19 March 1963 
We arrived at Howland Island about 0900 went ashore an hour 
-• * ■ > 
later. The island is roughly a mile an one lelf In a long south 
line and about a thousand yards wide. It la very araid and without 
the gentle east wind which blows most of the time* the heat would 
be unbareable. The most conspicuous feature of the island is the 
crumbling light house built for Ameala Airheett’s Trensoceanac 
flight* North of the tower is the remaining of the town known 
Itsnca Town. The town consist of a low stone wall incloser about 
50yds wide, which is three sided being incomplete of the east. 
The main entrance faces the boat landing to the west and old rusty 
cannon gaurds this entrance. There are the remains of three buildings 
in the town too of native stone one cargated metel. The dominate 
vegetation of the island is a low course grass which grows in clumps, 
there is a lot punture vien and low succulent cusucshrumb. At many 
places the bare rock forms the soul grounding covers and in other 
places it is broken into small slabs. A series of revens runs in 
a north south direction on the east side behind a Itsscatown in these 
revlnes and in a large clump behind the light house are the remains 
of a long edged stand on three. There is a 1- rge sooty tern colony 
toward the northern end of the Island certainly several thousand, 
the majority of the chicks are eledges but few are flying. On the 
north esat beach is a flock of several thousand immature frigates 
but, I have noted only about 200 adults on the island, fhes usually 
*» 
« - - *■ ; ►. ^ I - - 
roost behind the light house. There are several hundred Masked Boobies 
nesting about the island perhaps one hundred brown boobies nesting 
and some interesting red footed boobies nesting the dead trees. There 
