TERRACED STRUCTURE OF A BEEF. 263 



five feet above high-water mark ; the chalk-like cliffs rise from 

 the sea perpendicularly, or at any rate very steeply, and the 

 inner base shows clear traces of the effects of surf at a former 

 period. Here constantly are found heaps of torn-np rocks and 

 fossils ; but those fossils which were found on the inner side 

 of the cliffs were quite different from those of the outer side 

 numerous Fungia?, which are very near to living species, or 

 may be identical, many Pectecs, with enormous masses of two 

 or three species of J/yeec?ttt7 and Agaricia, belonging to the 

 most delicate forms of the genera. These two corals form the 

 greater part of the rock of which the cliffs consist. 



But besides these reasons, already indicated by Wiechmann, 

 for assuming a recent upheaval, there are other factors which 

 confirm this evidence. The eastern reef of Pelelew has all the 

 character of a fringing reef ; the outer edge, which is scarcely 

 raised, and which in many places lies at most at 100 feet from 

 the shore, gradually passes into a manifold series of raised cliffs. 

 Those of the first series are mostly only six to ten feet 

 above the strand, which slopes down to the reef; the base is 

 much hollowed out by the waves, and passes without interrup- 

 tion into the surface of the dead reef; it also consists entirely 

 of Astreea and Mseandrina, partly metamorphosed. The surface 

 of the dead reef next to the strand is almost horizontal, but it 

 drops by little shelves hardly more than a foot high, till the 

 lowest of the terraces thus formed is covered at high tide by 

 from two to three feet of water ; then, gently shelving down, 

 the dead portion of the reef merges in the living, of which, as I 

 have said, the outer edge is but little raised. All these terraces 

 are quite smooth, and without any trace of large coral blocks 

 thrown up by the waves. From these indications we may safely 

 infer that elevation has taken place within a very recent 

 period ; for otherwise it is difficult to see how the still living 

 reef could be a direct continuation of the raised dead coral. 

 Quite identical phenomena are displayed, as I have said, on the 

 east side of Kriangle. 



The facts here adduced suffice, as it seems to me, to prove 

 that, in the first place, a quite recent upheaval must have 

 occurred ; and, secondly, that that period of upheaval must have 



