118 A. E. Verrili— The Bermuda Islands; Geology. 
(Meandra), the “star-corals” (Orbicella and Siderastrwa); “rose 
corals” (Mussa); Porites astreoides (plate xxix) ; and the “ finger- 
coral” (Millepora alcicornis, plate xxx, a). The latter is very 
abundant on all the reefs and rocks, including those near the shores, 
for it grows in very shallow water. It forms large and handsome 
clusters of elegantly branched fronds, often projecting from the 
edges of the reefs. It is dark russet-brown in color when living. 
The common brain-coral (Meandra labyrinthiformis) is the largest 
and most abundant reef-coral. It may grow in broad crusts 3 to 8 
inches in thickness, and 6 to 8 feet across, due to the grafting 
together of many small colonies, or it may form rounded or hemi- 
spherical masses, 1 to 6 feet in diameter. It is orange or yellow 
when living. 
The most important protective sea-weeds are large, olive-colored 
species of “gulf-weed” of the genus Sargassum, “rock weed” 
(fucus), etc., also various calcareous pale red algw, belonging to the 
genus Lithothamnion, and others related to Corallina. 
If the Bermuda Islands could be suddenly reélevated to the height 
of 45 feet, the greater part of Greater Bermuda would become dry 
land. The parts that would remain covered by water, in the form 
of lagoons and sounds, are shown, with the exceptions of a few small 
ones, by the ruled areas on the map (fig. 12, map I). 
The dry land that would thus be gained, amounting to about 160 
square miles, would have a very remarkable appearance, something 
like some of the much eroded ancient table-lands of Colorado and 
other parts of the western United States, though on a much smaller 
scale. 
Most of the land would lie in the form of long, narrow, irregular, 
curved outer islands, often 5 to 8 miles long, with nearly perpen- 
dicular or even overhanging cliffs, about 40 feet high. Hundreds of 
smaller, irregular islands, and detached pinnacles, spires, columns, 
and mushroom-shaped cliffs, rising from the shallow waters and the 
broad and nearly level, enclosed sandy plain, to the height of 40 to 
45 feet, would lie within the outer row of islands, both scattered and 
in groups. Between them would be intricate passages, some of 
which might be deep enough to allow the tides to reach several of 
the enclosed sounds. These columns and cliffs would be more or 
less coated and covered, on the sides and top, with massive corals 
and other growths. But seen from below they would, in many 
places, present appearances similar to the much smaller eroded cliffs 
and pinnacles of Tobacco Bay and other localities on the present 
shores, as seen at low tide (pl. xxii). 
