I I 
13 - 
establish a show oanp for the oonohologist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, ' 
and some other members of the party, while a few whose work required less 
time for completion lived on board ship and landed eaoh day to pursue 
their investigations,. ^ 
Hacre^ thirteen islands of coral sand lie scattered over a long 
curving lagoon at distances varying from a mile or two to a few 
hundred yards apart. All ware-low, rising only from 8 or 10 to fifteen 
feet above high tido mark, and all hatd^a monotonous sameness of appearance, 
jjsnf " ’ —-——■ ~ 
with their ^beaches of dazzling sand/aad scanty vegetation* At this season 
• • 
with steady trade winds blowing a surf against the northern and eastern 
reefs, the lagoon itself was like a mill pond, and the ship at anchor 
in its lee rested as easily and quietly as though in some land-looked 
harbor. Though heads and banks of coral, some barely awash, filled broad 
areas in the lagoon^ Channels from one to five fathoms deep, led between 
through whioh the heavy motor boat, a fair weather craft, traveled with 
an ease that the sailors sincerely appreciated after the somewhat strenuous 
work in pulling boats that had marked our landings during the more boisterous 
weather of spring. Thou^i calm at this season these low islands were evi¬ 
dently swept in winter by heavy gales from the south and west, whioh cut 
and carved their soft ,10086 sands and made frequent changes in their 
outlines, iSast Island, on which our first camp was established, last June, 
was about two thousand feet long, but was shown on a ohart made several 
years ago u3 a mile in extent* It had evidently been washed away recently, 
The islets on the whole were long and narrow, with curving outlines. Some, 
still in the process of formation were mare sand spits, while others had 
a few plant waifs stranded on their sunmlts. A few only supported a growth 
of grass with odds and ends of herbs. 
