August 17 and 18, 1964 (cont.)
about ‘3' deep.
Near the outer surf (within about 100' to 200')
scattered small coral tufts
(mostly Acropora)
Slate~pencil sea urchins were plentiful.
scarce.
were more numerous.
Sea cucumbers were
Only one H. atra was seen.
Lowman--The main change
I noted on Bikini Island was the
marked reduction of the numbers of papaya trees and the regrowth
of coconuts.
In 1956, we thought all the coconut trees had died,
although a few nuts were sprouting.
amount of arrow root (Tacca).
The island has a large
Bikini is not as heavily silted as
the islands on the northeast of Eniwetok.
On the outer reef near
the southeast end of the island almost all of the depressions in
the reef contain BB shot.
terns
Saw large numbers of noddy and fairy
(not as many as at Enyu),
curlews,
crested terns,
reef herons
and plovers.
The west end of the island remains a sand spit as before.
Evidently the spit moves back and forth because the coral to the
seaward about 50 yards has been smothered out.
Jackson:
road.
Rats were trapped along the edge of the old beach
Traps were set in both the very open and very dense
growths.
Roof rats were caught (10 in 17 traps) in all types of
vegetation.
Along the trail cut across the middle of the island.
roof and Polynesian rats were caught.
teen roof rats and 9 Polynesian rats.)
25 rats in 30 traps.
Both
(Six-