DETAILS OF TOXIC AREAS BY ISLANDS 
Makin 
Makin (in U. S. Sailing Directions, Little 
Makin or Makin Meang) is the most northerly 
of the Gilbert Islands. It is small, about 2.8 
square miles in land area, with a population in 
1958 of 1,130. Annual average rainfall is 107 
inches, which makes it one of the wettest islands 
in the Gilberts. Toxic fish are unknown to the 
Makin people. Although Makin is classed as a 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XVIII, October 1964 
reef island, it is unusual in having a shallow 
lagoon on the eastern side of the island. On the 
western or lee side there is a narrow fringing 
reef, which at low tide is covered by about 4 ft 
of water; this reef drops away suddenly and 
steeply to deep water. Vessels may anchor only 
during exceptionally calm weather, and even 
then they must moor onto the edge of the reef. 
In 1956 this narrow lee reef was a mass of 
luxuriant corals, with deep sandy-bottomed surge 
channels lined with many species of corals and 
a large and varied population of fish. In Novem- 
ber, 1961, this magnificent reef was found to be 
completely changed; the corals were broken and 
the surge channels full of the debris, and there 
were not nearly so many fish. Enquiries showed 
that this very extensive damage had been caused 
by an exceptionally severe gale accompanied by 
heavy seas just before Christmas, I960. How- 
ever, no toxic fish have yet appeared. 
Butaritari 
Butaritari ( in U. S. Sailing Directions, Makin 
Atoll) is a large lagoon island in the northern 
Gilberts with a land area of some 4.5 square 
miles and a population in 1958 of 2,118. It is 
the wettest island in the group, with an annual 
average rainfall of 125 inches. Poisonous fish 
were first reported from Butaritari after World 
War II. Small ships may enter Butaritari lagoon, 
which is large, through a passage in the south- 
west by Kotabu Islet, but large ships must re- 
main outside the lagoon. During the war many 
ships were anchored in the passage and there are 
wrecks both here and inside the lagoon. About 
25 years ago the "St. George” was wrecked in 
the lagoon opposite Ukianang village; and near- 
by the "Alexis” was bombed and sunk by the 
Japanese a couple of years later. No toxicity 
followed the earlier wreck, nor appeared for 
some years after the latter. The remains of a 
crashed Catalina flying boat are still to be seen 
near Butaritari village. 
The toxic area, which is in the southeastern 
part of the island (Fig. 1), extends from a 
point somewhere between Butaritari village and 
Ukianang village inside the lagoon southward 
through the South Channel by Kotabu, thence 
to the northwest along the fringing and barrier 
reefs both inside and outside the lagoon, as far 
as Tukurere Islet. This toxic area is composed of 
