NORTH MALE. 47 



at which reef-building corals begin to grow. The final stage, that of a 

 well-wooded island steep to, is well seen in the three small islands we 

 examined lying to the northeast of the first ring we visited in North Male 

 waters. These are all steep to ; the original wide reef flats are reduced to 

 a narrow insignificant strip flanking the islands. 



About three miles to the northwest of Male Island rises an interesting 

 faro with a small islet on the eastern rim of its lagoon, that has been reduced 

 to a minimum, nothing but a small hole being left of the original lagoon, 

 which has gradually been filled by coral sand driven into it over the sum- 

 mit of the reef flat rim until there is only an insignificant pool left to indi- 

 cate the original lagoon. Fine patches of corals extended from the outer 

 edge over the I'eef flat; a belt of low vegetation has found a foothold on 

 the islet of the faro wiiich is protected by coral sand beaches. 



Vehamafuri, another large faro to the northwest of Male Island, 

 deserves mention for its narrow rim ; its greatest diameter is fully a mile ; 

 the enclosed lagoon has a greatest depth of twelve fathoms. It rises from 

 a depth of twenty-seven fathoms. To the westward rises another much 

 smaller circular faro, less than a quarter of a mile in diameter, the rim of 

 which is fully three fathoms below the surface. On our way to the island 

 of Tulagiri from Vehamafuri we passed a number of faros with light green 

 rims and darker bluish-colored lagoons of different shades varying 

 according to the width of the rim, its depth below the surface, and the 

 depth of the lagoon. 



The island of Tulagiri (PI. 16, fig. 2) is on the southern rim of a small 

 faro, not quite half a mile in diameter; its southern rim is remarkably nar- 

 row and covered with a great many patches of corals. To the eastward of 

 this faro could be seen the outline of a circular faro, nearly a mile in 

 diameter. Two others somewhat elliptical rose to the northward. Nearly 

 halfway between Vehamafuri and Tulagiri rises Bundusi and a small island 

 to the south of it; both are steep to ; the latter is nearly a mile in diameter 

 with extremely narrow reef flats. 



Between Tulagiri and Kudahitty we passed six faros. With the excep- 

 tion of the northern one, which is triangular in shape, they are circular 

 or elliptical, with fairly wide rims and moderately deep lagoons. Kudahitty 



