420 Mr Gardiner, The Coral Reefs of [Mar. 7, 



that there appear to be in the Ellice Group a number of isolated 

 islands rising separately from a depth of over 2000 fathoms. 



The atoll of Funafuti (Fig. 1) has a lagoon 12 miles long by 

 8 miles broad, lying almost north and south. It is of a roughly 

 oval shape, extending south into a " pocket " about 3 miles deep, 

 much of the bed of which is uncovered at low tides. Round this 

 lagoon is a more or less continuous reef, varying in breadth from 

 \ to ^ a mile in accordance largely with the portion, which has 

 been turned into land. On the east side is an island 6^ miles 

 long, continued north by two more small islands, Amatuku and 

 Mulitefala, with narrow breaks in the land between ; this main 

 island bends to the westward about 2 miles from its south end. 

 Continuing it to the south-west are three other islands, Fatata, 

 Funangongo and Funamanu, joined to one another and to the 

 main island by the reef, which can easily be crossed at low tide. 

 The next island to the west, Falefatu, is separated from these 

 by a broad ship's channel with a minimum depth of four fathoms ; 

 on the west side of this island there is another similar channel 

 with a depth of five fathoms. The reef is here continued into 

 the "pocket," which extends about 3|- miles to the south, and 

 is largely surrounded by land. On the west side of the atoll 

 the reef is very broad, nevertheless it has only a few small islands. 

 To the north-west is another broad ship's channel through the 

 reef with a minimum depth of 4-| fathoms. On the west side 

 there are also three channels of 4 fathoms and two narrow some- 

 what tortuous passages of 11 and 23 fathoms. The north side of 

 the lagoon has two small islands, Fualifeke and Pava, but while 

 surrounded by the reef has otherwise no land. 



The direction of the wind from March to November is from 

 the east-south-east, veering completely round in the three summer 

 months, December, January and February, to the west-north- 

 west ; but while the easterly wind is steady during the greater 

 part of the year, the westerly wind in the summer is more 

 irregular and less strong with considerable periods of calm. The 

 current is due probably entirely to the wind and accordingly 

 comes from the same direction ; I was informed, however, by 

 several trading captains in Fiji that the set in the summer months 

 westward is never very great and in calms is lost, giving place to a 

 slow set eastwards. In agreement with the wind the reef is, save 

 for the two ship's channels to the south, continuous round the 

 east and south sides of the atoll and largely converted into land. 

 The "pocket," the projecting southern horn of the atoll, is exposed 

 fully to the south and east and is almost completely surrounded 

 by land. The flood tide into the lagoon sets in strongly through 

 the ship's channels ; but at the same time a large amount of 

 water is received from the breaking 1 of the sea over the reefs 





