Report, on a: Trip to Marcus Island with Notes on the Birds NAGAHISA KURODAl MARCUS ISLAND, situated about midway be­ alternating with a summer wind from S.­ tweet;! the Bonin Islands and Wake Island in S.S.W. which calmed the sea and brought hot the western Pacific, is a small, remote ·island' atmosphere. Navigating southward through which belonged to Japan until World War latitudes of about 28-33° N., far east by II and is known to the Japanese as Minami south of Hachijo Island, the change of tem­ Torishima, the South Bird Island. It is now perature and the color of the sea showed the in the possession of the United States, but a demarcation between temperate and semi­ Japanese weather station, constructed after the tropical waters. The southerly rear-guards of war, is the only establishment on the island. the Black-footed Albatross, Puffinus carneipes, A zoological survey of this island was Storm-Petrels, and Skuas, which were migrat­ planned by Hokkaido University, which sent ing to the temperate zone, were already in Mr. M. Yamada (for the litoral invertebrata) the cooler area north of the aforementioned and Mr. S. Sakagami (for the insects). I latitudes. To the south, tropical species such joined them to make bird investigations, as Puffimls nativitatis and Pterodroma were en­ through the kindness of Professor T. Uchida, countered. Sea birds in general, however, Hokkaido University, Dr. S. Wadachi, head, were scarce, the main group of oceanic mi­ of the Centr,al Weather Station, and other grants having passed north already, and the gentlemen of the Station-Mr. N. Yamada, tropical species were probably concentrated the Chief Secretary, Mr. Y. Nakada, head of around the breeding islands. Only the follow­ the Marcus Island Section, Mr. T. Doi, the ing species were seen en route: head, and Mr. S. Kitada, the secretary, of the Oceanodroma tristrami (or matsudairae) Supply Section, and other people concerned. A few were seen scattered over the ocean My cordial,thanks are due these gentlemen and followed the ship but were distributed and also Dr. H. E. McClure of the 406th north of about 27-28° N. Medical General Laboratory in Tokyo. Oceanodroma castro (or leucorhoa) Taking advantage of the supply ship, "Ku- ' Two were observed closely on May 10 at roshio-maru" (450 tons), in charge of the about 33° N. Central Weather Station of Tokyo, we left Puffinus leucomelas Tokyo Harbor on April 25,1952, arrived at Many were observed near the mouth' of Marcus Island on April 30, and stayed for Tokyo Bay on April 26, and a few were seen a week until we embarked on May 7 to north of 30° N. on May 10. return to Tokyo. It was an intergrading sea­ Pu11inus carneipes son, the weather ranging from winter to sum­ Six birds in all were seen north of about mer type, and the sea was rough with N.N.E. 33° N. on May 10. winds which prevailed in about 4-day cycles, Puffinus tenuirostris 1 Yamashina Museum ofBirds, 49 Nanpeidai-machi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Manuscript received Jan­ Two or three were seen as far south as uary 29, 1953. about 26-27° N. on April 29. They were late 84 Marcus Island Birds - KURODA 85 individuals, as the early birds can be seen Temperature along northern Japan in late April. Date Maximum Minimum Putiinus oativitatis 0c. 0c. Small compact flocks and a few individuals April 30. ........ .. 25.5 20.0 were occasionally encountered south of about May 1. ......... .. 27.5 21.2 27° N. and also around Marcus Island.. May 2. .......... .. 25.9 19.8 Pterodroma brevipes hypoleuca May 3. ... .. ..... .. 24.6 20.9 Occasional individuals were seen sailing May 4 : .. 25.5 20.7_ over the sea south of 27-29° N. May 5. .. ........ .. 26.7 22.0 Diomedea oigripes It was, however, very hot indoors, and the A few were always seen, sometimes floating sunshine was strong and glaring against white on the water, and they followed the ship coral gravel, the earth temperature reaching south to about 28° N., but none was observed about 45-50° C. The brooding terns and nod­ to the southward. D. immutabilis was not seen; dies seemed to sit on their eggs to protect its occurrence in Japanese waters is earlier them from being overheated, as the eggs were than nigripes. cooler than the gravel. The weather was fine, Stercorarius pomarious and the only precipitation was on the night Two birds were seen in Tokyo Bay on April of May 2. Rainfall is rare, and, as fresh water 26, and a bird followed the ship for a while is lacking, the drinking water is said to be on April 28 at about 28° N. obtained mainly during the rainy season in Stercorarius longicaudus (?) August. Three birds, probably of this species, were The whole island is formed of coral gravel seen at a distance on April 27. and is flat, being only a few meters above On arriving at Marcus early in the morning sea level. It has a triangular litoralline, a little on April 30, Sterna fuscata and Anous stolidus over 4 miles in extent, the white beach being were seen flying about the island but were particularly extended at the western point. The never observed offshore. coastal reefs are to be found along the north­ ern and northeastern beaches, and the island GENERAL FEATURES OF MARCUS ISLAND is surrounded by scattered coral rockS about 200 meters offshore, especially on the north­ The island is situated over 1,000 miles from ern coast. Formerly, the island must have had Tokyo, 600 miles S.E. by E. of the Bonin some elevated parts, as Bryan reports that Islands (Chichijima) and 790 miles N.W. of "Near the north end the land attains a height Wake Island at 24°14' N. and 154° E.,2 in of seventy-five feet which was the highest the same latitude as the north point of point found," and, "In the middle of the Formosa. island along this side the highest point is not According to Yoshida, the former Japanese to exceed forty feet, while at the southeast garrison (crew of "Kasagi") recorded a sum­ point an elevation of sixty-five or seventy feet mer temperature of 87-88° F., rarely over is attained." However, at present the whole 100° F. The colonists recorded over 130° F. island is almost entirely flat as the result of outdoors, at the most 92-93° F. indoors, and war destruction, and the central planted part in winter never lower than 60° F. Bryan, dur­ ing a week's stay in August, noted a low of is low, reminding us offormer lagoons, which he mentioned. At these places he found "four 12° F. and a high of 82° F. The spring tem­ separate deposits ofloose black alluvial soil," perature during our stay was as shown below: which were a few feet deep according to Y0­ s~ch 2 Various orher records' have been made of irs posi­ shida, but we found soil to be entirely rion. Cf. Bryan, 1903: 78-79; Yoshida, 1902: 674. lacking at present, and there was no sign of 86 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VIII, January, 1954 M t /~ " ~;. ~;. I ',,. J." ;' f .!. /./ r:ifj • 6u.~lcUI'l9 A Toc.h. kd.. • <Yd.!> tCL.n.k '-" Wrec:.ked,. snip FIG. 1. Map of Marcus Island. A, weather station; B, a rochka on which noddies' are breeding; c, main breeding place of the Sooty Tern, which also breeds on the outer coral rocks and flocks on the coastal reef. the Cocos nucifera, which is said to have been eral other plants, to the Japanese colonists to thickly planted at these lagoons in an area of plant. Bananas were also introduced formerly, about three acres. according to him, but have never fruited, and The central cover consists chiefly of Messer- ' tobacco was then cultivated to be smoked by schmidia argentea CMonpanoki'), a brushy the colonists. Small land crabs, locusts, skinks, plant, mixed with a few Pisonia grandis CTo­ and geckos as well as Oedemeridae were par­ gemi Udonoki'), with a dense creeping ticularly abundant, and we saw a dragonfly undergrowth of Ipomoea Pes-caprae CGunbai­ of Sympetrum type, said to be common in hirugao') and a few grasses. There were a few summer. We also obtained a young specimen poorly grown papayas and five bananas, the of Rattus rattus alexandrinus, an unhealthy latter having recently been brought from the animal, found wild among the Ipomoea. Bonin Islands. It is interesting that Bryan 'the above general features of the island, reports no natural papaya, but states that he however, are now in a devastated state as the gave some seeds, together with those of sev- result of the recent war. Marcus Island Birds - KURODA 87 . BRIEF HISTORY OF MARCUS ISLAND on the bird life of the island, reporting many species which are not found on the island It is said that an American priest discovered now, including Micranous marcusi, which he the island first, naming it Marcus, or Weeks, described as a new species. Yoshida, a geolo­ Island (whether Weeks is identical with Mar­ gist, only reports some birds in vernacular cus is not clear). In November, 1883, Tsune­ names used on the island. According to him, taro Shinzaki landed on the island as the first there were 29 colonists (including four wo­ Japanese, coming on board the British ship men) making their living by catching the "Eta" of the Yokohama Konshiro Company. birds which 'they stuffed for exportation. The Another Japanese, an offshore fisherman of birds, about 20 species in all, were all sea Kinkazan (N.