C.R. Long 
1964 
V 
Phoenix Island Petrel egg in the open under a Suriana hush. This type of 
habitat for nesting seems to be dn exception. On M 0 tu Tabu the Christmas 
Island shearwaters nest under vegetation without making burrows. Hests of 
the Hawaiian noddy were observed constructed of Messerschmidtia inflores¬ 
cences and Tur pinaria while those of the common noddy were made from 
small Messerschmidtia and other types of twigs. 
Host of the plant species were in bloom during our visit: Lepturus, Boerhaavia, 
Sesuvium, Sida , Portulaca, Heliotropium , Pisonia ,. Tribulus , Cassytha and 
Suriana . The latter genus has five yellow ^dtals (probably fading to white * 
after e;q>osure to the suit. On the west end of the island the Lepturus- 
Tribulus - Boerhaavia association forms a conspicuous patch. On the east side 
of the island Messerschmidtia logs are burrowed heavily by the Christmas Is¬ 
land shearwaters. At the southwest end of the islet were two Scaevola bushes 
and several young plants. Solid Lenturus — Boerhaavia stands occur among the 
Messerschmidtia bushes. The small Pisonia are relatively leafless - soil sur¬ 
face beneath is bare of other vegetation. Hedgetailed shearwaters are found 
in the fine sandy area on the west end of the island. Sketch maps of Cook Is¬ 
land, Motu Tabu and Motu Upou were taken from: Series X 782 , Christmas Island, 
Edition 2-GSGS, Pub. by D. Survey, War Office and Air Ministry, 1957 > Printed 
by Army Map-Service, Corps of Engineers, 4-59? IO 2674 . Eggs and young of 
Hawaiian noddies were present in various stages of development in the leaf 
nests heavily matted with guano. The noddies and terns perch in the upper 
dead limbs of the Messerschmidtia — green sprouts appear below. Stems of 
Tribulus up to two ft. in length. Christmas Island shearwaters with burrows 
at the edge of the Lepturus stand. Red—'tailed tropicbirds were nesting under 
the Messerschmidtia scrub. On the northeast side of the island one plant of 
Hedyot'is (Kadua) was found frith large white to dark bluish berries. This plant 
was observed growing in the bare soil only several feet from the high tide 
mark in an environment where one might- expect Suriana . This was the only plant 
seen on Christmas Island. The following species or species associations V 
were observed on Motu Tabu: i 
1. Heliotronium - Suriana - Messerschmidtia (few) 
2. Heliotropium — Suriana - Lepturus - Cassytha . 
3. Suriana — Messerschmidtia 
4. Tribulus - Heliotronium - Lenturus . , 
5 . Portulaca - Heliotropium - Lepturus 
6 . Suriana - Lepturus 
7. Pisonia 
Two permanent markers were placed on Motu Tabu: 
1 . twenty paces from the mid-northeast shore, steel pole is 47 in. 
above the surface and painted green; 
2. on the northwest point in the - Lepturus - Heliotropium stand 
approx, fifty paces from the post sunk into the shore and 
south by southwest of these. 
I 
June 19, 1964 — He were up at 6:30 am. return to the U.S.S. Takelma by 
11 am. after decamping from Motu Upou. He repack and return to Cook Island. 
Much of the Scaevola is parasitized by the Cassytha . This may act. as a deterrent 
to the spread of this species on Cook Island. The depressed coral rubble area 
in the northwest part of the island has no well defined associations but rather 
a somewhat random dispersal of species. More nesting sooty terns are present 
on the island since our last visit. Eggs are placed in both completely exposed 
and shaded positions but'the latter seems more common. Sooty terns sometimes 
use twigs and leaves of Messerschmidtia in thier nest. 
