FADIFFOLU. 75 



of Fadiffolu is most marked when compared to similar faces of atolls like 

 Addu, Minikoi, Gaha Faro, or Goifurfehendu, and others where an exten- 

 sive lagoon flat slopes gradually from the inner face of the outer reef flat 

 towards the deeper part of the lagoon. In such an open group as Fadiffolu 

 where the lagoon reef flat is limited to the slope of the rims of the compo- 

 nent faros the difference becomes most striking ; we seemed when at an- 

 chor off Mafilefuri to be off the steep slope of an isolated atoll with other 

 atolls looming up in the distance. 



The gap between Maro and Mafilefuri forms a deep bay, shut off from 

 the sea face by a belt of boulders running across the gap. On the east 

 face of Mafilefuri a lagoon extends northward, parallel to the island. The 

 eastern beaches of Maro and Mafilefuri are alternate stretches of shingle 

 and coral sand. The islands off our anchorage, like those to the south on 

 the southwest face, are also wasting away. The western faces of Maro 

 and Mafilefuri are flanked by a steep, coarse shingle beach; the western 

 face is steep to ; a narrow reef flat, however, exists at the northern ex- 

 tremity of the island. 



We skirted the southern face of the triangular reef flat forming the 

 western horn of Fadiffolu. The extremities of the long narrow islands 

 on the southern edge of that flat are generally covered with coarse shingle 

 beaches, they run close to the southern edge. When not steep to, they 

 are flanked with coral sand beaches or smaller shingle. The point of one 

 of the islets was specially marked by the mass of small boulders at the 

 base of the beach, forming a low wall of modern reef rock. These 

 boulders were angular, undercut, pitted, honeycombed, and greatly weath- 

 ered. The action of the southwest monsoon on the southwest face of 

 Fadiffolu is evidently very considerable. It sweeps north, unbroken, 

 through the open space between Ari and Goifurfehendu, so that the south- 

 west face of Fadiffolu is exposed to its full strength. 



To the east of Kanifuri the outer edge of the reef flat is fringed by 

 sand banks and is^ protected by a belt of large boulders ; on the south shore 

 of Dehu a steep, coarse coral shingle beach encroaches upon the belt of 

 vegetation. Dehu appears to be wasting at its western extremity, where 

 patches of vegetation are standing on the reef flat, and close to the beach 



