yjJJ Vorrede. 



Nachtrag zur Vorrede. 



Eben im Begriffe die Arbeit dem Drucke zu übergeben, erhalte ich un- 

 erwarteterweise einen Brief aus der Hand des liebenswürdigeji englischen Ge- 

 lehrten Jolm Murray, welcher Aufschluss bringt über den Ausfall der in den 

 folgenden Zeilen des öfteren erwähnten Südsee-Expeditionen von Prof. Sollas und 

 Alexander Agassiz. Leider ist in beiden Fällen das Hauptziel nicht erreicht 

 worden, und es ist dies um so bedauerlicher, als dieses Resultat geeignet ist 

 einen Rückschlag in der Korallenforschung zu bewirken. Es erhellt daraus, mit 

 welclien Schwierigkeiten solche Forschungen verknüpft sind und dass Erfahrung, 

 Zeit, Ausdauer, Glück und — ausgiebige Unterstützung zusammen stehen müssen, 

 um einen Erfolg zu sichern. Zweifellos werden die Untersuchungen von Professor 

 Sollas trotzdem eine Menge des Neuen bringen, wie aus folgendem dem Brief 

 beigelegten Zeitungsausschnitt hervorgeht: 



Letters have been received from Prof. Sollas, u the Chairman and 

 Secretary of the Coral Reef Boring Committee of the itoyal Society, which 

 show that, so far as the main object of the expedition is concerned, the 

 efifort has been an almost complete failure. When the party had landed 

 on Funafuti from the Peuguiu, they selected the most promising site, as 

 it appeared, for a bore-hole. The apparatus was landed and set up, and 

 a bore-hole carried down to a depth of about 65 feet, when further progress 

 became impossible, for material like a quicksand was Struck which choked 

 the bore-hole. Very little solid coral rock was pierced. To pass over the 

 Steps then taken, it may be enough at present to say that another attempt 

 was ultimately made nearer to the edge of the Island, where there appeared 

 some hope of finding more solid coral rock. This boring was carried down 

 to 72 feet, and then similar difficulties prevented further progress. The 

 material Struck was a kind of quicksand containing "boulders" of coral. 

 As fast as the sand was got out, fresh material poured in, and the water 

 pumped down the tube, with a view of cleauing it, actually flowed out into 

 the surrounding bed, while the coral boulders made it impossible to drive 

 the tubes through the quicksand. So far as the reef was pierced it 

 appeared to bo not solid coral, but more like a "vast coarse sponge of 

 coral with wide interstices, either empty or sand-filled". It is very uu- 

 fortuuate that the efforts of the Royal Society, and the liberal aid of the 

 Admiralty and of friends and authorities in Sydney, should be so ill-rewarded; 

 sti]l, thougli the expedition has failed in its main object, it has met with 

 great success in all the others. Large coUections have been made : Messrs. 

 Gardiner and Hedley have tlioroughly investigated the fauna and flora, both 

 land and marine, of the atoll. Dr. Colliugwood has obtained Information 

 of ethnical interest, and Captain Field a series of soundings, both withiu 

 and without the atoll, which Prof. Sollas states are more complete than 

 have yet been obtained, and must greatly modify our views as to the 

 nature of coral reefs. Of all these matters it would be premature to speak, 



