The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1861-11-28

terra are found. OF ants and mosquitoes and
flies there are large swarms. OF the cnaer
there is probably a new kind, which might
be called dfurnal culex. They are very
small and almost as numerous as those more
commonly seen at night. OF Scolopendra-
Centipedes-there are many 10 be found and
of rather formidable size-though we rarely
hear of their biting any one.
There are several varieties OF Spiders.
The scorpion, though found on the atoll, is
small and harmless. ,
The Crustacea are numerous on land and
in the water. We seem TO have a great
abundance of the Pagurida-hermlt crabs.
| have thought they were more numerous on
these coral Islands than on the volcanic ones.
The Mollusca too are abundant. Some
rare specimens are found. The orange cowry
is common to some of the Lagoons. Zoo
phytes also are numerous, as would be sup
posed in these waters. A valuable and quite
abundant sponge is also found In some OF the
lagoons and the Marshall islands.
1t will be noticed, on the reef of this atoll,
that besides the islet of EJon there are nine
teen others. All of them are much smaller
than Ebon, though for their size they are
equally fertile. Some of them seem TO be
veritable fairy-lands-so soft is the green
grass which covers them-and the deep
shade of the interlaced bushes and majesti-
cally tall bread-fruit trees, throwing out their
long sweeping arms like the monarch oak
-"who has ruled in the green wood long"
In the growth of some of these isletS, we
have perhaps some interesting facts connect
ed with the rate of growth of islets or coral
reefs. BMri is an islet containing not more
than an acre of land. A few Pandanus
self-sown from seed washed there by the
waters of the lagoon or sea, have taken root.
And there are a few bushes,-a variety which
| have noticed as growing only on the from
tier soil of an islet-soil which is but little
more than sand. From the leaves of these
bushes and P%andanus, soil is very slowly
forming. But the present age OF the islet is,
as stated by a native. who saw it when only
a sand bank washed by the tides-some
Mirty.fre gears. He remembers it when a
boy as only a sand bank. Now it has a lit
tie soil and teac bushes. The islet Manning
he describes as once only a sand bank. 1t is
now about the same size and condition as
Bikri. These facts are not stated of course
as definite for determining the rate of growth
of coral iSetS-for into such. a calculation
many other circumstances might enter, such
as the position of the reef for catching and
holding the washed-up matter, &C.. But We
may learn from the facts here given, that the
growth of land, like the growth of the reef
rock, as Uery Sow.
Near the southern extremity of Toxic Top
posite e on the map) some hirtyJfce years
since, there was p passage sufficiently large
to let a proa pass over the reef between
what was then tsco iSietS. Now that passage
has been filled up, and large bushes grow
there. The only tree of any size is the CO.
coanut and Pandanus, which nave been plant
ed. The fact we would state as illustrative
of two points-one bearing on the fact we
have just referred to-the rate of growth of
isiet-and the other, that large islets are
made by stringing as it were. together seve-
raj smaller ones. 1t may be questioned
whether a large islet, say some two or three
miles long, is one continuous production it
was rather formed by several smaller islets
becoming attached and the whole in time
becoming one large islet. This fact | think
can be clearly proved to have been the case
with the growth of the islet of Ebon. There
are several spots which may be indicated as
the Weldirg points of small islets. These
places are usually narrower, and less over
grown with bushes and trees, and possess a
thinner soil than other parts Of the whole
islet. Then again there are places which
are erpamded, Just as if they had been the
central nuclei of the islets. These are
wooded-have large bread-fruit trees
and other trees of apparently a old age,
upon them. We have reason to be-
lieve that all the islets of this atoli will in
time be thus united, and thus the whole reef
possess, SO far as it goes, one unbroken chap
let of vegetation.
We are now deeply interested in watching
the formation of sand banks at one or two
points. As yet they are shifting about-as
the winds and seas prevail for a given time
from any quarter they are as yet covered
by high tides. One of these sand banks is
En- armeth, and the northern point
of Ebon. We may not live to see it, but
believe that this sand bank will yet be-
fred-will enlarge itself-catch some
floating seeds and appropriate them and then
there will be another green islet on the reef.
This will again expand itself and become the
connecting link of Ebon and Eni-armeth-
thus completing the length of the green
oand of this Ebon islet on its northern ex-
tremity.-Friemd.
Ebon Atoll, Marshall Island, Micronesia,
Auo 16 1851