LIXIEB. 307 



Likieb. 



Plates 174-177 ; 225; 228, fig. 3. 

 The island of Likieb has been fairly sketched by Captain Melander in 

 1885 ; he made a running survey from the lagoon side ; as we steamed 

 along the western shore of the atoll, we were able to correct, to a certain 

 extent, the position of the outline of the western face. 



The islands and islets on the eastern face, as will be seen from the sketch 

 chart (PI. 228, fig. 2), are nearly all at right angles to the general trend of 

 the reef flat; on the western and southern faces the islands are narrow 

 and insignificant in size, the gaps being far apart, leaving wide areas of reef 

 flat awash, with only here and there a sand bar upon them. We entered 

 Likieb through the south pass. The lagoon is covered with numerous coral 

 patches scattered in every direction. On the western face are several 

 passes south of the island forming the northwestern horn of the atoll. 

 The atoll is said to be from fifteen to twenty-five fathoms in depth. The 

 islands of this atoll are considered as among the most fertile of the Marshall 

 Islands. They are subject to the trades ; but in the northern part of the 

 group they do not blow with the same violence as south of Ebon Island and 

 north as far as Jaluit and Arhno. 



We arrived under the lee of Likieb much later than we expected, the 

 distance from Rongelab as indicated on the charts being far from correct, 

 as is the position of many of the islands on the charts of the Paumotu, 

 Ellice, Gilbert, and Marshall Islands. 



Likieb is a triangular atoll (PI. 228, fig. .3), nearly thirty miles in length 

 and fifteen across the southern face. The northwest point of Likieb, seen 

 from the west side, is occupied by Mat Island, on which grow a few cocoa- 

 nut trees ; the rest of the island is covered with low scrub and tall hard- 

 wood trees. Tlie point is flanked by a steep coral sand beach, edged at 

 its base with beach rock conglomerate alternating with shingle reaches. 

 The reef flat extending from the western point is wide and slopes gradually 

 from the foot of the steep and high sand beach (which must be from eight 

 to ten feet in height) towards the outer edge of the reef platform. On 

 the south side of the western horn a gap between Mat and Emegua 



