C.R. Long 1964 Enderbury Island July 15, 1964 - A landing was made about 1:30 pm. Camp was set up in shed and shack. I walked the west shore of the island - very rocky and the vegetation is not as lush as at Phoenix - at least on this southwest end. Tropic birds observed nesting under slanting stone slabs. rocky with patches of sand and gravel sand *Transect I Digitaria -> Portulaca -> Sida -> Sida -> Triumfetta Triumfeta Portulaca Boerhaavia Boerhaavia Digitaria Digitaria sand and gravel slope darker soil Boerhaavia Digitaria Lepturus Boerhaavia Sida Portulaca -> Lepturus -> Boerhaavia -> Portulaca -> Lepturus Lepturus Portulaca Triumfeta Sesuvium Boerhaavia Portulaca Sesuvium -> -> Sesuvium Eragrostis edge of lagoon raised islet salt crust guano soil with much shell material Observed Boerhaavia sp. with white flowers and little or no anthocyanin in the exposed stems. Messerschmidtia argentea (L.f.) Johnston comprises the brush area as on the chart. This shrub sprouts on the bottom branches and has flowers, the upper parts appear dead possibly as a result of the high concentration of nesting lesser frigatebirds (guano concentration on live stems and leaves, and physical damage as a result of nest building and other avain activities) and/or the high insolation and continuous drying wind. Red footed boobies are also found nesting in this "brush". On the east side of the lagoon - along the edge - were observed several dead patches of Sesuvium sp. indicating perhaps an earlier high water in the lagoon. Evaporation must be rapid but not always so rapid as to insure that even Sesuvium (which has been observed living submerged in salty water) will not be killed back. Sesuvium forms an uneven cover over guano or gravel surfaces associated with Lepturus, Portulaca and Sida - at the periphery of the lagoon, on raised dry heads covered with guano and in the areas just above or in back of the lagoon edge. On this island the Sesuvium forms no solid mat (uninterrupted). Counted twenty-four golden plovers. July 16, 1964 - Plant presses taken out to ship. Dry plants taken from the presses. Drying conditions in the engine room are not ideal. The humidity is too high. The best action is to take smaller samples and segregate the succulent material. On next trip will either have a portable drier or saturate the material with paraformaldehyde solution and defer drying until we reach Honolulu. This latter method might also make for a more organized procedure on shipboard - avoiding the mess and heat of the engine room. Into the field at 3:30 pm walking north toward the lagoon and then on to the north end of the island - mapping vegetation and placing permanent markers (steel poles). North of the old guano ruins a large colony of nesting Greater Frigates - in dead or weakly sprouting Messerschmidtia (some Cordia sp. also present). At the edges of the colony some of the birds make their nest on