36 EXPEDITION OF THE “ALBATROSS,” 1899-1900. 
appearance and structure of the islands and islets of the land-rims of 
the different groups. 
The boring at Funafuti will show us the character and age of the rocks 
underlying the mass of recent material of which the land-rim, not only 
of that atoll, but probably also that of the other atolls of the group and 
- of neighboring groups, is composed, though of course we can only judge 
by analogy of the probability of the character of the underlying base from 
that of the nearest islands of which it has been ascertained. When we 
come to a group like the Marshalls we have as our guide only the char- 
acter of the base rock of the islands of the Carolines, which is volcanic, 
while Nauru! and Paanopa Islands, to the west of the Gilberts and to the 
southwest of the Marshalls, indicate a base of ancient Tertiary limestone. 
The vegetation of the atolls of the Ellice, Gilbert, and Marshalls is more 
luxuriant than that of the Paumotus, probably from the greater rainfall, 
though the number of species of plants so characteristic of the western 
atolls is not much greater. It is only in the larger western volcanic 
islands — the Fiji, Samoan, and Caroline group — that we note the marked 
increase in the number of species of forest trees allied to those occurring 
still further west, over those on the eastern groups, like the Cook and 
Society Islands. 
Owing to the continued stormy weather and the probability of not being 
able to land at Nauru and Paanopa while the unfavorable conditions lasted, 
we did not attempt to visit them. 
After leaving Suva we made a number of soundings from south of 
Nurakita toward the Marshall Group, which, in addition to those of the 
“Penguin,” clearly show that the Ellice Islands are isolated peaks rising 
from considerable depths (from 1500 to over 2000 fathoms) and that the 
same is the case with the Gilbert Islands. We made about thirty soundings 
between the atolls of the Marshalls, which appear to show that they also 
rise as independent peaks or ridges, with steep slopes, from 2000 to 2500 
fathoms, and that the so-called parallel chains of atolls of the Marshalls, 
the Ralick and Ratack, are really only the summits of isolated peaks 
rising but a few feet above the sea-level. The Marshall Islands, as well 
1 Nauru von Dr. Augustin Kriimer. Globus, Vol. LXXIV., No. 10, September, 1898. 
