ATOLL RESEARCH DULJ3TIN - Smithsonian Institution

ATOLL RESEARCH DULJ3TIN

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No. 66

Notes on t h e geography and n a t u r a l h i s t o r y of \Jake Island by

E. H. Bryan, Jr.

Issued by

THE PAClFIC SCIENCE BOARD

National Academy of Sciences--National Research Council 'dashington, D, G.

May 15, 1959

Notes on t h e geography and n a t u r a l h i s t o r y of Wake Island by

2 ,

E. H. Bryan, Jr.

'

wake i s a V-shaped a t o l l i n t h e northwestern P a c i f i c , north of t h e Marshall Islands, between Midway and Guam. Its d i r e c t i o n and d i s t a n c e are:

Wske t o Midway

Direction Nautical Miles StatuteMiles

N. 60 E. 1029 1185

Wake t o Honolulu _N. 85'~. 2004 2308

Wake t o Guam N. 75%. 1309 1508

Wake t o Tokyo N. 55%. 1723 1985

Wake A t o l l c o n s i s t s of t h r e e i s l e t s , Wake i s l e t , t h e l a r g e s t , on t h e southeast, has t h e shape of a V, t h e arms of which a r e about two and t h r e e q u a r t e r s land miles long. Each arm i s continued, beyond a narrow lagoon entrance, a s a separate i s l e t , Peale i s l e t on t h e north and Wilkes i s l e t on t h e south. The western ends of these two i s l e t s a r e connected by a sweep of f l a t r e e f , which continues a s a narrow border along the ocean s i d e of a l l t h r e e i s l e t s . In 1923, t h e enclosed rectangular lagoon had depths up t o f i f t e e n f e e t . The following i s a summary of t h e land and s a l t water a r e a s of t h e a t o l l :

Area: Square land miles Acres

Wilkes (named f o r Charles Wilkes, USN) 0.31 197.44

Wake (named f o r William \lake ) 2.14 1,367.04

Peale (named f o r T i t i a n Peale, a r t i s t )

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0.40 ^256.83

-

Total land a r e a 2.85 1,821.31

Area of enclosed lagoon (water and sand f l a t ) 3.75 Square land miles The names of t h e two smaller i s l a n d s were given by D r . Alexander Wetmore and other members of the U.S.S. Tanager Exgedition on July 27, 1923. Lieutenant ( l a t e r Commodore) Gharles Wilkes was the leader of t h e United S t a t e s Exgloring Expedition, which v i s i t e d and mapped t h e a t o l l , December 20, 1841; T i t i a n Peale was the a r t i s t and one of t h e n a t u r a l i s t s on t h i s same expedition.

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Curator of Collections, B. P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu 17, Hawaii.

This c o m ~ i l a t i o n from various notes i n t h e author's geographic f i l e s was prepared i n August 1957, s o t h a t t h e i n f o m a t i o n could be made a v a i l a b l e t o persons l i v i n g on o r v i s i t i n g Wake, Portions a r e

taken d i r e c t from t h e a u t h o r ' s book, "American Polynesia and t h e Hawaiian Chain,' Hcnolulu 1942, chapter 57, pages 208 t o 2 U .

This a t o l l a l s o has been known as Halcyon o r Helsion, and some a u t h o r i t i e s think i t m a y have beeri t h e same as San Francisco Island,

discovered by t h e Spanish explorer, Mendana, October

4,

1568. The o f f i c i a l discovery, however, i s credited t o Captain 1,Jilliam Wake, i n t h e B r i t i s h

schooner Prince ltlilliam Henrg, i n 1796. The island was seen i n 1823 by Captain Gardner from t h e whale s h i p N l o n a . He described it a s being 20 t o 25 miles long b u i t e an e x a g g e r a t a , with a reef extending two miles from t h e e a s t end, with detached rocks on the w e s t b r o b a b l y those on t h e c ~ r v i n g r e e g . He noted t h a t it appeared well covered with t r e e s . I t w a s a l s o seen by Cnptain James Hunnewell from the

Mentor ---* December 20, ,1821. Halcyon Island was s a i d by Captain Kotzebue t o have been an ~rnerican discovery, located a t about 190 23' N., 1650 33' E. After unsuccessful search f o r it by Captain Sproule of t h e bwque

k g ,

by Captain Brown i n t h e Morning

st,

and by the U.S.

Exploring Expedition, t h e conclusion was reached t h a t Halcyon was t h e same a s Wake. Captain

F.

W. Beechey, R.M., i n H.B.M. s h i p Blossom, t r i e d t o locate Wake Island i n March 1827, without success.

The United S t a t e s Exploring Ekpedition, under Charles Wilkes, v i s i t e d and mapped Wake i n December 1841. Milkesl "Narrative" (V: 284-

5,

1844) reads:-

"Wake's Island next claimed ,my a t t e n t i o n . On t h e 19th we reached i t s p a r a l l e l , and hove-to till d a y l i g h t of t h e 2Oth, when.we discovered it, bearing west-by-north, about nine miles d i s t a n t . The wind was l i g h t ' from t h e north-northeast. After b r e a k f a s t , . s e v e r a l boats were s e n t t o survey t h e island. 1bIake I s Island is a low c o r a l one, of t r i a n g u l a r form, and e i g h t f e e t above t h e surface. It has a l a r g e lagoon i n the

center, which was well f i l l e d with f i s h of a v a r i e t y of species;

among these were some f i n e mullet. There is no f r e s h water on t h e i s l a n d , and n e i t h e r pandanus, nor cocoa-nut t r e e s . It has upon it t h e shrubs which a r e usually found on the. low i s l a n d s of t h e P a c i f i c , t h e ^' most abundant of which was..the Tournefortia. M r . Peale found here t h e s h o r t - t a i l e d a l b a t r o s s , and. procured an egg from i t s nest. T h e b i r d s were q u i t e tame, although they were n o t so numerous a s we had before met with on uninhabited islands.

"The time of low water took place a t one olclock,, and the moon entered i t s l a s t quarter o n t h e same day: t h e t i d e was s e t t i n g along t h e shore of the island with much s t r e n g t h t o t h e westward; the r i s e and' f a l l was t h r e e f e e t . From appearances, t h e i s l a n d must be a t times s u h e r g e d , or the sea makes a c m p l e t e breach over it; ^{t h e}

appearance of the c o r a l blocks and of a l l the vegetation l e a d s t o t h i s conclusion, f o r they have a very decided i n c l i n a t i o n t o t h e easttrard, showing a l s o t h a t the v i o l e n t winds ok rush of the water, when t h e i s l a n d i s covered, a r e from t h e westward. The reef around t h i s i s - land i s very small i n extent..

"The position of Wake's I s l a n d was found by my observations of equal a l t i t u d e s on shore t o be i n longitude 1660 31' 30" E., and l a t i t u d e l9.O 10' 54" N.

.

^{. .}

"By four o'clock, P.M., a l l t h e boats had returned on board, when we f i l l e d avay and proceeded on our course t o t h e westward.

A1thoufh

these c o r a l i s l a n d s resemble one another very strongly, y e t they af orded us some r e c r e a t i o n f o r a few hours, and much s a t i s f a c t i o n i n obta:i.r?i-?f?

s e r i e s of observations i n magnetism. Our v i s i t t o Wake's Island gave us an opportunity of adding t o our c o l l e c t i o n s i n n a t u r a l h i s t o r y .

"In t h e evening we s t e e r e d t o pass over t h e p o s i t i o n of Halcyon Island,- longitude 163O 30' E., l a t i t u d e 19O

13'

N.; and on t h e 27th, we passed immediately over i t s l o c a l i t y , and had run on i t s supposed p a r a l l e l f i f t y miles on each s i d e of it, but nothing was seen of it. We now f e l t t h e c u r r e n t t o the southeast 12' i n t h e twenty-four hours."

Foll.owing t h e c a r e f u l mapping of t h e i s l a n d by WiLkes i n 1841, s e v e r a l v e s s e l s a r e recorded a s having sighted Wake, including the barque Maha, under Captain S p o u l e , i n 1858; a s noted by D r . William

T. Brigham, \Jake was seen a l s o "from t h e masthead of t h e s h i p

Orask

i n 1865."

On March 4, 1866, the Bremen barque IJ.b&&g, under command of Captain Tobias, went ashore on the e a s t r e e f . On board were s e v e r a l prominent passengers and a cargo valued a t over $300,000. Among t h e passengers were Madame Anna Bishop, Miss Phelan, M. Schultz and Charles Lascelles, of an English opera troupe, a Japanese t r a v e l l e r named

Kisaboro, and Eugene M.-Van Reed, whose account of the experience appears i n t h e Friend /Honolulu/ f o r September, 1866. Following a hazardous n i g h t on t h e ship, during which waves broke over t h e v e s s e l , passengers and crew were landed t h e following day with g r e a t d i f f i - c u l t y through t h e breakers. After t h r e e weeks on t h e i s l a n d , without finding source of food o r water, it was decided t o t r y t o reach the Mariana Islands i n open boats. On March 27 they s e t out, passengers i n t h e 22-foot longboat, twenty-two persons under command of t h e F i r s t Mate, and the Captain and remainder of t h e crew i n the gig, with what provisions and water they were able t o salvage. After t h i r t e e n days of frequent s q u a l l s , s h o r t r a t i o n s , and t r o p i c a l sun, t h e longboat reached Guam. The Captain with e i g h t persons, i n t h e twenty f o o t gig, were n o t heard of again, although a schooner from Guam went i n search.

The passengers were strong i n t h e i r p r a i s e of t h e c o u r t e s i e s received from Francisco Moscoso y Lara, Governor of t h e Marianas.

Several vessels vent t o CIake t o salvage t h e cargo, which included s e v e r a l hundred f l a s k s of quicksilver. The sloop Hokulele, with a p a r t y headed by T. R. Foster, l e f t Honolulu May 9, 1867, reached llake on May 31st, l e f t t h e r e June 22, and returned t o Honolulu J u l y 29, with 247 f l a s k s of quicksilver. A b r i g from China salvaged another 248 f l a s k s a t about t h e same time. Thomas Foster, Captain English, and e i g h t Hawaiian d i v e r s landed a t Wake from t h e Hawaiian schooner Moi Wahine i n Septem- ber 1867. Three days a f t e r t h e i r a r r i v a l t h e i r schooner, with Captain Zenas Bent i n command, mate Uight, and a crew of f i v e , was driven t o sea by a gale and not heard of again. The salvage p a r t y was rescued by the English b r i g , G&g, Captain Cargell, i n March 1868, and returned t o Honolulu on April 29, with 240 f l a s k s of q u i c k s i l v e r , some copper,

anchor and chain.

In 1883 t h e German warship Leipzig passed close t o Wake and a c a r e f u l determination of i t s p o s i t i o n was made.

During t h e Sganish-American war, s e v e r a l v e s s e l s going t o and returning from t h e Philippines stopped and r a i s e d t h e American f l a g . One of these v i s i t s , perhaps t h e e a r l i e s t , was on J u l y

4,

1898, by

General F. V. Green,

command in^

t h e second detachment of t h e Philippine expedition, from t h e S. S. China.

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Another, a l s o i n J u l y 1899, was by General M e r r i t t , from.the U. S. Army Transport ?~gl%g. T l i s landing probably was made i n t h e l i t t l e cove near t h e e a s t e r n end o f Wilkes i s l e t , f o r on August 2, 1923, j u s t inland from t h e landing place, t h e w r i t e r found a section of flagpole, about 1 8 or 20 f e e t long, on which was burned i n block l e t t e r s , "U.S.A.T. Thomas."

The formal annexation of the island by t h e United S t a t e s took place on January 17, 1899, according t o an account by Commander Edward D.

Taussig i n t h e U.S. "Java1 I n s t i t u t e Proceedings f o r June 1935. He commanded the U.S.S. Bbnnington which made t h e voyage from Honolulu t o Vake f o r t h a t purpose. The landing was made i n t h e cove noted above, and a t 3:22 P.N. the h c r i c a n f l a g was hoisted by Ensign Uettengell and a s a l u t e of 21 guns f i r e d from t h e E F f n n i n g t ~ ~ . The p o s i t i o n of the f l a g s t a f f was determined, from observations on t h e ship, t o be: 190 171 50" North, 1660 31' Fe.st. The account continues:

. ^.

"After t h e s a l u t e wa.s f i r e d the f l a g was nailed t o t h e masthead with batten, and a brass p l a t e with t h e following i n s c r i p t i o n was screwed near the base of the f l a g s t a f f :

United S t a t e s of A~lerica William McKinley, President;

John D. Long, S e c r e t a r y of t h e Navy, Commander Edward D. Taussig, U.S.N.,

Commanding U.S.S. Eennington, t h i s 17th day of January, 1899, took possession of t h e A t o l l knocm a s Wake Island f o r t h e United S t a t e s of America."

During t h e next decade an occasional Aixrican s h i p stopped, but t h e r e is very l i t t l e recorded h i s t o r y . during t h i s time the i s l a n d was v i s i t e d by Jt..panese poachers, c o l l e c t i n g t h e f e a t h e r s of sea b i r d s f o r m i l l i n e r y purposes. ^, Two camps were established: one on t h e e a s t e r n end of Wilkes i s l e t , where t h e Tanager Expedition i n 1923 found a s i n g l e wooden shack and a grave; and one across t h e lagoon near the e a s t e r n

end of Peale i s l e t , where t h e r e was a more extensive camp. Tnis i s described i n t h e w r i t e r ' s f i e l d notes f o r July 31, 1923, as follows:

"The camp c o n s i s t s of t h e remains of t ~ ~ o l a r g e frame buildings with galvanized iron r o o f s , about 1 8 f e e t wide, one 20 f e e t long, one

30 f e e t long; two smaller buildings; one tank, and one storehouse, r a i s e d on posts which a r e guarded with t i n . Scattered about were a number of b a r r e l s , boxes, two l a r g e c l a y water j a r s , t i n cans and

metal k e t t l e s . S& p a r t of a Sydney newspaper, a p i l e of oakum, bamboo frame with l a t h trays. There was a l s o a boat, a l i t t l e l a r g e r than a s k i f f . Made a copy of a JaFanese i n s c r i p t i o n inside the bunk house."

Later t h i s was t r a n s l a t e d t o read something about leaving the i s l a n d , with the d a t e , 3Tovembor 13, 1908.

In 1912, the 1J.S.S.

S-J

stopped a t Uake Island. A whaleboat landed some men b~ho planted coconut palms brought there from Guam. NO s i g n of these was seen i n 1923.

The Tanarer Expedition made an extensive b i o l o g i c a l survey of Wake from J u l y 27 t o A u p s t 5, 1923. Trteir camp was along t h e ocean beach opposite t h e landing place a t t h e e a s t e r n end of Wilkes i s l e t . A map of t h e a t o l l was made by James B. Mann and Professor Harold S. Palmer, t o which the w r i t e r added determinations of l a t i t u d e and longitude, made from a boulder near t h e camp. %anwhile soundings were made around t h e i s l a n d from t h e U.S.S. Tanager, under command of Lt. Cmdr. Samuel Wilder King, l a t e r Delegate t o Congress and Governor of Hawaii. Although t h e v e s s e l worked a s near t h e r e e f a s it dared, a t only one s p o t was it possible t o reach bottom with 160 fathoms of l i n e ; t h i s was about 1500 f e e t off Heel Point, where a sounding of 85 fathoms was made.

A t o t a l of 19 species of flowering p l a n t s was found growing n a t u r a l l y on Isfake. Much of t h e s u r f a c e of a l l t h r e e i s l e t s was found covered by scrub f o r e s t , 1 2 t o 20 f e e t high. Sane of t h e f o r e s t was s o dense t h a t one could n o t walk through it with speed o r comfort. Other places, such a s t h e middle portion of t h e northeastern arm of Wake and t h e western ends of 'dilkes and Peale, t h e r e were areas where t h e t r e e s were low and s c a t t e r e d , with rocky s u r f a c e and scrubby undergrowth, a s i f here t h e sea broke across t h e rim a t time of storms.

The dominant t r e e on t h e i s l a n d s was t h e Tournefort_& o r t r e e

h e l i o t r o p e , a l s o known t o s c i e n t i s t s a s Messerschmidia argentea, a species widespread on P a c i f i c Islands. It grows t o a height of about 20 f e e t , with an umbrella-shaped canopy of r o s e t t e s of l a r g e leaves, covered with

s i l v e r y h a i r s . Even l a r g e r i n s i z e , but confined t o t h e northwestern end of Wake i s l e t was the 'b&a' t r e e (so-ealled by G i l b e r t i s l a n d e r s ) , Pisonia grandis, with massive trunks of very s o f t wood and s t i c k y

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flowers and f r u i t . On Wilkes i s l e t , and apparently spreading r a p i d l y along the lagoon beach of Make, t o t h e e a s t and north, were t a l l wiry bushes of Pemphis

si&&.

In t h e i n t e r i o r of Wake were small clumps of &og t r e e s (so-called i n Hawaii), Cordia subcordata, a hard wood t r e e , much prized i n some regions f o r woodwork, but here scrubby and worth-

l e s s . Growing over t r e e s , rocks and bushes, and forming t a n g l e s on t h e ground, was a morning-glory vine, $ z e a tuba, formerly c a l l e d I~omoea g a n d i f l o r a . The p l a n t s observed m 1923 have been l i s t e d by

Christophersen (1931).

The bird l i f e on Wake consisted of about a dozen species of sea b i r d s , h a l f a dozen migratory species, and t h e f l i g h t l e s s r a i l , Rallus wakensis, t h e only n a t i v e land bird. The only mama1 was t h e Polynesian r a t , h t t u s exulans. Of r e p t i l e s t h e r e were two kinds of geckos and two kinds of skinks, t o be described l a t e r . A number of species of i n s e c t s uere c o l l e c t e d and niany kinds of marine l i f e , both f i s h e s and i n v e r t e - brates.

To those of us who camped on Wake i n 1923, as much a p e s t a s t h e r a t s were t h e hermit crabs. One l a r g e , red-legged species, Dradanus nunctulatus, g o t i n t o our provisions, ran off with our soap, and combined t h e a c t i v i t i e s of pack r a t s with those of being t h e garbage department of t h e island.

In 1935 Wake Island was placed under j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h e United S t a t e s Xavy Department by Executive Order. That same year Pan American

Airways established a modern a i r p o r t , using t h e south shore of Peale i s l e t , j u s t west of F l i p p e r Point, a s t h e s i t e of p i e r , shops, water tanks, and a modern hotel.

Then t h e t h r e a t of war descended on Wake. On February

U ,

1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an Executive Order making t h e i s l a n d a n a t i o n a l defense area.

The m i l i t a r y importance of Wake Island led t o g r e a t a c t i v i t y on t h e p a r t of t h e United S t a t e s t o f o r t i f y t h e i s l a n d during 1940 and 1941. The defense f o r c e was small and although g a l l a n t , not equipped t o defend t h e island a g a i n s t overwhelmingly superior numbers.

It i s not an o b j e c t of t h i s account of t h e n a t u r a l h i s t o r y of Wake t o expand upon t h e World War 11's h i s t o r y of t h e island. That has been done by Major James P. S. Devereux, t h e canmanding o f f i c e r of t h e Marine forces (1947), by R. D. Heinl, Jr., i n t h e o f f i c i a l Marine account of t h e defense of Wake (1947), by Rodney Kaphart (1950), and D. C. Woodbury (1946). There i s a l s o a b r i e f o f f i c i a l Naval r e l e a s e i n t h e Paradise of t h e P a c i f i c f o r February 194.2 b g e s 1 0 t o

1g.

The a i r a t t a c k began on December 8, 1941 and continued f o r s e v e r a l days a s wave a f t e r wave of Japanese planes bombed t h e l i t t l e i s l a n d . The end is t o l d i n a h i s t o r i c a l marker, s e t up following t h e war on t h e south shore of Wake islet:-

"In t h i s a r e a pccurred t h e p r i n c i p a l f i g h t i n g which led t o t h e i s l a n d ' s surrender. About 1000

Japs were landed between 0120 and a 3 0 , 23 Dec.

1941. They were opposed by 85 U.S. Marines who fought ferociously and v a l i a n t l y u n t i l 0030

i n

t h e b e s t t r a d i t i o n s bf ... $heir corps u n t i l order-..

: ed by t h e i r superiors t o surrender t o save _. ^{. .. . .}

.

.. . . . .<..

. American l i f e because t h e - s i t u a t i o n , w a s hope-, . ..

, . . ^>,

' l6ss. Marine f o r c e s were composed of portions . - ., ^{' '}

.

^{'.. .}

, _{. .} .:

.

^{. .}

of t h e F i r s t Marine Defense Battaxion under '

. .

. . ^{. . ,} Major Devereux and Marine Fighting Squadron ., .

,

.

211, under Major Putnam."

The Japanese renamed Wake "Gtori" and held the i s l a n d u n t i l t h e end of t h e war, surrendering t o an American force September 7, 1945.

The capture achieved very l i t t l e f o r t h e Japanese. The i s l a n d was bombed repeatedly by American f o r c e s and i t s i s o l a t i o n made it d i f f i - c u l t t o supply. The garrison, a t times numbering more than 4,000 Japanese, suffered g r e a t p r i v a t i o n from lack of food and water.

Mute evidence of t h e Japanese e f f o r t s t o f o r t i f y Giake, and t h e American work of d e s t r u c t i o n i s t o be seen everywhere on the island.

P a t h e t i c l i t t l e garden p l o t s tell t h e i r own s t o r y of s t a r v a t i o n . Wrecks of Japanese v e s s e l s d o t the beaches.

One of t h e blackest and saddest paragraphs i n the wholewar s t o r y . has t o do' w i t h ' t h e f a t e of t h e

98

American c i v i l i a n s , who could not be evacuated by the.'Japali6se..'They were marched t o t h e beach, and

t h e r e c r u e l l y s l a u g h t e r e d by command of Admiral St;kaibara, who a f t e r t h e war was t r i e d and hanged f o r t h i s a c t .

Wake I s l a n d cane i n t o t h e l i m e l i g h t i n October 1950, wnen i t was t h e meeting place f o r P r e s i d e n t Truman and General Douglas MacArthur, i n t h e i r d i s c u s s i o n of t h e Korean s i t u a t i o n .

Another e v e n t , which w i l l long be remembered by t h e 550 persons who were on Wake, was typhoon Olive which h i t t h e i s l a n d i n September 1952. It c o s t some $1,600,000 t o r e b u i l d i n s t a l l a t i o n s destroyed o r damaged by t h i s t r o p i c a l storm.

A t p r e s e n t (1957) \,Jake I s l a n d i s i n *he c h a ~ g e 05 %he C i v i l Aeronautics Adhtinistration, which m a i n t a i n s and c o n t r o l s t h e a i r p o r t and runway.

Four s h o r t v i s i t s were made t o Wake by F. R , Fosberg d u r i n g which he made c o l l e c t i o n s , p r i n c i p a l l y of p l a n t s , and observations ^CU' t h e v e g e t a t i o n and on t h e g e n e r a l ecology of t h e a t o l l . These were, i n o r d e r , on October 23, 1951, A p r i l 19-21, 1952, July 18, 1952 and October 22-23, 1953. His o b s e r v a t i o n s on b i r d s and o t h e r v e r t e b r a t e animals, with a s e c t i o n on p e s t c o n t r o l , have been incorporated i n t o t h e p r e s e n t a r t i c l e . For h i s account of t h e v e g e t a t i o n and f l o r a s e e t h e s e p a r a t e a r t i c l e by him h i e d i a t e l y following t h i s one.

On_ r a t s and_ p e s t c o n t r o l on Idake I s l a n d ,

29.--Contributed

by F. R. Fosberg On a b r i e f v i s i t i n October, 1951, r a t s were n o t i c e d i n t h e Pan American Airways d i n i n g h a l l , b u t no p a r t i c u l a r a t t e n t i o n was p a i d t o them, They were a t t h a t time o r sanewhat e a r l i e r , s a i d t o be s o

numerous t h a t t h e y bothered t h e Pan American p l a n e c r e w e n s l e e p i n g i n t h e h o t e l .

In A , 1952, two days were s p e n t on Wake, much of t h e time i n t h e f i e l d with Fred S c h u l t z , a t t h a t time i n charge of p e s t c o n t r o l f o r t h e C i v i l Aeronautics Administration on t h e i s l a n d .

During t h e previous y e a r Mr. S c h u l t z had waged an extremely

s u c c e s s f u l campaign a g a i n s t r a t s on t h e i s l a n d . He s t a r t e d by s t u d y i n g t h e h a b i t s of t h e r a t s r a t h e r c a r e f u l l y . He found t h a t t h e y l i v e d l a r g e l y i n t h e clumps of bushes, e s p e c i a l l y t h o s e which were covered by t a n g l e s of t h e w i l d white morning g l o r y , &gcmioea_ tub_g. He found t h a t t h e y u t i l i z e d t h e enlarged immature f r u i t i n g c a l y c e s of t h i s s p e c i e s i n l i e u of a water supply. He s a i d t h e r e were f o u r kinds of r a t s on t h e i s l a n d .

In t h e two days of a c t i v e l y looking f o r r a t s , along w i t h o t h e r animals and p l a n t s , only one r a t was seen, t h i s a l a r g e b l a c k i s h one.

S c h u l t z had f o r many months c a r r i e d o u t an a c t i v e poisoning program, using i k r f a r i n i n r o l l e d o a t s , placed i n s m a l l quonset-hut- l i k e s h e l t e r s about a f o o t long, and renewed f r e q u e n t l y . These Mr.

S c h u l t z s t r u n g i n two s e r i e s of l i n e s a c r o s s t h e c e n t e r of t h e i s l a n d from lagoon t o o u t e r shore a s h o r t d i s t a n c e a p a r t . Tiaese were v i s i t e d

every day, examined, the b a i t renewed, till the b a i t s were not d i s - turbed much any more. Then t h e s e r i e s of l i n e s were moved a l i t t l e f a r t h e r a p a r t . This was continued u n t i l t h e e n t i r e a t o l l had been covered, and t h e r a t s g r e a t l y reduced. After t h i s a few l i n e s were maintained, s c a t t e r e d a t i n t e r v a l s over t h e i s l a n d s , and v i s i t e d and the

b a i t renewed once a week. A s long a s l e s s than 10% of t h e b a i t s were disturbed t h e r a t s were considered controlled.

F l i e s and mosquitoes were a l s o t h e s p e c i a l objects of Hr. Schlutz' e f f o r t s . A t the beginning of 1 9 5 1 t h e r e were untold numbers of these i n s e c t s on Wake Island. Garbage and o t h e r f l y breeding m a t e r i a l was eliminated, Garbage dumps were r e g u l a r l y burned and buried. O l d t i r e s , cans, and other breeding places f o r mosquitoes were s y s t e m a t i c a l l y drained and punctured, and l a r g e r bodies of water, such a s ponds, bomb c r a t e r s , and c i s t e r n s were stocked with mosquito f i s h . Three species of mosquitoes had been known from t h e i s l a n d ,

G&x

quinquefasciatus, Aedes a e w p t i , and another AeAs, possibly

4.

s c u t e l l a r i s or

A.

---

albopunctata.

The success of these measures may be judged by the f a c t t h a t i n two and a h a l f days spent i n covering t h e island, mostly i n company with M r . Schultz, only one r a t , no mosquitoes, and a very few f l i e s

were seen. In h i s weekly examinations of h i s poisoned b a i t s a t t h i s time he commonly found l e s s than

5%

of them touched by r a t s .

In 1952 domestic dogs and c a t s were seen by F. R. Fosberg, but none were s p e c i f i c a l l y noted i n 1953.

Although Mr. Fred Schultz s t a t e d t h a t p r i o r t o h i s a c t i v i t i e s , described above, t h e r e were four species of r a t s on !kke, a check by D r . D. H. Johnson of the c o l l e c t i o n s a t t h e U. S. National Museum shows t h a t only R t t u s exulans Peale i s represented by specimens from t h i s i s l a n d . He suggests t h a t t h e o t h e r s noted by Mr. Schultz were probably forms of Rattus r a t t u s , the common house r a t , though it i s p o s s i b l e t h a t Rattus norvegicus, t h e Norway r a t , could have established i t s e l f t h e r e a l s o , A s e r i e s of skins and s k u l l s collected t o represent t h e r a t populations l i v i n g on the i s l a n d would be very d e s i r a b l e t o s e t t l e t h i s question.

BIRDS

Now t h a t the Uake Island r a i l i s gone, only sea and migratory b i r d s a r e found on Vake Island. D r . Alexander Wetmore made a c a r e f u l survey of t h e b i r d s of Wake during J u l y and Aur:ust 1923, but no

d e t a i l e d r e p o r t r e s u l t e d . The r a i l xias present a t t h a t time. In 1940, t h e w r i t e r prepared a l i s t of t h e b i r d s l i k e l y t o be seen on Wake f o r Torrey Lyons, who was working on the i s l a n d , but t h i s was made from memory and notes, without an a c t u a l survey. In 1952, Dixon and

S t a r r e t t reported various b i r d s seen a t s e a near Wake during 1945 and 1946, Writing i n the Elepaio f o r January 1953, 11. Paul P o r t e r p r a i s e d

"the brave young birds of Wake Island,'' on t h e i r a b i l i t y t o r i d e out a typhoon which l e f t some t e n m i l l i o n d o l l a r s damage i n i t s wake; but he mentioned only "terns."

The only d e t a i l e d r e c e n t account of t h e b i r d s which I have seen gives a r a t h e r discouraging p i c t u r e of what the war l e f t on t h e i s l a n d , D r . Alfred M. Bailey, "Notes on the b i r d s of Midway and Wake Islands, ^"

1951, says: t h a t t h e main i s l a n d i s n e a r l y devoid of b i r d l i f e , other than a few s e a and migratory species. Wake r a i l s had not been seen since Yfle i s l a n d was reoccupied by Americans. He quotes from t h e d i a r y of a Japanese o f f i c e r regarding d a i l y bombing by American planes.

"An order has ' u s t come out," s t a t e s t h e d i a r y , "forbidding us t o catch gooney b i r d s Llbatrosseg,' l e s t they be wiped out." D r . Bailey continues:

"The e f f o r t of t h i s o f f i c e r t o p r o t e c t the 'gooney b i r d s t must have been l a r g e l y i n vain. Most of t h e b i r d s were destroyed by t h e

s t a r v i n g s o l d i e r s , although a g r e a t colony of sooty t e r n s

(2-

f u s o a t a ) was guarded so t h a t t h e eggs could be gathered regularly. The sooty t e r n colon on Peale Island

...

was t h e l a r g e s t I had ever seen.

On May 15 b 9 4 2

r'

^I saw thousands of b i r d s on t h e i r eggs. The downy young were beginning t o hatch on t h a t date.

"A few man-ofwar-birds (Fregata ma~cnificens) were s i t t i n g about on the r u s t e d iron skeletons of bombed naval buildings. Small groups of noddy t e r n s ( L o u s s t o l i d u s ) were n e s t i n g i n t h e dwarfed t r e e s knobm l o c a l l y a s bukas

(&sn>

grr~d*). ^I saw two white-tailed tropic- birds. It was apparent t h a t the b i r d population had suffered from t h e Japanese occupation, f o r a s i d e f r o a what I have j u s t mentioned, there were no birds. We d i d not see any boobies @&A), red-tailed t r o p i c - b i r d s , o r a l b a t r o s s e s . A search f o r such burrow-nesting birds a s p e t r e l s and shearwaters was out of t h e question, f o r my time was s o s h o r t . I saw nothing of e i t h e r . "

Despite t h i s discouraging statement, I venture t o repeat my l i s t of b i r d s which might be expected t o occur on Llake, with b r i e f descrip- t i o n of each:-

Family DIOWDEIDAE, a l b a t r o s s e s

Diomedea immutabilis Rothschild, t h e Laysan Island albatrosg, and Diomedea n i g r i a e s Audubon, t h e black-footed a l b a t r o s s , might possibly

s t r a y a s f a r as Wake from t h e i r r e g u l a r a r e a between t h e N. W , Hawaiian and Bonin Islands.

Family PRCCELLARIIDAE, p e t r e l s and shearwaters

Puffinus p a c i f i c u s chlororhynchus Lesson, t h e wedge-tailed shearwater,

--

i s t h e most l i k e l y member of t h i s group; 17-19 inches long, it i s a l a r g e shearwater, with long, wedge-shaped t a i l ; upper p a r t s sooty brown, crown neck and wings darker, forehead p a l e r ; under p a r t s p a l e r than upper, some b e l l i e s q u i t e white.

---- ---

3 i

One can be seen i n f r o n t of h o t e l i n post-war photo (Kaucher, 1947).

gttrfroma

h z d g u c g &-~-m~g S a l v i n , s t o u t - b i l l e d gadfly p e t r e l o r onin Island p e t r e l ; 12-14 inches long; upper p a r t s grayish, deep s l a t e on forehead, margined with white; under p a r t s white except s i d e s of b r e a s t sooty black.

Family PHAETOWIDAE, t r o p i c b i r d s

Ph,?e;&p rubricauda r o t h s c h i l d i (Pathews )

,

red-tailed t r o p i c bird ; 1 8 inches long; including long, slender t a i l f e a t h e r , black s h a f t , b r i g h t red webs; plumage s i l k y white, some tinged with rose; a few black s p o t s , e s p e c i a l l y i n young. Vest a hollow i n sand, secluded beneath a bush, bunchgrass, or s l a b of rock.

Family SULIDAE, boobies and gannets

Sula su&& rubripes Gould, red-footed booby; 23-28 inches long; a d u l t white, head and neck tinged buffy, wings with hoary-gray markings;

t a i l white; f e e t red. Young: sooty-brown above; head, back and lower p a r t s smoky-gray; recognized by red f e e t . Nests i n any a v a i l a b l e bush or t r e e , almost never on ground; l a y s a s i n g l e egg i n a crude platform of leaves and twigs. One seen returning t o the island j u s t before s u n s e t , on July 18, 1953, by Fosberg.

Sula

--

leucogaster

---

p l o t u s ( P o r s t e r ) , brown or brown-vested booby;

30-31 inches long, Adult head, neck, back, wings and upper b r e a s t deep sooty brown; a l l white below. Young: brownish- gray, upper p a r t s darker than lower. Builds n e s t of twigs on ground or low scrub; l a y s two bluish-white, chalky eggs.

In

1953 Roeberg saw a number of brown -boobies f l y i n g on Peale I s l e t . In A p r i l 1952 boobies were seen on Peale I s l e t , nesting i n t r e e s , but the species was not determined with certainty..

Sula d a c t y l a t r a =son&a Gould, masked or blue-faced booby; 25-29 inches long. Adult: white. id'ith wing-coverts

,

primaries, secondaries and most of t a i i sooty-brown; mask.bluish or olive, l e g s and f e e t deep brown. Young: upper p a r t s grayish-brown, white below. Lays two limy-white eggs on bare sand. In 1953 Fosberg saw a very few blue-faced boobies on Peale I s l e t . Family FREGATIDAE, f r i g a t e o r man-ol.-war b i r d s .

Fregata minor (Gmelin)

,

Bacif i c man-o '-war bird. Adult male: l a r g e , blackish, with forked t a i l ; head and back glossy purple; b r e a s t l i g h t e r than b e l l y ; l a r g e r e d patch under chin which i n f l a t e s l i k e a c h i l d ' s balloon. Female l i k e male but head blacker, chin and t h r o a t grayer, b r e a s t whiter. Exact subspecies i s uncertain;

could be

m & x

of western P a c i f i c and Indian Ocean, or ~ g 4 n e r s t o n i of Hawaii. Xestling is f l u f f y , w h i t e n p u f f - b a l l ; " becomes

rufous o r cinnamon before becoming blcrck a d u l t . Both parents s i t on n e s t , which i s large p i l e of s t i c k s . Obtains f i s h by harassing other birds, e s p e c i a l l y bc.39ies7 i n a i r . In 1952 many f r i g a t e b i r d s were seen by F o r k r g , r o s t l y r o o s t i n g on t h e remains of an old p i e r on Pealo 1:;lct. I n 1953 t h e r e were many more, hundreds of them, f l y i n g or roosting on an ~ l d s t e e l

frame or on power l i n e s .

Family RALLIDm, r a i l s , g a l l i n u l e s , coots

Rallus wakensis (Rothschild), t h e Wake I s l a n d r a i l ; 9 inches long;

upper p a r t s d a r k ashy brown, c h i n and upper t h r o a t w h i t i s h ,

neck gray, under p a r t s ashy brown, barred with white. Wings about

4

inches long and-so s o f t a s *o-suggest l i t t l e power of f l i g h t . Endemic t o Wake LSee Mayr, 194.9. Believed t o be e x t i n c t . Family CHARADiiIDkE, plover

P l u v i a l i s dominica f u l v a (Gmelin), P a c i f i c golden plover; 1 0 inches

- ----

^{---- --.-}

- ----

long; summer a d u l t : mottled black above w i t h golden and ashy;

d u l l dusky black beneath; w h i t i s h f r o n t a l band and eyebrow.

Winter a d u l t (plumage most l i k e l y t o be s e e n ) : without black on under p a r t s , w h i t i s h on t h r o a t and b e l l y ; l i g h t brown, s t r e a k e d with gray, elsewhere. b!o hind t o e . Arrives from n o r t h i n f a l l ; f l i e s n o r t h i n spring. Breeds i n n o r t h e r n Asia and Alaska. On A p r i l 20, 1952, only two plovers were seen by Fosberg, but he was infornied by M r . Fred S c h u l t z t h a t t h e r e were many of them only a day e a r l i e r . In October, 1953, s e v e r a l dozen plovers were seen feeding i n ponds, and a few s c a t t e r e d elsewhere.

Family SCOLOPACIDAE, snipe, sandpiper

bJumenius

----

t a h i t i e n s i s

---

^(Gmelin)

,

b r i s t l e - t h i g h e d curlew. Length 17 inches; b i l l

3-

inches. h s k y brown above, v a r i e d with buff;

t a i l ochraceous, barred d a r k brown; d u l l buff beneath; cheeks, neck, c h e s t with brown markings; t h i g h s w i t h b r i s t l e - l i k e p o i n t s . Migratory species.

H e t e r o s m l u s incanus (Gmelin), wandering t a t t l e r ; 10-12 inches long;

olive-gray above, white below and on t h r o a t and chin; lower p a r t s s t r e c k e d and barred with dusky i n s m e r (when a r r i v e from n o r t h a l s o ) , b u t soon molt and l o s e t h i s . Feeds c l o s e t o t h e beaches on s m a l l n r a r i n e c r e a t u r e s . One t a t t l e r was seen by Fosberg i n A p r i l , 1952, and one i n October, 1953.

ArArgmig i n t e r p r e s (Linnaeus), t u r n s t o n e , 8 inches long; i n w i n t e r : dusky brown, f e a t h e r s edged w i t h ashy-brown; aMomen white;

upper p a r t s marked with black and r u f o u s o r chestnut. I n summer: s i d e s of neck and b r e a s t black. Migratory s p e c i e s , u s u a l l y seen i n small f l o c k s , b ~ h k h r i s e t o g e t h e r . On wing recognized by d i s t i n c t f l i c k e r of black, white and ( i n summer) c h e s t n u t . Frequents s e a beaches and mud f l a t s , t u r n i n g s t o n e s i n s e a r c h of worms and marine c r e a t u r e s ; r o o s t s a t n i g h t on rocky p o i n t s near shore. One t u r n s t o n e was seen by Fosberg i n October, 1953.

C:~-cek& &&

( P a l l a s ) l?ormerly c a l l e d Tdgga

emr rid,

s a n d e r l i n g ; 7-9 inches long; i n winter: p a l e g r a y above; head, back, rump w i t h black c e n t r a l a r e a on each f e a t h e r ; under p a r t s white; b i l l and f e e t black. In s p r i n g , becomes s p o t t e d and s t r e a k e d w i t h

black. Catches marine organisms following r e t r e a t i n g waves, on beaches. Migratory s p e c i e s .

E r o l i a acuminatg (Horsf i e l d )

,

s h a r p - t a i l e d sandpiper; 8 inches long

---Zf;rogbly

r a r d . Winter adult: grayish-brown above, streaked and s t r i p e d dusky; white s t r i p e over eye; chest s i d e s and b r e a s t pale grayish-buff; abdomen white. I n s u m e r : upper p a r t s

b r i g h t e r , with r u s t y and black; lower p a r t s streaked dusky and grayish-brown V-shaped marks. M i g r a t o r y species S i b e r i a t o New Zealand.

;her possible migratory Green-winged t e a l ,

Canvasback LduckJ, Black-bellied plover, Semipalmated plover,

~ o n ~ o l i a n d o t t e r e l , Whimberel,

Greater yellow-legs,

species which might v i s i t blakg

&as c a r o l i n e n s i s Gmelin Anas acuta t z i t z i h o a V i e i l l o t

--- --- ---

Anas penelooe Linnaeus Aythya yaagAserig (Wilson ) Sauaterola =$e_r-a ( ~ i n n a e u s )

Charadrius h i a t i c u l a sem&ahnatus Bonaparte Charadrius msolAc_ug stggrngnj Stresemann Numenius pl4aemg variegatus (Scopoli) T r i m 6 melanoleucg (Gmelin)

- -

Family STERNIDAE, t e r n s

by

some included with g u l l s i n t h e L a r i d a g Sterna f u s c a t a oahuensig Bloxam, sooty t e r n ; very abundant, according

t o Bailey. Soots-black above: forehead. s i d e s of head', outer t a i l f e a t h e r s and-underparts white; b i l l s a n d f e e t black; 15-17 inches long. h y s one creamy-white egg, with v a r i a b l e s p o t t i n g , i n n e s t among bunchgrass. Catches small squid and f i s h e s . In Anril 1952 a considerable rookery' of sooty t e r n s was observed by Fosberg on the lagoon s i d e of Peale I s l e t . There were many young, varying from the pin-feather stage, l i g h t gray downy beneath and sooty brown on back and s i d e s , t o f u l l y feathered, soscy brob~n speckled with white on the back, sooty gray beneath.

This was not an e s p e c i a l l y l a r g e colony compared with those seen i n t h e northern Earshall Islands. On July 18, 1952, C. J.

Johnson reported t h a t these b i r d s had eggs. I n 1953 t h i s colony had moved t o near t h e west end of k a l e I s l e t a f t e r having been d e l i b e r a t e l y driven avay from t h e i r old nesting place near the LORAN s t a t i o n . Their nesting was s a i d t o have been finished i n July. In October a small number of a d u l t b i r d s were seen around the west end of Peale I s l e t . On t h e nesting s i t e here were a small group of a h o s t f u l l y grovn but more or l e s s crippled young b i r d s , a l s o some dead ones. There was no obvious reason f o r t h e condition of these young b i r d s .

Sterna l u n a t s Peale, gray-backed or spectacled t e r n ; 16-17 inches

---

^--..

long; forehead, broad s t r i p e over eye and underparts blhite;

s t r i p e through eye, t o p of head and nape black; upper p a r t s dark ashy, paler on back of neck; b i l l and f e e t black.

Anous s t o l i d u s @eatus (Scopoli), noddy t e r n ; 13-17 inches; Sooty

--- --- ----

brown, grayer on neck, l i g h t gray on forehead. Young b i r d s s i m i l a r , but lack white on crown. Eggs l e s s speckled than those of other. terns, one l a i d i n n e s t on ground. In A u r i l 1952 a few common noddies were seen by Fosberg, with one n e s t , but t h i s may not have been occupied. I n October, 1953, mapy more were seen on Peale I s l e t , r o o s t i n g or f l y i n g with t h e f r i g a t e birds. One n e s t had a half-grown young.

bog t e n u i r o s t r i s marcusi (Bryan), white-capped noddy; 13 inches;

resembles noddy, but smaller; back, neck and under p a r t s sooty black; forehead and crown white, becoming grayer on nape t o merge with blackish on shoulder; narrow black mark over eye, white s t r e a k below eye. P r e f e r s t o n e s t on bushes; l a y s one

egg.

Qgis a l b a candida (Gmelin), white t e r n , f a i r y t e r n or "love b i r d t t ; pure white except f o r black r i n g around eye and black f e e t . Balances s i n g l e egg on limb of t r e e o r bush fork. A few f a i r y t e r n s were seen by Fosberg i n both 1952 and 1953, mostly f l y i n g around the Pisonia f o r e s t .

Lzther t e r n s which might v i s i t iiake 1 s l a n Q

Sterna sumatrana Raffles, black-naped t e r n ; small, forked t a i l ; plumage white, p a r t s with pinkish c a s t ; back, rump, t a i l , wing-coverts pale pearl-gray.

Sterna anaetheta Scopoli, bridled t e r n ; l i k e sooty t e r n but smaller,

-- ---

4 - 1 5 inches, narrow white band on forehead extending back behind eyes; grayish brown below.

Thalasseus beg& pelecanoides ( ~ i n g ) , c r e s t e d t e r n ; l a r g e , white, with back, rump, t a i l , e t c . pearl-gray; crown black with c r e s t .

@or d a t a on Micronesian birds, see Bi:ker, Avifauna of Micronesia, U. of Kansas 1951. Descriptions of sea b i r d s : W. B. Alexander, Birds of t h e

~ c e a n z j i

REPT IJXS

The Tclnager Expedition, i n 1923, collected specimens of two species of geckos and two species of skinks on \lake Island. These can be distinguished as follows:

A. Geckos have t h e i r body covered with small granules or minute s c a l e s ; the top of t h e head i s without symmetrical s h i c l d s ; the di$.ts ( t o e s ) a r e d i l a t e d , and the pupil of the eye i s v e r t i c a l . GEKKOMIDAE

1. The chin (below t h e mouth) has small s c a l e s , n o t forming s h i e l d s ; inner d i g i t s have a compressed d i s t a l phalanx which extends somewhat beyond i t s t i p , l i k e a claw; color pale with dark spots or markings.

Lepidodactylus lugubris.

-

1'. Chin-shields l a r g e f o r a t l e a s t two rows; inner d i g i t s without a d i s t a l , compressed phalanx; a s e r i e s of t r a n s v e r s e p l a t e s under t h e t a i l .

Peropus mutilatus.

B. TOP of head with l a r g e synmetrical s h i e l d s ; body s c a l e s l a r g e , cycloid ( t h i n , p a r t i a l l y overlapping, with round outer edge, showing concentric growth l i n e s ) ; d i g i t s not d i l a t e d ; pupil rounded. Skinks, SCINCIDAE

2. Eyelids well developed, movable; d i s t i n c t l i g h t l i n e down exact middle of upper s u r f a c e from t i p of snout t o t a i l ; b r i g h t blue-green t a i l . Ea- cyanura.

2'. Eyelids indistinguishable, n o t movable; without a, light-colored, mid-dorsal l i n e . Cryptoblepkgimgg o r

Able~harus boutonii poecilopleurus.

GECKOS

L s i d o d a m u s lugubris (Dumeril & ~ i b r o n ) , t h e "sad" o r mourning

- ^--

gecko, has a v a r i a b l e coloration, ranging from pale gray, brown, tan o r pinkish on t h e back, with dark spots o r blotches, and white o r pinkish lower surface, t o very dark specimens, with o r without a dark s t r e a k through the eye and along t h e s i d e of: t h e head. It i s found from Indonesia t o sout'neastern Polynesia, including F i j i , Samoa and many of the low sandy i s l e t s of t h e c e n t r a l Pacific. It i s the

commonest gecko i n Hawaii, and is w i d e s p r e a d i n Micronesia. It l a y s pear-shaped eggs with white, hard, t h i c k s h e l l s , about 9 ' b y 6.5 mm., capable of f a l l i n g and bouncing without breaking. These a r e found cemented together or t o a v e r t i c a l s u r f a c e , w i t h c l u s t e r s i n cracks, under loose bark o r stones, and against boards.

Percpus mutilatus (Wiegmann), t h e stump-toed gecko, g e t s i t s s p e c i f i c name from t h e f a c t t h a t i t s s k i n i s s o t h i n and tender t h a t one can s c a r c e l y catch a specimen without i t s being "mutilated" i n some way. Struggles of t h e gecko a g a i n s t one's f i n g e r s a r e l i k e l y t o t e a r r e n t s i n t h e s k i n , and t h e t a i l i s e a s i l y broken o f f . The c o l o r of t h i s species a l s o i s v a r i a b l e , changing from l i g h t t o dark t o agree with t h e h a b i t a t i n which it i s found. The under p a r t s a r e more or l e s s t i n t e d with yellow, which i s more i n t e n s e on t h e hin& l e g s and b e l l y . This species i s widely d i s t r i b u t e d on P a c i f i c i s l a n d s from Mexico t o t h e Philippines, e s p e c i a l l y o n such low, reef i s l e t s a s t h e Tuamotus and c e n t r a l P a c i f i c a t o l l s , a l s o on higher i s l a n d s such a s t h e Society, Austral; Marquesas, Hawaii and Marianas.

W t o b l e p h a r u s boutonii ~oeci1op1eurus ( ~ i e g n a n n ) formerly i n .Ab&ph@us, t h e snake-eyed skink., may be recognized most e a s i l y by t h e

absence of eyelids and- the absence of a l i g h t l i n e down t h e exact middle of the back. Color i s worthless i n describing t h i s species, f o r it may range from e n t i r e l y dark t o o l i v e , brown, s l a t y , o r e v e n blue-green, uniform or having two t o four l i g h t e r s t r i p e s on t h e back, but never an odd number ( t h a t i s , with one i n t h e exact center.) It i s d i s - t r i b u t e d throughout Polynesia (including Hawaii), hndmost..of a c r o - n e s i a . It l o s e s i t s t a i l e a s i l y , but may regenerate a new one.

Emoia cyanura (Lesson), t h e azure-tailed skink, i s recognizc.4 e a s i l y by i t s sharply defined, l i g h t m i d d o r s a l l i n e , which extends frorr, t h e t i p of t h e snout t o t h e t a i l , which i s b r i g h t blue. Most a d u l t s have the c e n t r a l l i g h t s t r i p on an even, dark brown t o black ground; some have t h r e e yellow o r white s t r i p e s ; i n older specimens these may fade and a l i o s t disappear. Some a u t h o r i t i e s place t h i s species i n the genus Lyg.osoma. It occurs i n many islands i n the ' a c i f i c , and is found throughout Micronesia, The egg measures 7 by I1 t o 14 mm.; t h e skinks, 120 t o 138 mm. i n o v e r a l l length. In 1952 Shis skink was f a i r l y common about t h e i s l a n d and Posberg c o l l e c t e d

one on the ground i n an open place.

In March 1949, C. Morgan Holmes c o l l e c t e d what i s believed t o have been a " c a t snake" i n a t r e e on Flake. This snake has been iden- t i f i e d a s &ga

--

i r r e g u l a r i s (Merrern), family Colubridae, subfamily Boiginae. It may be recognized by i t s l a r g e v e n t r a l p l a t e s , which s t r e t c h across t h e lower surface, s e v e r a l times longer than d o r s a l s c a l e s . It has 17 t o 23 rows of s c a l e s , counted around t h e middle.

The color i s highly variable: yellowish, gray, olivaceous, bluish, greenish and brown above, uniform or spotted. It has beon found i n Wecr Guinea, t h e Bismarck Archipelago, and t h e Solomon Islands, and probably reached b!ake from one of these.

FRESINATER FISH

Gambusia a f f i n i s Mosquito f i s h .

In 1952 mosquito f i s h were seen by E. K. Fosberg i n ponds and bomb c r a t e r s , a s \re11 as i n a l a r g e c i s t e r n . Tnese had been spread about 8 months e a r l i e r t o the ponds and bomb c r a t e r s by Yr. Fred Schultz, a s a p a r t of h i s campaign a g a i n s t mosquitoes, from a stock introduced i n t o the concrete c i s t e r n on Peale I s l e t 4 years before from Hawaii. They were very numerous i n October, 1952, although it was not c l e a r what they lived on, s i n c e t h e mosquito population had been reduced almost t o t h e vanishing point.

INSECTS A3rD GTHER IAbrD ARTHIZOPOX

The i n s e c t s collected by t h e "Tanager Expedition" wore reported i n Bulletin 31 of Bishop Xuseumby t h e w r i t e r and collaborators, 1926.

Othar notes on i n s e c t s a r e given by Aldrich, 1931, Bryan, 1948, Cresson, 1 9 3 , Hull, 193'7, Jacot, 1928, 1929, Jordan 1939, Reeves, 1953, Rosen, Reeves and Aarons, 1948, T!iompson, 1938, Usinger, 1937, 1941, 1946, 1949, and 1951, Van Zwalubrenburg, 1948, Wheeler, 1934, and Williams, 1945 ( s e e Bibliography f o r complete c i t a t i o n s )

.

More r e c e n t collectiono made by Col. G. W. Bickness, A. T . Gramilini, F. C. Hadden, D r . C. R. Joyce, D r . M. L. Kenler, N. L. Ii.

Krauss, J. P. Martin, and others, a r e beingworked up by s p e c i a l i s t s and reported upon i n t h e "Insects of Micronesia" s e r i e s . In view of t h e f a c t t h a t only a portion of these r e p o r t s havs appeared .to d a t e , it would be premtture t o uttompt t o l i s t t h e i n s e c t s of Wuke Island a t t h i s time.

A i r !4eather Service. heather conditions on a northern and a c e n t r a l P a c i f i c a i r route. A i r Ideather Service Spec. S t . 105-U3:

1-93 1950.

Aldrich, J. M. New a c a l y p t r a t e D i p t e r a from the P a c i f i c and Oriental regions, Proc. Hawaiian Ent. Soc. 7(3): 395-399, 1931.

T p ~ ~ h a insular-is n. .sp. from llake and P e a r l and Hermes Reef, p. 336.

Ayres, Pat A. GIake - t h e v e g e t a b l e . i s l e . Paradise of t h e P a c i f i c 52(1) : 13, January 1940.

Discusses t h e hydroponic

-

"bath tubtt gardens run by Torrey Lyons on Wake.

Bailey, A. M. Notes on t h e b i r d s of Midway and Wake Islands. Wilson B u l l e t i n 6 3 ( l ) : 35-37, 1951.

-

Wake observations,

&

Stepping stones across t h e P a c i f i c , by Alfred M. Bailey and Robert J. Riedrach. Museum P i c t o r i a l 3:

47-64, 1951. (Denver f4useum of Natural H i ~ t o r g ) .

Failey, J.

W.

and W. H. Harvey. Algae, U. S. Exploring Expedition, Botany Cryptogamia 17: 153-192, Philadelphia, 1874.

Includes Dictyosphaeria favulosa from Wake, p. 172.

--- ---

Bryan, E. H., Jr. and collaborators. I n s e c t s of Hawaii, Johnston Island and Wake Island. Bishop Xuseum Bull. 31: 1-94, 1926.

Tabulates and describes i n s e c t s ; note on vegetation, p. 8.

Bryan, E. H., Jr. Insects of the Tanager Expedition ~ x b s t r a c g . Pro.

Hawaiian Acad. Sci., 1st annual meeting 1926. Bishop Museum S ~ e c . Publ. 11: 31, 1926.

-

E ~ h y d r i d f l y new t o Hawaii. Proc. Iiawaiian Ent. Soc. 6(2-):

279, 1926.

&scg

Cresson from !\rake, a s well a s Oahu, Lisianski I.

-

High points on the c l i p p e r t r i p . Pan-Pacific Nagazine l ( 1 ) : 37-1+?, An .-i4arch 1937; map..

Popular observations on n a t u r a l h i s t o r y of biake I.

-

American P o l y n e s i i and t h e ~ a w a i i i n Chkin. 1-253, Honolulu, 1942; maps.

Summary of Geography, n a t u r a l h i s t o r y and h i s t o r y of Wake, pp. 212-213.

.

.

-

F l i e s on \lake.

roc.

H&wai?ari E n t . Soc. l3:22l, 1948.

Records &.r.!:somyia

me~aeephal'g

and

ghsca:

( v a r . of

3.

d ) as numerous on Wa~e, breeding on decaying animal and vegetdble m a t t e r . . , .

. . . ^{. . . . . .}

Chilson, L. M. Fleas on Make Island. Proc. Hawaiian Ent. Soc.

1 5 ( 1 ) : 1. March 195'3. - -

Fieas on'blake; Xenopsilla cheopis (Rothschild) collected Hay 15, 1951 i n t r a s h on warehouse f l o o r .

C:hristophersen, Erling. Vascular p l a n t s of Johnston and Wake Islands.

Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 9(13): 1-20, 1931.

Notes on vegetation and l i s t of species, Tanager Expedition, 1923.

Clark, Hubert Lyman. Echinoderms o t h e r than sea s t a r s ,

&

Marine zoology of t r o p i c a l Central P a c i f i c . Bishop Museum Bull.

27: 9 - 1 1 1925.

Cresson, E. T., Jr. Descriptions of a new irenus and s ~ e c i e s of the dipterous family Eph$dridae X I . ~ r a n s . h e r . E&. Soc. 60:

199-2229 1934.

Canaceoides nudata from Lisianski and Wake

-- ---

Is.

Cummins, G . B. Descriptions of t r o p i c a l r u s t s . Torrey Bot. Club Bull. 67: 67-75, 1940.

Uredo wakensis on Tournef o r t i a .

-..-

--- ^{- - -- -}

Daniel, Hawthorn. Islands of t h e Pacific. New York, 1-228, 1943.

Summary of t h e geography of Wake. ^'

Devereux, James P a t r i c k Sinnott. The S t o r y of Wake Island. 1-252, Philadelphia, 1947.

Account of t h e mission on Wake, the a t t a c k on the i s l a n d , a d experiences i n a. prison camp, by t h e o f f i c e r commanding t h e Yarine garrison.

Dickson, Donald b s e u d . f o r Edwin North ~ c C l e l l a ~ 7 . Wake Island.

Paradise of the P a c i f i c 51(&): 6, 25, A p i l 1939, H i s t o r i c a l note.

Dixon, I<. L. and S t a r r e t t , W. C. Offshore observations of t r o p i c a l sea b i r d s i n t h e Western P a c i f i c . The Auk 69: 266-272, 1952.

Birds seen near Wake Island, 1945 and 1946.

Drummond-Hay, H. A t r i p t o Vake Island. China Journal 30: 333-3753, 1939.

Note on vegetation and c u l t i v a t i o n of vegetables.

Edmondson, Charles H. Crustacea, Harine zoology of t r o p i c a l c e n t r a l P a c i f i c . Eishop M~~seum Bull. 27: 3-62, 1925.

Xeports crustacea from Wake c o l l e c t e d by Tanager Expedition, 1923.

Findl.ay, Alexander George. Directory f o r the navigation of the North P a c i f i c Ocean. 3rd ed. ^: 1035-1036, 1486.

Hydrologic and h i s t o r i c data.

F i s h e r , GI. K. Sea s t a r s , ig Marine zoology of t r o p i c a l c e n t r a l P a c i f i c . Bishop :$usem Bull. 27: 63-18, 1925.

Records

Brclxlna ~ncel.~.~ tg&e&

n. sp.,

_Liinck&a

multLf_oya_, and

&&l&~

cepheus from Wake.

Follansbee, W. Typhoon "Olive .I1 1 7 pp., 1952? Lzuplicate$7.

Conditions on !lake during a typhoon.

Fowler, Henry W. and S. C . Ball. Fishes of Hawaii, Johnston Island and Make Island. Bishop Museum B u l l . 26:

1-31,

1925.

Records 95 species of f i s h e s c o l l e c t e d by Tanager Ekpedition.

Freeman, O t i s W. (ed. ). Geography of the Pacific. New York (Wylie), 1-57'?, 1951.

Notes on geography of Wake, pp. 6,27,36,65,262,555,557.

Gray, Asa. Botany, Phanerogamia. P a r t I.

Lgts.

^{I1 and} I11 never pub- l i s h e g . U. S. Exploring Expedition 15: 1-777, Philadelphia,

1854.

Iiecord of plants observed and c o l l e c t e d on Wake.

Grant, Chapman. F r i g a t e bird and the Laysan r a i l . Condor 49(3):

130, 1947.

No..fresh water on Wake, s o Wake r a i l must have existed without water supply.

Gregory, H. E. Report OF the Director f o r 1923. Bishop Museum Bull.

10: 1-34, 1924.

Swmary of Tanager Expedition; very l i t t l e about Make.

Grooch, 51. S. Skyway t o Asia. New York (Longman, Green), 1936.

Account of t h e "North Haven" expedition which e s t a b l i s h e d bases on Midway, Wake and Guam f o r Pan-American Airways; pp. 83-124 and s e v e r a l photos on Wake.

Hachisyka, M., N. Takatsukasa, S. Uchida, Y. Yamashina. Hand l i s t of Japanese birds. Tokyo, 3rd and revised ed., 1-238, 1942.

L i s t s b i r d s recorded from \Jake I.

H a l l , M. Journey t o the end of an era. New York, 1-438, 1947.

Memoirs of an a i r o f f i c e r ; notes b i r d s of Midway and \lake, 372-375..

Heinl, R. D., Jr. The defense of Wake'. U. S. Marine Corps Monograph, Washington, D. C., 1-75, 1947.

Notes e f f e c t of m i l i t a r y operations on vegetation. of Wake.

O f f i c i a l account of a t t a c k s i . ~ i t h maps; b r i e f survey of pre- war h i s t o r y ; chronology, organization of defenders, t e x t of

Japanese surrender; notes on t e r r a i n and hydrology.

Hull, F. M. A check l i s t of t h e Syrphirlae of Oceania. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 13: 79-87, 1937.

Records Ischiodon s c g t e l l a r i s from Johnston and Uake Is.

Jacot, Arthur P. New oribatoid mites. Psyche 35: 213-215, 1928.

Includes I n d o t r i t i a b m i from Wake.

-

Concerning t h e genus N e o l i d e s (Oribatoidea

-

^{Acarina). Am.}

Microscopical Soc. Trans. 48: 30-48, 1929.

Udetaliodes m i i e n s i s wakensis from Wake.

-

Jacot, Arthur P. Some Hawaiian Gribatoidea (Acarina). Bishop Museum Bull. 121: 1-99, 1934; 16 p l s .

U e t a l i o d e s hawaiiensis ~ a k e n s i s

.

,

^{P. 10;}

&tes brm:

( J a c o t ) ,

p. 74.

Jordan, K. On t h e constancy and v a r i a b i l i t y of t h e d i f f e r e n c e s beiiween Old World species of Utetheisa. (Lepidoptera. Arctiidae).

Novitates Zoolog.

41:

251-291, 1939.

U. pulchelLoides from Wake and o t h e r P a c i f i c islands.

-

Kaucher, D. Wings over Wake. San Francisco, 1-158, 1947.

I l l u s t r a t i o n s show Wake vegetation.

Kephart, Rodney. Wake, war and writing. Mew York, 1-84, 1950.

King, Robert D. Index t o the i s l a n d s of t h e T e r r i t o r y of Hawaii

.,.

Honolulu, 1931.

Brief summary of geography, p o s i t i o n , h i s t o r y and j u r i s d i c t i o n of Wake, p. 27.

Leff, D , N. Uncle Sam's P a c i f i c i s l e t s . Stanford Univ., 1-71, 19LO.

Brief and n o t t o o accurate d e s c r i p t i o n ; discovery and annexa- t i o n , 21-23.

Mayr, E. Bird conservation i n t h e southwest P a c i f i c . Audubon Magazine 47: 279-262, 1945.

Wake r a i l now e x t i n c t .

Parr, Charles McKew. Over and above our P a c i f i c . 1-274, 1941.

Notes by a t r a v e l l e r stopping b r i e f l y a t Wake on a f l i g h t across t h e P a c i f i c , pp. 91-103; photo of p i e r , opposite p. 105.

Pickering, C. Geographical d i s t r i b u t i o n of animals and plants. U, S.

Fxploring Expedition 19(2): 1-524, I'hiladelphia, 1876.

Gives a l i s t of p l a n t s on Wake's c o r a l i s l a n d , pp. 246-247, 489.

Poole. A. J. and V. S. Schantz. Cataloe of t h e - t m e s ~ e c i m e n s of manunals ' i n t h e U. S. National Museum. u.-S. Nat. ~ k e i ~ u l l . 178:

1-705. 19L2.

.,

^{- , 7}

.

@ z ~

exulans (Peale) i s recorded from brake I., p. &62.

Compare: Tote. A,,lerican I h s e m Nat. H i s t . Bull. 68(3):

U.6.

1975, and U. S: Exploring Exped. 8: 47, 1848, o r i g . .descr.

Mus exulans Peale.

P o r t e r , H. P. The brave young b i r d s of Wake Island. Elepaio U:

47-48, 1953.

Young b i r d s unharmed by typhoon Olive.

Reeves, W. C. Possible r e c e n t introductions of mosquito vectors of human diseases i n the c e n t r a l P a c i f i c . Proc. 7th Pac. Sci.

Congress 7: 371-373, 1953.

Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and

ma cpun_quefasci&at)

on Wake.