84 THE CORAL REEFS OF THE MALDIVES. 



out on the small reef flat of the southern end of the island. 1 Karema, like 

 most of the islands on the outer faces of Miladummadulu, is steep to; it is 

 bordered by coral sand beaches. On Wataru (PI. 34, fig. 2; 35, fig. 1), to 

 the northeast of Karema, a large island occupies the southern rim of the 

 faro. The vegetation of the island is poor; most of it is dead or dying, 

 the sand and shingle of the high steep beaches having been blown far in 

 between the trees through the outer belt of bushes. The southwest mon- 

 soon must strike the south face of Miladummadulu with considerable force ; 

 the tops of many of the cocoanut-trees are blown off, leaving nothing but 

 the trunks. The lagoon of Wataru is circular and occupies the northern 

 part of the faro ; it is surrounded by comparatively wide rims and has 

 a greatest depth of three fathoms. On Wataru flats as well as on the 

 southern flat rims of the east face of Edu Faro are extensive violet and 

 dark green patches of corals. The south face of the southern island of 

 Edu Faro is bordered by steep shingle beaches, and a belt of boulders and 

 shingle extends along the outer edge of the reef flats. Edu Faro (PL 35, 

 fig. 2) is steep to, with an extremely narrow reef flat on the sea face. 

 The long lagoon to the west of the wide eastern rim is shallow ; its 

 greatest depth is only three fathoms ; it is flanked on the west by a 

 moderately wide reef flat rim. 



The two islands on the eastern face of Edu Faro (PL 35, fig. 2) must once 

 have been separated by a gap of greater width than the one now existing. 

 From the opposing extremities of the islands are forming extensive sand 

 spits and sand flats broken up into a number of bars and islands and islets, 

 covered with more or less vegetation. These islets, bars, and spits, as is 

 more clearly seen in more northerly islands of this group, will eventually 

 unite into one large island. 



Denduni and a nameless island to the eastward with a wide reef flat on 

 the northern face present no peculiar features ; they both are steep to, and 

 have steep coral sand beaches with an outer belt of low bushes and rather 

 scanty vegetation. On Huludu, a small island nearer the western face of 



1 Darwin, loc. cit,, p. 103, mentions that one of the Maldive reefs " which within a few years existed 

 as an islet, bearing cocoanut-trees, was found by Lieutenant Prentice, entirely covered with live coral* 

 and Madrepore." The natives believe that the islet was washed away. Darwin, however, attributes 

 the change to subsidence. 



