VAVAU. 201 



impounded sink back of Tulie, the sounds on the two sides of Makave Spit, 

 the tongue of Vaipuua, and the extensive sink to the north of Teleki, 

 opposite Talau (PI. 219). We may thus account for the numberless fiords, 

 cuts, gaps, and inlets which characterize the southern part of Vavau 

 (PI. 219) ; of course, much of the material has been carried off in solution. 

 We have in the first place brackish lakes, like Ano, which, little by little, 

 have been changed into sounds like that north of Teleki (PI. 219), open- 

 ing more and more to the sea, until finally they become mere bights of 

 greater or less depth, according as solution and denudation have been 

 carried for a greater or less length of time. 



When denudation and submarine erosion have taken place to a consider- 

 able extent, as on the east face of Vavau, we have a complicated series 

 of banks, flats, islands, bars, and islets (PI. 219). Lalalolomei Bank, and the 

 cluster of Hakaufussi, are remnants of land ridges and summits which have 

 been elevated along the eastern face of the Vavau group, and culminate in 

 the high land forming the island of Vavau (PI. 219), and its extension 

 south on the high islands of Hunga and Nua Papu. North of Euakafa 

 Island there is a perfect labyrinth of islands and islets, some of which are 

 of considerable size and height. 



Vavau occupies the greater part of the northern extremity of the Vavau 

 Bank. We crossed over to the north end of the island of Vavau with Dr. 

 Hansen. Immediately behind Neiafu there is a gradual rise to the top of 

 the third terrace, on which the road runs as far as Feletoa, then rises again 

 to Holanga on the north shore, about eight miles distant. A magnificent 

 vegetation covers this sloping land, which rises gradually from the upper 

 level of the first terrace ; the whole of this is nearly denuded, a gentle and 

 uniform slope extends over the greater part of the first and second terraces. 

 The soil of this part of Vavau is vary fertile ; it consists mainly of the red 

 earth so characteristic of the decomposition of coralliferous limestone. On 

 the summit of the bluffs of the north shore (PI. 124, fig. 2), at Holanga, at 

 a height of 500 feet, we collected a number of fossils. Very few outcrops 

 of limestone are met with on the way. 



A number of living corals were collected in the sound of Neiafu, Porites, 

 Pavonia, Madrepores, Goniastrea, Millepores, and a number of Gorgonians. 



