MIDWAY AND WAKE

[Music] me [Music] far out in the vastness of the pacific ocean a tiny coral island rises above the surface of the turquoise sea an island so small that one can walk around it in less than an hour yet one which has grown to be of great importance to america in the flying of the pacific so few people have set foot on this island that it is a natural bird sanctuary many thousands of aquatic birds raise their families and live contentedly on this tiny spot in the mid-pacific these turns are found in great flocks and like all birds which live on midway they are quite unafraid of people they do not nest in trees but lay their eggs in the warm sand [Music] the baby turns resemble little chicks but they soon develop extremely large wings compared to the size of their bodies then they join their parents in flying out over the lagoons and ocean to feed on the small surface fish [Music] the entire island is honeycombed with holes dug by moaning birds holes in which they live and raise their young the babies are cute little balls of fluffy down [Music] the snowy white fairy turns like lovebirds are generally found in pears they're friendly little birds and very curious they can hover just above your heads and seem to stand still in midair with their rapidly beating wings the egg is laid on the bare branch of a tree it's difficult to understand why it doesn't fall off despite the care with which the mother covers it midway's endless beach of soft white coral sand is the home of various strange birds equally strange are these glass balls which have floated in on sea currents from far off japan where they served as floats for japanese fishnets [Music] the most interesting of all the birds is the laisson albatross they spend many months on midway where they lay their eggs and raise their young then in the hot summer months they migrate to the aleutian islands off the coast of alaska they're never called by their right name having been nicknamed goofy goonies or just goonies because of their odd antics it's certainly worth a trip halfway across the pacific to see these amazing birds go into their hilarious song and dance routine natural jitterbugs they keep this up hour after hour day in and day out never seeming to tire the clacking together of their bills sounds like a flock of riveting machines sometimes two or three will be dancing but when a fourth attempts to join they break up into pairs the babies never leave the spot where they are hatched until they are ready to fly if they are moved they will invariably return to the same place [Music] on with the dance goofy goonies is right [Music] hey do [Music] from midway it has been an eight-hour flight across the great expanse of blue ocean to wake island until these flying clipper ships were put into service this island was practically unknown and completely uninhabited today it's an unusual vacation land reserved for those who fly since there is no other way to reach it [Music] wake island is actually one of three which make up this group the other two are called wilks and peel like midway they have been built up from the floor of the sea by countless generations of coral growth in the path of the warm trade winds from the south seas its geographical location makes wake an ideal stepping stone for air transport across the 9 000 miles of ocean which separate the mainland of america and the interesting and valuable markets of the orient in no other place in the world is there such crystal clear water as in wake's lagoon it is with a short sail out to the magnificent coral gardens here we can seek new thrills and greater beauties in the fantastic shimmering world beneath the sea by putting on a watertight glass we can invade the realm of mermaids and discover in the coral pools hidden castles and formations of unbelievable splendor [Music] beneath the surface a fantastic world appears like a page out of a fairy book everywhere there are countless varieties of daily colored fish which shine with the brilliance of jewels their exquisite color combinations blending with the delicate tints and hues of the coral formations these exotic creatures are a colorful type of trigger fish having the hawaiian name of huma huma nukanuka apua there seems to be no limit to the size shapes colors and markings with which nature has adorned some of these lovely specimens one of the most amazing creatures of the coral gardens is the hermit crab he has no shell of his own and as his body is very soft and unprotected he is forced to search for empty shells when he finds one that suits his needs he twists himself into it and contentedly crawls away taking his newfound home with him [Music] this brilliant specimen who looks so much like a goldfish is really a squirrel fish where they ever got such a name is a mystery among the branches of the coral live thousands of these little coral fish due to their black and white striped bodies they are called prisoner fish the pretty bright blue ones are named demozelles darting among the rocks at the base of the coral pools are these brilliant angelfish swimming about its coral palace is the saddle butterfly fish so named because of the black satellite markings on its back [Music] these are achilles surgeons there are many varieties of sea life here in fact every coral head seems to have its own particular variety the moorish idol has a shimmering tale like a stream of gold the flat striped fellow is another type of butterfly fish called a kika kapoo whose exotic designs and colorings are so bizarre they look artificial [Music] most of the fish travel about together in schools like these squirrel fish the hawaiians call them ali'ihi another butterfly fish has the imposing name of chatted and sativer gleaming like mermaids jewels they flit through the shifting green and gold lights of the sand and water in and out of their strange palaces of coral nature has camouflaged the coral cod to resemble the rocks when lying motionless on the ocean floor [Music] but our undersea adventure must end the gentle trade winds fill the sails of our little craft and we turn out into the sunset back to our own world and this fantastic wonderland of the deep and our visit to midway and wake islands becomes another lasting memory you