142 THE CORAL REEFS OF THE MALDIVES. 



The outer rims of the reef fiats of the Maldives are in striking contrast 

 with those of the Pacific atolls. The latter are characterized by the pres- 

 ence of the deep tongues of water penetrating well into the reef flats, 

 scalloping the exterior edge so that the whole becomes a mass of broad 

 digitate lobes, many of them forming diminutive boat harbors. These 

 lobes are separated by high, rounded masses of brilliantly colored Millepores, 

 Pocillopores, and Nullipores. Nothing of this kind exists in the Maldives; 

 the edge of the reef flats is sometimes flanked by a low wall of coral, or 

 a belt of boulders, or by colored patches of corals extending over the outer 

 part of the reef flat, forming a very insignificant border as compared to its 

 Pacific representative. 



The southern point of Kudu is flanked by a steep coarse shingle beach, 

 with a few coral boulders on the outer edge of the reef flat, forming the 

 north face of the pass to the south of the island. The shingle beach passes 

 into fine shingle and sand towards the west. To the north the edge of the 

 outer reef flat is flanked by a wide belt of coral boulder, forming occasional 

 heaps backed by shingle and sand, with short stretches of coral reef rock, 

 pitted and honeycombed, rising slightly above the general level of the 

 surrounding reef flats. 



There are three bays on the east faces of Wiringili, formed by outer 

 lines of coral boulders and heaps of coarse shingle, connecting projecting 

 points of the island ; they indicate plainly where the gaps existed which 

 once cut Wiringili into a number of separate islands that are now united. 

 Their former separation can also be detected by the low vegetation grow- 

 ing on the sand-bars connecting the separate islands, contrasted to the 

 large trees that grow on the older parts which once existed as separate 

 islands, as they are still marked on the charts ; changes like these are 

 the most prominent errors that can be detected on the charts. To the 

 north of Wiringili are extensive patches of recent reef rock, slightly 

 elevated, undercut, and pitted, and honeycombed ; the outer edge of the 

 flat is flanked with a belt or heaps of coral boulders. 



The great reef flat which forms the northeastern horn of Suvadiva ex- 

 tends unbroken in a northwesterly direction from Wiringili for more than 

 ten miles ; with the exception of the islets north of Wiringili, there are no 



