2(> KKCKXT MADRKl'OKAKIA OK THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AND LAYSAN. 



I>ur|)<>so of ilhistnitidii, the line oi the reel i^^ iMaiked l.y ;i ilottf.l line and the areas explored liy hori- 

 zontal broken lines. 



• At I'ukoo, a hut at t was our base, and fn.ni here we waded toward tlu' outer edge of the reef, 

 followed by the boat. Along the shore the water was a few inelies deeper than a few yards out, with 

 no coral, atid then thedepthgradually grewfroni :.' feet, increasiri},' approximately at the rate of 6 inches 

 in 100 yards, until the edge was reai:'hed. Unlike the reefs at Kahana and Waikiki, Oahu, there was 

 no rise at the outer edge. Proceeding seaward from the first appearance of coral, for a long distance 

 the surface of the bed was composed of living an<l dead coral, the proportion of the latter in sight 

 being more than four tiione of the former. The dead material was held together by thin growths of 

 various colored corallines incrustedon tlie surface, and was .so fragile and loosely piled up that our feet 

 would often l)reak tlirough, sometimes to a <lepth of twelve inches, and stir up a cloud of line white 

 particles. There was little or no real beach sand, and in the area '» less than at a. It was ahvays a 

 relief to meet something solid in the shape of a piece of the l)are reef rock ora little mound of massive 

 J'oi-ilen. In this belt of rt and /<, nearly all the corals were found at depths of 2 to 5 feet— in fact I 

 miglit say, specimens of all the Molokai corals ititerniingled except Fungia and Psammocora. Still 

 going seaward, the bottom became smoother and the broken coral disappeared, leaving the reef rock 

 bare and broken into holesand caverns (some of them immense) at the outer edge. It was in some of 

 these holes (at c) that the specimens of FnwjUt were secured at depths of from 5 to 1.5 feet. Outside the 

 broken coral, on the reef rock, the species occurring most numerously was Ponllopora ce.tpitosa, while 

 nearly all the specimens of PoriltK hrioliami were collected there, and no other forms of P(jrites. I believe 

 that one or two specimens of Paronn ducrdeni and Piieilloporti ^V/w/a^i were also met with, but I do 

 not remember P. meandrina there. When I called this part of the reef bare I wished to convey the 

 idea that there was no more coral than one small colony to a square rod of reef. At d, near the inside 

 of the broken coral belt, was a large patch, KIO yards square or more, of Motiiiporn remirom growing 

 almo.st to the surface -of the water and excluding all other species from the locality. Throughout 

 II and h there was little or no vegetable growth ai)parent. 



It might be worth mentioning that there was a general lack of firmness, and an appearance of 

 debility, among the Prm'fc.'! gathered at I'ukoo. which effect was also noticed at Waikiki. Porites labata 

 was always collected corroded at the base; while at Kahana, Oahu, on the windward side, the same 

 species was very solid and looked nuich healthier. 



From the point at ,<7 with its sandy lieach, the area f at Kiilaeloa was explored and Pocilloporti 

 rexpilosa and < 'ijphiwtrea ocxlinm found in small colonies aniiil a thick growth of marine vegetation on 

 a l)ar IS inches deep. On either side of the bar was 6 feet of water over a sandy bottom. Then a 

 canoe was rowed seaward and pas.sed over acres of Poriles rowpressa forma abacus 18 inches to 2 feet 

 below the surface, as well as my memory serves me. Except at f, and a few specimens of Cyphastrca, 

 the entire bed contained only the one species, but that one was in a very flourishing condition. The 

 bed was composed of hummocks of PorUc.t, with narrow strips of sand (3 feet deep between, and the 

 sun shining on the extended animals made it ajipear that the bottom of the sea was jiaved with gold. 

 At /the only specimens of I'sninmocora rerrUJi were found, all in one large colony aluait half a yard 

 square. 



Of course all <-ollecting was done at low tide, but this would under ordinary circumstances only 

 mean an advantage of about 2 feet over high tide. I might mention that we always prefer securing 

 specimens ourselves to leaving that work to the native divers. The current at Pukoo, I understand, 

 sets in from the northeast. 



