SOUTH MALOSMADULU. fil 



are flanked by steep coral sand beaches ; the outer edge of the rim flat is 

 covered with large patches of thriving corals. On the sea face of Kum- 

 finadu are outlying patches of boulders and angular reef rock, honey- 

 combed, pitted, and undercut, similar to patches found elsewhere in the 

 Maldives, indicative of a slight former elevation. 



Gardiner l says most of the reefs to south and east show traces of a broad 

 line of elevated reef rock on the sea face, with extensions along the faces 

 of the passages which are still going on. He also states that the bottom of 

 South Malos is everywhere hard sand, and singularly barren of organic life, 2 

 and that dredging points to a general growth of corals on the outer edge, 

 though it may only be in isolated patches. 



After skirting the east face of South Malosmadulu we entered it through 

 the pass east of Hitadu ; on either side of the island are Olugeri and 

 Maduwari, both steep to. The vegetation of Olugeri as seen from the pass 

 appears to be quite luxuriant. The west face of Maduwari (PI. 25) is 

 flanked with a steep beach of coarse coral shingle, so steep as to form an 

 almost vertical wall along part of the island. The shingle has been driven 

 in among the base of the trees and between the clumps of bushes well 

 back from the beach towards the interior of the island. The coarse coral 

 shingle surrounds the sea face of the island and the greater part of the 

 eastern face along the pass. On the lagoon side of the island it is flanked 

 by steep coral sand beaches. On the steep to sea face slope of Maduwari 

 corals are very luxuriant down to a depth of twelve fathoms, where they 

 become small, and are separated by belts and lanes and patches of sand 

 until they are completely choked and disappear in depths of sixteen to 

 twenty fathoms. 3 



The southwestern horn of South Malosmadulu is formed, according to 

 the chart, by Turadu, a large faro about four miles in length. The main 

 part of the faro has at the northeast angle a regular entrance like that 

 of any atoll of its size, is bounded on the southwestern and southeastern 

 faces by a wide reef flat, on which are two islands, and which forms the 

 southern rim of an elongated lagoon with from three to six fathoms in 



1 Loc. cit., pp. 384, 385. - Loc. cil., p. 381. 



8 See Gardiner's account of tins island, loc. cit., p. 164, fig. 30, and p. 384. 



