NORTH MALE. 51 



The outline of the reef flat to the south of Akirifuri is very striking. 

 The lagoon face of the flat is formed by a series of great bays separated 

 by points jutting out eastward two to three miles, in marked contrast to 

 the rectilinear course of the western edge of the flat. This peculiar mode 

 of growth of the corals shows that, if the bays they formed were closed 

 across the east face, what might appear as a series of faros which had 

 coalesced or become united had a very different origin, due to the rapid 

 extension of coral spits at right angles to the western edge of the faro. 

 Similar reef flats occur in other groups of the Maldives in Felidu, in 

 South Nilandu, in Kolumadulu, in Suvadiva and others to a less, extent. 

 But nowhere are these cusps developed to such an extent as in this reef 

 flat of the northern part of North Male. 



The vegetation on Akirifuri is scanty, and much of it is dying. The 

 beaches of the island are steep, of very coarse yellow coral shingle with 

 stretches of small coral boulders at the base of the beach. The vegeta- 

 tion of the islands of the faro to the north of Hembadu Pass is not vig- 

 orous ; many of the trees and bushes on the outer belt of vegetation are 

 dying or dead, having been more or less buried by the advancing sands 

 blown into the islands from the beach (PI. 19. fig. 1). Several of the 

 sand-bars and banks marked on the chart as covered with low vegetation 

 have disappeared, or the vegetation has been killed by the encroaching 

 sands. 



To the westward of our track on the way to our anchorage off Kagi 

 we passed a narrow crescent-shaped sand bank flanked with shingle. The 

 vegetation on Kagi is most meagre, perhaps from its exposure to the full 

 force of the northeast monsoon. This island is edged by coral sand beaches. 

 On the southern face of Kagi corals are growing in abundance within the 

 usual limits of depth. 



The northern extremity of Male is open to the northwest, where it is 

 flanked by a narrow reef flat for a distance of nearly five miles, similarly 

 the northern faces of South Male and of Felidu are not well protected, and 

 the greater part of the northeast face of Ari is open for a stretch of more 

 than twelve miles. The northern face of North Malosmadulu is also open, 

 as well as the northeast face of Ihavandiffulu and of Tiladummati. 



