no THE GREAT BARRIER REEF. 



Pentecost, Island, which for some distance, from a westerly point of view, presents the most 

 perfect contour-resemblance to a lion couchant, with its head raised, after the manner of 

 Landseer's masterpieces in Trafalgar Square. 



Although coral does not represent the main element in the composition of the island groups 

 now under notice, almost all of them are intimately associated with fringing reefs of it, and 

 have interspersed, between and among them, detached banks and reefs of a purely coral origin. 

 The outer border of the Barrier along this area is as remote as from eighty to one hundred 

 miles from the mainland coast, while between its margin and the groups of islands above 

 enumerated there intervenes a labyrinth of coral-reefs and shoals, all more or less completely 

 covered at high water, similar in character to those which enter into the composition of Swain's 

 reefs, previously referred to. A conspicuous feature of the fringing reef of M island, belonging 

 to the Northumberland group, and of others in the same neighbourhood, was the predominance 

 of the large, robustly branching or sub-foliaceous Stags'-horn coral, Madrepora (Isopora) palifera. 

 This species abounds on the seaward margins of the reefs, growing to within a short distance of 

 the surface at low-tide mark, from depths of two to three fathoms. The occurrence of this 

 species in company with an allied variety, Madrepora (Isopora) cuncata, has been already noted 

 in association with Westari reef in the Capricorn group. The considerable rise and fall of the 

 tide, in the vicinity of the Percy and Northumberland Island groups more especially, is 

 attested in Mr. Jukes' narrative, and in the Queensland Ports Office Sailing Directions. In 

 Broad Sound, in the vicinity of St. Lawrence Creek, the spring tides exhibit a range of 

 variation of not less than from eighteen to thirty feet. 



A few hours' sailing along the Inner Route, in a north-westerly direction, brings the voyager 

 abreast of Port Denison and Gloucester Island, just twent3'-five miles from Haj'man Island, the 

 most northerly islet of the Whitsunday group. Gloucester Island itself is separated by a very 

 narrow passage from the mainland, and between it and the outer margin of the Barrier, now 

 about seventy miles from the shore, only one or two small islets of primitive rock-formation 

 intervene. The entire remaining area, excepting the central navigable channel, is thickly studded 

 with semi-submerged reefs and shoals similar in character to those of the Swain and the Capri- 

 corn series. The fringing reefs in the neighbourhood of Port Denison, including Saddleback 

 Island, which is just outside Gloucester Island, have contributed extensively to the collection of 

 photographic reef-views reproduced in this volume. Their diversified character is well exem- 

 plified in Plates V., Nos. i and 2 ; VII., VIII., Nos. i and 2 ; IX. and X., No. 2, of the Photo- 

 mezzotype series. To these plates, in association with the descriptive letterpress in Chapter I., 

 the reader who desires further information concerning the features and composition of the. 

 reefs of this district may be referred. The frontispiece, Plate I., of the photographic series, 

 it may be mentioned, is exclusively representative of coral species collected in this Port Deni- 

 son area of the Great Barrier district. 



