228 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 1 



Post Office Bay is on the north coast, just east of Daylight Point, the 

 northwest point of the island. It is 1% miles across at the entrance and 

 extends inshore % mile. The inner part of the bay is pretty well free of 

 obstructions, but there are shoals and reefs at both sides of the entrance. 



Lying just east of the point (not named on the chart) that bounds 

 Post Office Bay to the east is Cormorant Bay, extending % m ^ e to Cor- 

 morant Point. At the head it is divided into two by a projecting point 

 near its center. Back of the head of the bay there is a salt-water lagoon, 

 inhabited by a flock of flamingoes. 



There has been some inland collecting, particularly at the springs 

 near Black Beach and near the south side of the island. There are nu- 

 merous shore stations on the west coast south of Saddle Point, on the 

 rocks and in the tide pools around the point that forms the southern limit 

 of Black Beach, on the north shore of Black Beach, at the head of Cor- 

 morant Bay, on the shore of the salt lagoon east of Cormorant Point, and 

 on Onslow Island, where coral masses were obtained. There are several 

 electric light stations in Black Beach Anchorage and in Post Office Bay. 

 There are dredging stations in shallow water, 4-6 fathoms, and farther 

 out in 35-40 fathoms, in and off Black Beach Bay, several in Post Office 

 Bay, and one in Cormorant Bay. Northwest of Post Office Bay there are 

 three stations, 5 miles from Daylight Point in 40-45 fathoms, 7 miles in 

 65-70 fathoms, and 10 miles in 250 fathoms. 



Between Charles, Indefatigable, and Albemarle islands there is a 

 wide open space in which there have been but few soundings and much 

 fewer bottom indications. This makes dredging here a matter of groping 

 in the dark. To make matters worse, there are strong currents, varying 

 so much in direction and force that the dredge may be carried as many 

 as three different directions in sinking from the surface to the bottom in 

 the deeper portions of this area. There may be quiet periods with little 

 current, but the currents have not been studied ; so it is impossible to 

 know when the quiet periods are likely to come. In spite of the difficul- 

 ties, some stations have been established in this area, most of them be- 

 tween Charles and Indefatigable but one between Charles and Albemarle, 

 in depths ranging from 60 to 200 fathoms. In some of them the material 

 obtained was not very extensive, but there was always something of great 

 interest from the distribution standpoint. 



Hood Island, the most southerly of the islands of the archipelago, is 

 elliptical in shape, the long axis, 8 miles, running east and west, and 5 

 miles wide. It has no high volcanic cones, the highest being 640 feet. The 



