INTRODUCTION. 5 



Asyminetron and Ptychodera from 20 fathoms. The island itself proved most interesting. Its 

 rocky barrier of beach-sandstone had in 1896 been overlapped by the waves of a cyclone. 

 These attacked the sand behind, eating deeply into the island, with the residt that the 

 beach-rock has been left in lines many yards from the shore. The natives have now erected 

 breakwaters round a great part of the island — and also a new mosque — but in spite of these 

 no trace of it is likely to be left in 20 or 30 years' time, unless some considerable change 

 in the currents or reefs alters its conditions. 



From Turadu we visited all the reefs to Mabaru, the most easterly point of the whole 

 group, anchoring at Hitadu, Heddufui-i, Mahrus and Duravandu. At Cumfinadu we found 

 some large rocks, standing up in the lagoon well inside the boulder zone ; Bonellia was 

 living on the reef-flat, and Ptychodera was the most abundant form of life on the shores 

 of the island. 



We finally left for N. Mahlos on Nov. 29th, but, meeting with strong currents to the 

 west-south-west, we only fetched Kuderah-Heelu in the central atoll that evening. However 

 we reached Fainu in N. Mahlos on the following day, and remained there at anchor for three 

 days, which were devoted to dredging and an examination of the islands of Fainu, Kenurus 

 and Ingurahdu, and Berriam-furi faro. We then separated, Mr Forster Cooper dredging with 

 the schooner along the east side, and examining its islands and reefs. I meantime embarked 

 in a small open boat for the western side, where the lagoon of the atoll is filled up with 

 a perfect maze of small reefs and shoals. I first visited five of the lagoon islands, and 

 then, a strong north-east breeze setting in, worked up along the edge of the atoll, sailing 

 from dawn to dusk, and anchoring at night to leeward of the neare.st reef. I examined 

 all the reefs and islands, and sounded the velu (lagoons) of all the faro (atollons) along the 

 western rim, rejoining the schooner on Dec. 11 at the north of the atoll. Unhappily a series 

 of collections, made by myself and my boys, to illustrate the populating of sand-banks by 

 both animals and plants, was ruined by my capsizing our fishing boat near Cunderudu. 



On Dec. 12th, after taking in wood and water, we sailed for Miladumadulu, a similar 

 bank to Mahlosmadulu but with relatively far fewer reefs and a less determinate rim. 

 We anchored the same night at Guthardu, and at daybreak made .sail towards the east 

 side of the atoll. Owing to a strong south-westerly set of the current we took two daj'S 

 in reaching Dureadu in the middle of the bank, a distance of seven miles. This is the 

 island of a round faro, one mile in diameter; its lagoon has 19 fathoms of water, a depth 

 which makes the faro peculiar among all its fellows in the Maldives. We landed the 

 same night for firewood and water, but, none of the latter being obtainable, were compelled 

 to sail at dawn. A strong north-east gale coming out, we stood up the atoll and watered at 

 Rymaggu, anchoring that night at Furnardu, a large island on the east edge of the atoll. 

 The islands of this rim of Miladumadulu tend to be closely fringed by the reef on all 

 sides, and to have a huli (shallow lake, French barachois) in the centre, surrounded by 

 mangroves, through which the sea has in some found access. While Mr Forster Cooper 

 dredged with the schooner down to Kendikolu, I visited ten of these islands in a fishing 

 boat ; two were very small, three had definite kuli or else mangrove swamps (Ekasdu, a 

 large lake swarming with a species of Leander), and four were crescentic in shape, their 

 kuli now open to the sea. Kendikolu is one of the largest islands in the Maldives, being 

 two-and-a-half miles long by two-thirds of a mile in breadth. There are four kuli down 

 the centre surrounded by mangroves, which abound in rails ; on their surfaces we saw 



