from separate plants) as follows: 26,28,28,30,37,41,43,45,54. The Sesuvium 
with the pink to lavender flowers seems to De more common along” the—Shore— 
of the lagoon. The additional heat here and/or the age of the flower may 
be responsible for this color. Some of the plants on the inside of the mat 
have white flowers (sepals). 
July 13, 1964 Observed a crested tern. Sixteen bamboo stakes were placed 
along the Sesuvium m at on the east side toward ^the south end and directly 
opposite the "break" in the high rocky be&ch (southeast end). The Sesuvium 
may be limited in inner expansion by the periodic inundation of the dry 
lagoon with rain water. The edge of the lagoon at this site is uniform 
without an irregular pattern of growth suggesting an even edge of water. 
Twenty-one stakes were placed along the edge of a bare area within the mat 
near the above site. This was probably a result of nesting boobies. An 
accumulation of dropping was observed but no birds were nesting in this site, 
currently. Further south along the lagoon edge twenty-one stakes were placed 
along the edge of the Sesuvium mat - in this area the plants seem to be advancing 
- some stems being 24 to 30 inches from the mat and rooting at the nodes in 
the bare soil. At the extreme south end of this site a former booby nest area 
was observed with many dead Se suvium stems. It may be that a dry season is 
favorable for the advance of the mat onto the crust of the lagoon- the wet 
season and rainwater accumulation limiting. Perhaps of greater signifigance 
is the subtle raising of the lagoon edge several inches above the bare floor 
of the lagoon by the slow accumulation of guano deposits mixed with some or¬ 
ganic material largely from Sesuvium . Only a few areas observed about the 
periphery of the lagoon where the mat or extensions of the mat might have 
been killed by inundation at a recent time. Evaporation may be so fast that only 
a few depressed areas at the edge of the lagoon retain pools which might kill 
the Se suvium . Nesting boobies are very commonly found at the edge of the mat. 
On the rocky shelf above the last site is found the Lepturus - Boerhaavia - 
Portulaca association. The peripheral, radiating stems of one large plant 
of Boerhaavia were marked with bamboo stakes to get some idea of rate of 
the current seasons growth. The stems extended as much as 30 inches from the 
crown, stem and leaves light green and flowers white. Flowers from different 
plants of the Portulaca sp. in this area were observed: petals were bright 
yellow varying in number from five to seven and stamens varying in number 
-22,26,31,34,36,42,43,44,44. In a flat rocky area about 20 ft. behind the 
last site (toward the beach) the peripheral area of a Sida p lant was marked 
with sixteen stakes. The plant is procumbent and the stems are radiating 
out into bare gravel soil. Just to the southeast is a amal1 area of nesting 
lesser frigates - in low Sida and Lepturus - about 28 nests with large chicks 
and incubating eggs. Few seedling plants of any species noticeable with the 
exception of Sida seedlings and small plants in the Se suvium mat. Here the 
soil is wet. The Lepturus clumps have runners extending onto the mat. No. 
Lepturus seedlings observed. 
Transect III - (from permanent marker II at the edge of the lagoon to the 
high tide mark). 
Sesuvium 
Lepturus 
Portulaca 
Lepturus 
Boerhaavia 
Lepturus 
guano 
with 
hardpan 
rocky with 
guano soil 
rocky with 
gravel and 
soil pockets 
rocky with 
sand pockets 
and gravel 
