INTRODUCTION. 9 



large number of soft-bodied echinoids, a few black crinoids and some holothurians, with 

 which were associated a number of Polychaeta, crabs, caribs and molluscs. All were of the 

 same ground shades as their various Echinodermata, whose colour was, as it were, photographed 

 upon them. 



" Kolumadulu atoll was entered on March 21st, but no work could be done from the 

 schooner owing to the calm weather until the 26th inst. I meantime took the small boat 

 out, and made various scattered dredgings in the north-east corner of the atoll with but 

 indifferent success, while I sent the collecting boys to Kolufuri to obtain the land fauna 

 and flora. I did not personally visit any of the islands in this atoll nor Haddumati, which 

 we next dredged, as they all appeared to me to present the same features as in the 

 northern groups. I was also anxious, as these two atolls are almost completely encircled 

 by reefs, to ascertain precisely the characters of the bottom in every part. I sailed finally 

 right across the centre of Kolumadulu lagoon, taking 16 dredgings down to 45 fathoms 

 and incidentally running the vessel ashore on a small reef off which we warped her without 

 any great difficulty. The centre was found to be covered with fine mud, on which a few 

 Crustacea, mollu.scs and flat-fish of small size alone appeared to exist. We obtained also a 

 larval form of Fierasfer out of a holothurian from 2.5 fathoms. 



"In Haddumati atoll I took 16 dredgings in the centre and eastern part of the lagoon, 

 where the bottom was mostly covered with fine mud. They were very unproductive owing 

 doubtless to the all but continuous reef of the eastern side. Relatively little work could 

 be accomplished, as the schooner was in a horribly dirty state with bilge, etc. ; she also 

 had been somewhat strained on the reef, and her bottom was thickly covered with barnacles 

 and weed. 



" To summarise, the cruise yielded between March 3rd and Ajjril Sth 88 dredgings in 

 every part of the lagoons of five difierent atolls. The hauls must have averaged at least 

 one mile each, and hence 88 miles of the bottom was covered. The latter was found to 

 be of an almost uniform dead-level between the reefs and shoals, which, arising precipitously, 

 uniformly reach to within a few feet of the surface. It was to me most remarkable that 

 we did not meet with a single knoll of any sort jutting up to indeterminate depths'." 



After paying a second visit to the Jaffna di.strict, I returned to the Maldives, having 

 secured Sheikh Jeevunjee Noorbhai's steamer Ileafaee, Capt. Molony, for a short cruise. 

 I took on board at Male Mohammed Didi, Chief Vizier and uncle to the Sultan, Mafe- 

 kiligefanu, the religious head of the community, and Hassan Didi, third vizier, with their 

 suites as well as a Said, descendant of the Prophet, who had a family in Addu. After 

 discharging some of our Male cargo we steamed south down the deep central basin of 

 the group, coasting S. Male and Kolumadulu atolls. We steamed into Haddumati atoll on 

 April 8th, and relieved Mr Forster Cooper, who joined us. After transferring the collections, 

 instruments and nets, we sent the schooner back under the native mate to Male, and at 

 once sailed on to Suvadiva atoll, which we entered by the north-east passage on the 

 morning of the 9th. This atoll lies between the equator and lat. 1 ' N.; it is separated 

 from the central group by the " One and a half Degree Channel," 55 miles in breadth. 



' It is scarcely necessary to point to the great im- formation of the atolls and reefs of the Maldives, 

 portance of this fact, as bearing on the question of the 



G. 2 



