A GARDEN BENEATH THE SEA. 285 



the helmsman kept near the shore, and took us be- 

 tween two little islands on the east side of the bay, 

 called by the natives Crocodile Islands. As we 

 passed the low point of one of them, within a boat's 

 lenofth from the shore, an enormous crocodile crawled 

 out of the jungle and chimsily hurried down the nar- 

 row bank into the water, as if he had come out ex- 

 pecting to make a meal of us. The thought of the 

 danger I had incurred that very day of being devoured 

 by such monsters made me shudder and seize an oar, 

 but the amphibious beast was already out of my 

 reach. 



Along the eastern side of Kayeli Bay there is an 

 extensive coral reef, and farther out around the cape 

 is another, a quarter of a mile wide, that is bare at 

 low tide. Alono; the outer edo-es of this I floated 

 the next day, while on my way back to Roban. The 

 water was stUl, and as clear as crystal, and we could 

 see distinctly far down into the deep, deep sea. 

 Now, as we come near the reef, its outer wall sud- 

 denly rises up, apparently from the unfathomable 

 abyss of the ocean. Among the first forms we notice 

 are the hemispherical Meandrinas^ or " brain corals," 

 named, because, when the soft polyps are removed, 

 small fissure-like depressions are found winding to 

 and fro over its surface, making the raised parts be- 

 tween them closely resemble the convolutions of the 

 brain. Near by are some sending out many branches, 

 like a thick bush, and others with only a few, resem- 

 bling deer-antlers of abnormal growth. Some, which 

 do not attach themselves to their neighbors, are 

 circular, as we see them from above. Their under 



