22 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [OCT. 13, 



scribes Inagua as a raised atoll. And Crooked Island and Ack- 

 lin together resemble in a remarkable manner the shape of the 

 Keeling Atoll.' Should these be proved portions of an elevated 

 atoll, it would be interesting, as they would be only exceeded in 

 size by the atolls of the Maldiva Archipelago, which are the 

 largest known." The islands of the Oaicos Bank also resemble 

 the form of an old atoll, and the bank is still larger than that on 

 which Crooked and Acklin Islands are situated. 



In conclusion, it is interesting to note that Darwin and Prof. 

 Dana, although they never visited the Bahamas, have, from a 

 study of the charts, come to diametrically opposite conclusions 

 in regard to the evidence they present of elevation or subsidence. 

 Prof. Dana states'* that "the Bahamas show by their form, 

 and position that tliey cover a submerged land of large area,^' 

 and that " the long line of reefs and the Florida cays trending 

 away from the land of southern Florida are evidence that this 

 Florida region participated, though to a less extent than the Ba- 

 hamas. . . . Thus the size of the islands, as well as the exis- 

 tence of coral banks and also the blankness of the ocean beyond, 

 all appear to bear evidence to a great subsidence.'' 



Darwin, on the contrary, says :^ Proofs of elevation within re- 

 cent Tertiary periods abound over nearly the whole area of the 

 West Indies, and hence it is easy to understand " the origin of 

 the Great Bahama Banks, which are bordered on their southern 

 and western edges ^ by singularly-shaped islands formed of sand, 

 shells, and coral rock, some of them about 100 feet in height, is 

 easily explained by the elevation of banks fringed on their wind- 

 ward side by reefs.'' 



I think the facts I have given justify my conclusion in regard 

 to the recent elevation of Andros and New Providence. It is 

 probable that the elevation extended over the rest of the Baha- 

 mas, as caves exist on the other islands. What the Bahamas 

 are doing to-day, of course, we cannot tell; but until we have 

 proof to the contrary, we may assume that they are rising. 



This paper was illustrated by a large number of interesting 

 specimens, and many fine lantern slides from photographs made 

 by the author. 



1 Darwin, " Coral Reefs," 3d ed., PI. I., Fig. 10, 

 - Dana, " Corals and Coral Islands," p. 190. 

 3 " Corals and Coral Islands," p. 368. 

 ^ " Coral Reefs," 3d ed., p. 268. 



''I have quoted this as given by Darwin. It is evidently a slip of the 

 pen, as the islands are on the eastern and northern edges of the banks 



