HADDUMMATI. 129 



On the west face of Phares Island rises a low shingle beach with spits 

 extending towards the line of boulders on the outer edge of the rim flat. 

 On the reef flat south of Phares many spurs of coral shingle and small 

 boulders run at right angles from the outer edge of the rim flat to its 

 inner edge. 



The vegetation of the islands of Haddummati is fairly luxuriant, but does 

 not compare to that of the islands on the southern groups, Suvadiva or 

 Addu. Pandanus are quite common ; there are but few hard-wood trees. 



Two large islands, Kunahandu and Hitadu, separated by a long narrow 

 gap, occupy the eastern horn of the southern reef flat. Hitadu is flanked 

 by a shingle beach with a belt of small boulders along the outer face of its 

 reef flat. Some large trees are seen on the eastern extremity of Hitadu. 



The eastern face of the south pass of Haddummati is flanked by a wide 

 reef flat forming the western horn of its eastern land rim. It is edged by 

 a narrow belt of small boulders and shingle composed in great part of small 

 masses of coral boulders. The southern pass between Gadu and Hitadu is 

 nearly three miles wide ; facing its western side are three well-wooded 

 islands. In the pass itself we could see coral heads and masses of corals 

 separated by sand lanes in about eleven fathoms. The color and number 

 of the coral patches indicates that comparatively few corals grow on the 

 lagoon face of Haddummati. As we steamed by, off the western face we 

 could see, on the reef flats, a few shallow sinks, but nothing to indicate 

 the well-defined deep lagoons on the reef flats of the northern groups. 



On the reef flat opposite our anchorage off Funadu there is from three 

 to four feet of water at high tide. The slope of the lagoon face of the rim 

 flat is quite steep ; in from ten to eight fathoms begin patches of somewhat 

 delicate Madrepores followed by stouter species with Millepores and Pocillo- 

 pores; in about four fathoms follow masses of Astreans and of Porites. 

 These form great patches on the lagoon slope and in shallower water cover 

 extensive disconnected areas, gradually diminishing as they extend over the 

 shallower parts of the reef flat. They appear again on the bottom of the 

 deeper parts of the reef flats ; but, as a whole, the corals in the lagoon have 

 not the flourishing appearance of those growing in the interior of the north- 

 ern groups of the Maldives. 



