DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPEDITION. 147 
(declination) and dip (inclination). The reef in this position is about 3 miles broad, of 
which the islets and sandbanks occupy the central mile. Six of them lie in a line in 
the western 700 yards of this area, with spits and sandbanks to the east, in which 
direction also lay two other islets separated by narrow channels. All consist of sand 
formed largely of foraminifera, Orbitolites being very prevalent. With this is a large 
quantity of Cymodocea, which forms low cliffs to the east. These islands are nowhere 
more than 4 feet above the tide-level, their sand being too heavy to be much wind-blown. 
In some islands there are pools shut off from the sea by sand piled up along their 
eastern sides by storms, to which, indeed, the islands probably owe their origin. To 
the west they have steep beaches and are perhaps gradually wasting away. Except for 
its greater breadth, the east reef was the same as the east reef of Coetivy. The west 
reef was likewise similar to that on the west side of Coetivy, but supported less life and 
had a still less marked seaward edge. Seven of the islets had vegetation very similar to 
that of Cargados, 19 plants being recorded, of which the coconut and Casuarina were 
introduced forms: in most it was very patchy, only the two eastern islets being at all 
well covered, a gorgeous Hibiscus and a bean giving pleasing patches of yellow. Grey 
herons (Ardea cinerea) were breeding in numbers on the taller Scevola clumps, forming 
large nests of twigs, each with three light blue eggs. On one island was a curing- 
station for fish and turtle, then uninhabited, round which we got a few beetles, the only 
other insect-life consisting of three kinds of moths and a similar number of cockroaches. 
Cooper’s dredging did not at first sight seem to be a great success, but the most 
important haul of the cruise was certainly taken on that day. A start was made ina 
direction west from the reef with the idea of running a line of dredgings to ascertain the 
depth and the nature of the bottom on its slope. The second haul with a rather large 
and light trawl failed to reach the bottom on account of the strong under-current setting 
outwards, and on the third our largest dredge was lost, probably meeting some rock. In 
the fourth, let down in 744 fathoms and travelling westwards, a weighted trawl was used 
and secured about half a ton of rocks and mud. The latter was in sticky, semi- 
consolidated masses, and appeared to be largely formed of ash. The stones were of three 
kinds: (1) manganese nodules, formed round nuclei of mud; (2) consolidated mud; and 
(3) a few pieces of coral-rock from the reef above, coated with manganese. All are now 
in the able hands of Dr. Flett, and will, we hope, form the subject of a special report. 
The dredging was a very peculiar one, because round coral-islands the bottom is 
invariably covered at such a depth with masses of coral-rock or with coral-mud. Off 
the coral-atolls of the Pacific Ocean there would certainly be a soft deposit, into which a 
sounding-tube would be driven for several inches. That a large quantity of mud is 
formed off Providence was obvious to us from the milkiness of the water, and we can 
only conclude that its absence here was due to strong under-currents, either directly 
outwards from the reef or passing along the same. This view was supported by most of 
the rock coming up with a polished surface, to which were attached worms and hydroids, 
belonging to forms which do not exist on mud. Another interesting feature was the fact 
that the manganese of one of the nodules was 1 to 2 inches in thickness, proving that it 
must have lain exposed on the bottom for a long period of time. It is premature, 
