THE TIMOK GROUP 360 



other by submarine banks is as yet unknown, although 

 this is improbable. Between them and these eastern 

 Sunda islands very deep water is known to exist. In 

 the Ombay Passage, separating Timor from Ombay, the 

 depth of water probably averages about 2000 fathoms, 

 while between Sumba and Flores such soundings as have 

 been taken show it to be about 700 to 900 fathoms. This 

 separation is borne out by geological evidence, Timor 

 consisting mainly of slates, schists, and sandstones, with 

 limestone rocks of carboniferous age at the western 

 extremit}', thus differing considerably from the chain of 

 volcanic islands which run from Java to Banda. More- 

 over, Timor is not only washed by deep water on its 

 northern but also on its southern shores, for the great 

 bank of soundings, which runs out for a vast distance 

 from Northern Australia, suddenly ends about 90 miles 

 from Timor, and gives place to great depths of from 

 1000 to 2000 fathoms. It might thus be expected that 

 an isolation so long continued as these facts imply 

 should be manifested by great singularity in the fauna 

 and flora. This does not, however, appear to be the case, 

 although collections are perhaps as yet too scanty to 

 permit a judgrment, except possibly as far as regards the 

 botany of the island. 



Timor, which lies with its long axis in a N.E. and 

 S.W. direction, is almost exactly 300 miles long, and of 

 tolerably regular outline, being for a great part of its 

 length about 60 miles wide. It is therefore considerably 

 larger than Ceram, and has an estimated area of 11,650 

 square miles. It is mountainous throughout, and its 

 surface exceedingly broken and rugged. The ranges do 

 not, however, often rise higher than 5000 or 6000 feet, 

 and they are generally bare or thinly wooded, and often 

 exceedingly sterile, especially on the Australian side. 



2 B 



