402 J. STANLEY GARDINER. 



is best seen on the N. side, where two islets have been cut off within the last sL'cty years. Beyond 

 these again arises a third little sandy islet, the only remains of the one shown in this position in the 

 chart. To the S. a rocky mass stands on the reef much nearer its seaward edge, half-way to Tilia- 

 mafuri. The latter island is all sand, with one possibly stony point to the S., and is slightly washing 

 away along its lagoon side. 



Between Tiliamafuri and the tiny sandy islet of Farufinolo there is said to be a shallow velu, 

 and beyond the latter there is certainly one to Aligau, which is mainly formed of rock, the reef 

 closely fringing the land both N. and S. The three reef patciies marked in the lagoon in this vicinity 

 were all clearly defined, the one marked Maduwari alone being noticeably larger than shown. 



VI. North Male. 



My investigations in this atoll were confined to cursory examinations of the south-west 

 reefs on our voyage to Goifurfehendu atoll and of the east rim reefs on our return to 

 Male island from Fadifolu, and to a nearly two months' residence at Hulule and Male, when 

 some of the islands and shoals in the vicinity were visited. Mr Forster Cooper also made 

 an eight days' sounding and dredging cruise throughout the centre of the atoll. 



I have little to chronicle about the North Male bank, which seemed to be in a very 

 stable condition. All the rim reefs are well-defined on their seaward faces, even those to 

 the south-west of the bank. Most of them, indeed all that are not merely small reef patches 

 perhaps with land, are definite faro, including the reef of Immufuri and those to the north- 

 east of Asdu. In the larger faro of the east side, the depths of the velu are very uniform, 

 varying between 5^ and 8 fathoms. All on the east side have well-formed reefs against 

 the atoll-lagoon, except that opposite Mirufenfuri on the Difuri reef there was a break of 

 about 1^ miles with from 3 to 6 fathoms of water. Most of these velu of the east rim 

 are bounded to the west by sand-flats, which decrease in breadth as their whole fliro become 

 of more perfect formation. They are not found in this position in the Difuri faro, nor in 

 that next south of Helengeli, the velu of these last being separated fi-om the atoll lagoon 

 by mere rims of growing coral. The latter, indeed, bound all to the west, and consist of 

 coral colonies, not consolidated together in any way, which at about 3 — 4 fathoms pass into 

 a precipitous or almost perpendicular fall to about 20 fathoms, or to within about 5 fathoms 

 of the general level of the lagoon bottom in the vicinity, the surface of this slope being 

 almost completely bare of sedentary life. The characters of the reefs of the west rim of 

 North Male are not so well-marked, but most are definite faro, some of which are very 

 imperfect in their eastern or lagoon reefs. 



The reefs within the North Male lagoon of more than half a mile in diameter, that 

 are marked in the chart, appeared to be all definite faro, though some, such as that on 

 which the island of Barosse is situated, with shallow velu— only perhaps 1 or 2 fathoms deep. 

 Our dredging, the lines of which must have covered about 75 miles of the bottom, failed 

 to find any definite coral patches or reefs growing up, the surface of the lagoon floor being 

 almost flat between the different shoals and covered with coarse or fine sand. Inequalities 

 existed, it is true, but these did not seem more favourable for coral life than the deeper 

 parts. Some of the reefs appeared to have enlarged to a considerable extent, while of others 

 we could find no trace of their former existence. Many showed a marked trend along the 

 direction of the currents, which would cross the atoll. This was particularly the case near 



