The Green Forest tribune., 1912-07-19

fish and bird life. The sea bird population alone probably cannot be equaled in any other part of the world. Tens of millions of feathered fowl make their home these lonely specks of land repairing thither each year in countless focks to establish rookeries and to their young The reefs and waters about the islands fairly swarm with fish and other forms of life, that they really form densely populated natural zoo logical garden.
 To the naturalist the out-ofdoor enthusiast, the nature study photographer the man who sim ply loves out-of-the-way places and the unusual and novel these islands leave little to be desired. chance to down along this chain is the opportunity of lifetime and bound to result in a really worth while experience-one that will live fresh in the memory long after the details of other trips and experiences have been mingled with the commonplace of life
 Unfortunately, at present, visiting the islands in the reservation is not the simple matter that 1t should be, nor that it is hoped it may be made in time In former years the operations of a guano company, then engaged in exploiting the guano or bird lime deposits the islands, made it possible by invitation, to make the journey to Laysan Island from Honolulu during the summer months in one of the company's sailing vessels.
 While the islands of the chain are all different from each other and all intensely interesting. Layson is in certain typical of most of them. It is a raised coral atoll approximately two miles across that in general form has been pared to a broad shallow platter composed en- tirely of sand raised coral reef not than 40 feet about the at the highest point the sand rim which completely surrounds the salt water lagoon that occupies the central part of the island. This lagoon is of special interest, since its water contains salt than does that of the open sea. This interesting fact tells much of the geological history of the island and points unmis takably to the origin of the land. It shows it to be circular coral atol that at the time of it's elevation above the carried the water of the lagoon up to its present level. Since that time, and it must have been very long ago, the waters have evaporated to extent and left that which remains more concentrated and salty than 1t when the island first made. About the edge of the lagoon the boggy earth is covered with crystals of salt mixed with chips of guano. This sheIl-like substance sparkles in the and sug eests band of silver at the waters edge. About this barren ring is a narrow band covered with low creeping vines Back of this again is a growth of juncas which is backed up in turn by ring of low bushes. The prevailing plant of the island, however, is kind of coarse bunch grass that grows three or four feet high. More than of plants have found footing there during the lcng period that has elapsed since the dry land first rose that at the time of its discovery and, indeed, on the occasion of my first visit for sand island it was well supplied with a low growth of hardy vines, grass and shrubs Unfor- tunately the introduction of rabbits the island has marked a sad change since then.