Washington Island, June 9-13* 19^4 
June 9> 1964 - Plant collections were made by C.D. Hackman and D. Gill 
along the path leading around the north side of the island while C.H. 
Long and P. Marshall collected along the road which borders the south 
side of the island* The two endemic birds were seen by both parties* A 
Gyperus with a white head was found growing in waste areas along the road 
on the west and north . The trunks of Cocos support a number of lichens and 
mosses which are particularly thick on the wet sides of the trunk ( where 
water drains from the fronds and the crown of the tree)• The Cocos plantation 
is serviced by roadways which branch off of the shore road in towards the 
vegetated rim of the atoll and the lagoon* These are very damp and support 
a roadside vegetation composed of Polypodium , Hephrolepis , Asplenium , Syn- 
edrella , Cynodon and Fleurya . One bracket fungus and several capped fungi 
were observed and collected - all growing on Cocos * Mr* William Frew*-the 
resident manager for the Burns, Philp Co*, Ltd* was kind enough to provide 
bed and board for several days* 
June 10, 1964 - Tilth the assistance of P. Marshall and D* Gill peat samples 
were gathered from the west bog* Plant collections were made from the west 
bog, the canal leading northeast into the open bog and, later in the after¬ 
noon, from the waste areas immediately behind the village* 
June 11, 1964 - Peat samples were taken from the bog bordering thefresh- 
water lagoon# Mr# Frew arranged for the writer to have the use of a small 
boat with outboard motor in order to cross the lake and visit Te Manounou 
on the east end of the island. The Cocos forest, propagating itself, comes 
directly to the waters edge. In a few isolated areas on the north and south 
shores of the lake there are Scirpus reeds growing near the shore or continu¬ 
ous with the shore. More often these clumps of reeds are found out from the 
shore In up to one foot of water - rooted in muck on top of what were at one 
time coral heads of the lagoon. Canals and locks on the southwest and east 
sides of the island are used to regulate the water level of the lake during 
the rainy season. At this season the bog is in some places about a foot above 
the water level of the lake. At other times the entire bog is under water. 
At the entrance to the canal on the east was growing a shrubby member of the 
Onagraceae * Our reference for topography and direction was a map made by 
Captain Brett Hilder* A copy of this map has been forwarded to us courtesy of 
the Bums, Philp Co., Ltd. While the succession at the north, east and south 
sides of the lake may be quite slow, it was noted that both Cocos and Pand.anus 
were forming a line of elevated vegetation on the west end of the lake. This 
extends from the forest on the south to the canal (but thinning) • The east and 
west portions of the bog are separated by a peninsula of forest which is well 
established. Collections were made on the east shore. The Pisonia trees on 
the beachrock at the east end are reproducing themselves. Along the east shore 
the Messersohmidtia and Pisonia give excellent examples of wind shearing of 
vegetation. Along the canal on the east were noted large Cyrtosperma , brea - 
fruit 9 and young Pandanus . Large areas of the forest as well as the open bog 
are covered.with Polypodium . The red-footed boobies nest In the Pisonia and 
Messersohmidtia on the east end. One correction to Hilder 5 s map would be 
that the peat in some areas is in excess of 6 ft*. 
