Later the Wandering Minstrel, Captain Walker, was wrecked during a heavy gale ; and its occupants compelled to live upon birds' eggs and fish for sixteen months. In 1906 the Mongolia ran aground upon the sand, but was fortunately hauled into deeper water in a few days without serious injury.
The Pearl and Hermes reef is bounded on the east, south and west by a coral rim like that of the Midway Islands atoll, while on the northwest side instead of a continuous parapet it consists of detached rocks. Its area is certainly double that of Midway. There are two small sand islands near each extremity. The cir cumference of the reef is forty-two miles ; the shape is irregular, the longer diameter, east and west, being sixteen miles, and the meridional from north to south nine and a half miles. The ex amination of this atoll was very much hurried.
Lisiansky Island was examined by Captain Lisiansky of the Russian Navy. It is surrounded by shallow water for six or seven miles. It deepens to ten or eleven fathoms at the end of the first mile ; to fifteen the second and to twenty-five at the distance of six or seven miles. Eventually the slope deepens to a declivity of forty or fifty degrees.' In 1905 a party of Japanese bird poachers spent several weeks here, according to the Hawaiian papers, and killed 300,00o birds for their skins. They were captured by the U. S. Revenue cutter Thetis and brought before the courts.
An enterprising wrecker went to the French Frigate Shoals about the same time and obtained several thousand dollars worth of booty from an abandoned French bark. It was said that they would probably visit Lisiansky Island in search of the confiscated bird skins.
Laysan Island is noted for its birds and the deposits of guano. Quite recently it was visited by the U. S. S. Albatross sailing in the interest of the Department of Fish and Fisheries. The na turalists of that expedition spent a week in studying the fauna and flora of this island. It has an area of three and one-half square miles, consisting of white coral sand with some shrubs. Birds are everywhere and so fearless of men that they must actually be pushed aside by one's feet. They consist of albatross, terns,
tropic birds, gannets, duck, curlew, plover, rail, finch, honey eater and sparrows. Professor Nutting estimated the number of birds seen upon the islands as six to eight millions, of which the terns are the most numerous, followed by the albatross, two millions. It is the breeding place of these creatures, a rookery. Allowing half a pound of fish for food to each albatross, they must consume five hundred tons daily. The eggs are laid in late January or early February, and the young are equipped with adult plumage and ability to take long flight by the end of September. For ten months of the year these birds live at Laysan, not wandering far from their breeding ground.
"Much of interest could be said concerning the guano deposits and the operations of the company that lease the island. Thou sands of tons are exported annually, and it is entirely possible that this valuable fertilizer is now being deposited as rapidly as ever it was, owing to the wise policy of not disturbing the birds that is rigidly enforced by the company. The excrement is almost en tirely fluid, and gradually saturates and fills the thin soil and porous coral rock, thus making the 'guano' of commerce. Strangely enough, there is no very perceptible odor, even at the rookery.
"The naturalists of the Albatross spent a week in studying the fauna and flora of this exceedingly interesting island, while the naval officers made a complete map, including a chart of the reefs near the anchorage. Here are found unexcelled conditions for collecting and studying the life histories of birds. All the species are very abundant and can be seen in a day's visit. Every species can be caught, either in the hand or with a hand net, and merci fully killed with chloroform without mutilation or blood stains. They can all be studied at leisure, and at close range. The photographer finds himself in a veritable paradise, able to set up his camera at any desirable distance, even to 'pose' his subjects to suit his fancy, and take pictures of birds' nests and young to his heart's content.