Septeutoer 5 , 1324 * 
IffflfCfcAWDUW FOR MR,. RISBY. 
Soar Mr, Rileys 
Hth regard to the attached letter fro® Mr. Gerrit ?, Wilder, under 
date of August 15, 1324# concerning possible additions to the Hawaiian Island 
Bird Reservation, I have the following to offer* 
lake Island , This is an.. American possession,- securedjjii^e time of 
the Span! sh-Ame ? loan War in 1898, and la an outlier of thdwS^^l- group 
located 2,000 miles west of Honolulu and 1,330 miles east of Qua®, fake is 
under jurisdiction of the Navy Department, but is not assigned to any definite 
political unit. It Is loosely considered to be administered by the authorities 
at Guam. 1 visited aka -Island personally fro® July 27 to August 15, 1923. 
I found it an atoll, % miles long and 3 §- miles wide, where three islands 
with an average land width of one-half idle fora a horse-shoe, surrounding 
a shallow lagoon. The island rises 25. feet -above high tide- at Its highest 
point, is covered with low shrubs and trees, and has no fresh water supply 
except fro® rain, I found here moderate- sized colonies of sooty and gray- 
backed tern, noddies of two species, love birds, wedge-tailed and Christmas 
Island shearwaters, -red-footed, blue-faced and .-common boobies, frigate birds, 
and red-tailed trople birds. It Is .reported that' a few sooty albatross breed 
her® also. The only land bird is a peculiar species of flightless rail. 
Bristle-thighed curlew, turnstone, and Pacific golden plover are found during 
migrations. 
Wake was raided by Japanese feather hunters at about the same tie® as 
the last depredations on Laysan. Old shacks at their oaup site are still 
standing and in the bushes behind these are scattered the bones of ©any 
thousands of birds, I found- no sign of recent depredations of thl s sort. 
Woke Island has no anchorage, so that in stopping there ships are required 
to stand by while sending off shore parties. It is low and indications are 
that it is swept at intervals by terrific storms. Beosase of Its remote 
position, and Inaccessibility, 1 do nob recommend attempt be made to secure 
it for a bird reservation at the present time. 
Johnston Island (formerly known as Cornwallis), This Island is located 
in latitude ib°45’ north, longitude 183030 * west, approximately 70 G miles 
southwest of Honolulu, and politically is Included as a part of Honolulu County 
I visited Johnston Island from July 10 to 19, I 923 , The roef here is approxi¬ 
mately 30 miles long with two small islands rising from it. Johnston Island 
proper is three-quarters of a mile long by one-quarter of a mile wide, and has 
a loose sandy soil that on the eastern end is elevated In a hill rising 4 ° Teet 
above high water. Sand Island, situated one mile north of oast is of irregular 
formation approximately 300 by 400 yards and rises only lp feet above high tide 
Both islands ere Oovered with bunch grass and creepers. There are small de¬ 
posits of guano In the form of phosphate rook on Sand Island. These have 
not been exploited to any extent. About 1the island was leased by the 
