ANALYSIS OF THE SOUNDINGS TAKEN BY THE "AJ1RA." 15 



Line off the west coast of the southern part of North Malosmadulu 

 (PL 8 c, fig. 26). 



Eight miles off the coast in a northwesterly direction from Pemfuri 

 Faro we sounded in twelve hundred and forty-seven fathoms (No. 65). 

 One mile off Maregiri, we obtained three hundred and seventy-eight fathoms 

 (No. 66), and already found a bottom consisting of green coral sand mixed 

 with Pteropod shells and Globigerinae. Pteropod shells are common in 

 shallow soundings near the atolls; we collected them in number, as well as 

 Globigerinae, in nearly all our surface tows made off the outer faces of 

 the archipelago. 



We did not sound any of the Malosmadulu Channels (PL 8 b ; figs. 9, 10), 

 the soundings on the Admiralty Charts being sufficiently numerous to 

 define their depth. 



According to the Admiralty Chart (No. 66 a), South Malosmadulu is 

 separated from Middle Malosmadulu by a channel from two to three miles 

 wide, with soundings in the axis of the channel ranging from one hundred 

 and ten to one hundred and forty fathoms. Middle Malosmadulu is sepa- 

 rated from North Malosmadulu by Moresby Channel, somewhat wider than 

 the channel to the south of it, about three miles in width, with soundings 

 in the centre of the channel ranging from one hundred and twenty to one 

 hundred and thirty-five fathoms. 



Line across the channel between Furudu (Goifurfehendu) and Madu- 

 wari (South Malosmadulu) (PL Sb, fig. 10). 



One mile north of our Goifurfehendu base-line we obtained two hundred 

 and forty-eight fathoms (No. 62), with a bottom of coarse coral sand and 

 broken shells. In the centre of the channel, three and one-half miles from 

 the starting-point, we sounded in three hundred and two fathoms (No. 63) ; 

 bottom of coral sand and broken shells. One mile from Maduwari we 

 sounded in one hundred and ninety-three fathoms (No. 64), bringing up in 

 the claspers a few fragments of broken corals. The bottom of this channel 

 is apparently covered with coarse coral sand, broken shells, and corals. 



