T1LADUMMATI. 95 



island were evidently once distinct islands, the one on the outer edge of 

 the eastern rim flat, the other extending across the wide southern rim of 

 the faro. They have become united by a high sand bank, the extension 

 of the shank of the T-shaped island. 



The island of Muheri, about two miles east of Naguri, represents the type 

 of islands characteristic of the inner waters of Tiladummati. They are all 

 steep to with high beaches, generally shingle beaches on the southwest 

 faces and coral sand beaches on the northern ones ; according to the trend 

 of the islands and their greater or less exposure to the prevailing monsoons, 

 they have wider or narrower reef flats, with accumulations of small boulders 

 at the terminal spits. 



Kurimbe Island in the central part of Tiladummati is about a mile in 

 length, steep to, with high and steep shingle beaches on the northern as 

 well as on the southern face, they are exposed to the southwest and the 

 northeast monsoon, both of which have a sweep of considerable extent over 

 that part of the central area of Tiladummati. The shingle beaches alternate 

 with sandy reaches, according to the position of the shore with reference 

 to the prevailing winds. The summit of the sand beach of the central part 

 of the southern face of Kurimbe is fully fifteen feet high, and at other 

 points it is from eleven to twelve feet high. A coarse, high, and steep 

 shingle beach flanks the southeastern point of Kurimbe, and huge boulders 

 are scattered along the edge of the narrow reef flats of the point. Kurimbe 

 is surrounded by an outer belt of large bushes and smaller trees, enclosing 

 several fine clumps of large forest trees. 



On the northern islands of Tiladummati and at Makunudu we find 

 many Pandanus ; they are not as common in the central and south- 

 ern parts of the Maldives. There are some large forest trees on the 

 northern points of Kurimbe and Kumberidu (PI. 48, fig. 2). On both 

 these islands as well as on the northern islands of Tiladummati, both the 

 shingle and sand beaches are much higher and steeper than in any of 

 the southern groups. 



Kurimbe, Kumberidu, as well as Mahafai, Muradu, two inner islands 

 near the northern part of Tiladummati, and a few other islands in the 

 central part of Tiladummati which we did not visit, belong to the same 



