314 Physical Geograjthy^ etc. 



Lieut. Nelson (Proc. Geo. Soc, IX, 203) mentions that, 

 generally speaking, the islands are on the windward sides 

 of their respective groups and banks. The exceptions re- 

 ferred to by Mr. Rawson (Report, 11) are Grand Bahama 

 on the southern side of the Little Bank, New Providence on 

 the northern side, and the Bimiuis on the northwestern edge 

 of the Great Bank. 



No part of any of the islands exceeds the height of 200 

 feet, generally much less. The shores of a few present an 

 abrupt face, or cliff, not exceeding 40 feet in height. They 

 are almost universally environed with reefs or shelves of 

 rock, which extend often to a considerable distance, and 

 usually tprminate abruptly. Professor Agassiz (Bulletin 

 Mus. Comp. Zool., I, 271) observes that "the Bahamas and 

 the reefs to the northeast of Cuba exhibit very abrupt slopes 

 and a great depth is reached close to the shores of the Banks, 

 so that the Bahamas resemble the coral reefs of the Pacific 

 much more than the reefs of the coast of Florida." 



Dana refers to the Bahamas as being coral reefs and reef 

 islands, essentially like atoll reefs. 



The geological formation of these islands appears to be 

 very similar to that of Bermuda ; their form and surface con- 

 dition, being due to a great extent to the prevailing winds 

 and currents, but owing much, probably, as remarked by 

 Dana, with reference to the Bermudas, "to the configuration 

 of the land upon which the coral reefs were built up." 



Nelson (I.e.) explaining his reasons for calling the Bahamas 

 the Gulf Stream Delta, refers to it as, — 



" A Delta which has been apparently thrown down by the waters of the 

 Gulf Stream on their receiving a check from those of the Atlantic as they 

 emerge in full strength from the Gulf of Mexico." He adds, "although 

 such deposits will be greatly accelerated in formation, and gain much 

 stability, by finding ready-made hilly ground under the sea, nevertheless 

 they can be formed without this ; but taking into account the remarkably 

 symmetrical relation between the sweep of the Bahamas and that of the 

 submarine mountain range of the Leeward Islands (with which they form 

 a continuous S-like series), as well as the very general absence of shifting 



