CHAPTER 49 
Necker Island" 
Necker Island is a precipitous, narrow ridge of volcanic rock, about 
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1,300 yards long, east and west, by a tenth as wide. It is' estimated to 
have an area of 41 acres. From the western end a narrow spur extends 
about 200 yards northward, like the bone point on a Hawaiian trolling 
hook. The main crest undulates in a series of five hills. The westernmost 
of these, called Annexation Hill, is 246 feet high; the next, Flagpole FI ill, 
185 feet; the middle one, Summit Hill, 276 feet; the next, Bowl Hill, 
260 feet; and east of that a narrow ridge, slightly over 200 feet high. The 
spur, the highest point of which is 156 feet above sea level, forms with 
t the main stretch of the island a shallow, rocky cove called Shark Bay. 
During the greater part of the time the water in this bay is too rough 
to provide a landing, as it faces both wind and current. West of the spur, 
however, is a small lee where landing can be made on rocky shelves in 
moderately calm weather. 
This rocky islet, particularly its nearly vertical sides, appears from 
a distance to be bare of vegetation. Closer examination discloses that its 
rounded crest and narrow terraces on its flanks are sparsely carpeted 
with five species of low, nearly prostrate plants: a species of goosefoot 
shrub (Cheno podium sandwich emu) , which also is common on forehills 
(* Paradise of the Pacific, vol. 50: no. 1, pages 21-22, Jan. 1938.) 
171 
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