286 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1892. 



found at 10 or 12 fathoms, on the south-east side one finds 100 

 fathoms close up to the bank and immediately beyond are 

 deep-sea soundings. Quite like this bank, it may be remarked, 

 is that of Elikalpeni (Lon. 74" 5' E. Lat. 11° 15' N.), a peak about 

 35 miles north-east of Anderut, which does not, however, become 

 subaerial at all. This peak, the nearest of the Laccadive Group to 

 India, is a small dead-coral bank with a few bunches of live-coral 

 on it, carrying 7 to 8 fathoms and with no sign of shoal water.* 

 Similar also, though of larger size, especially the first named 

 of the three, and giving rather deeper soundings, are the dead- 

 coral banks of Bassas de Pedro (20-30 fathoms)t, Sesostris Bank 

 (11-30 fathoms), and Koradivh (23-26 fathoms), lying to the north 

 of the Laccadive Archipelago. It is curious to note that the name 

 of the last mentioned bank appears to be applied by the author of 

 the Tohfat-al-Mujahidin to one of the inhabited islands of the 

 archipelago, t 



South of the Piti Bank lies Korati, a large inhabited island in 

 Lon. 72° 40' E. and Lat. 10° 35' N., visited by Mr. Hume. He 

 speaks ofit§ as a fine island of the usual type with a fair lagoon. 

 The soil appears to be better than that of Ameni, the cultivation 

 practically identical ; the only wild species that Mr. Hu.me collected 

 was the sea-shore laurel, Hernandia peltata ; this he did because he 

 observed it here for the first time. The species is now also reported 

 from Minikoi, whence Dr. Alcock sends specimens, but so far it 

 has not been obtained in any of the true Laccadive Islands except 

 Korati. A small islet, Korati Feti, which, according to Lieut. 

 Wood's table has coco -nut trees, occurs on the same reef. 



Besides the Elikalpeni Bank, already described, the peaks of the 

 Eastern chain are the atolls of Anderut and Kalpeni. 



* Carpenter, "Administration Report of , the Marine Survey of India/' year 1888-89, 

 p. 6. 



f Hume, " Stray Feathers," vol. vi., p. 428. 



X " Madr. Journ. of Lit. and Sc.," vol. xiv., p. 3, Kordeeb ( Koradivh ?) is given as 

 one of the five principal islands which contain " cities ;" probably, however, KiltSn 

 is intended by the historian, though the name he gives is apparently that by which 

 this sunken bank is known. 



§ Hume, " Stray Feathers," vol. vi., p. 454. 



