AGASSIZ: FIJI ISLANDS AND COEAL EEEFS. 



23 



Makongai and Wakaya. 



Plates 3^, 11^, Fig. 9 ; Plates 3^, 11^, Figs. 7, 8, and Plates 15, 55, 56. 



Makongai and Wakaja present features nearly identical. Tiiey are 

 both long lines of narrow reefs, enclosing in the one case an irregularly 

 triangular lagoon open on its northern face, and in the other an irrcou- 

 lai'ly shaped parallelogram, with 



undulating sides and rounded b -i. 



corners. The island of Makongai f- 

 is somewhat rectangular, with f 

 many indentations ; it is of vol- | 'i 



canic nature, and attains a I M 



height of nearly 900 feet. On its | m 



eastern face the encircling outer ■* 5 



reef becomes its fringing reef at | 



several points. It is sepai*ated [ i 



by a narrow channel having a ^ 



depth of twelve fathoms from i \ ,iii& 



Makondranga, a small island sim- r 

 ilar in structure to Makongai. ^. 

 about half a mile from the outer 

 reef. The whole eastern encir- 

 cling barrier reef is broken up 

 into a number of small patches 

 with boat passages between them. 

 With the exception of one boat 

 passage the western reef forms a 

 continuous line of breakers, Ijut 

 on the northern side the reef patches are limited to rocks, grown over 



NORTHWEST POINT OF MAKONGAI. 



feffiMJ 



LEDGE OFF MAKONGAI. 



at the base with corals, judging from those we saw while passing into 



the lagoon. 



