96 THE CORAL REEFS OF THE MALDIVES. 



type as Muheri. We examined Mahafai and Muradu (PI. 48, fig. 1), two 

 of the inner islands near the northeastern extremity of Tiladummati. 

 They are both steep to on the eastern face and flanked by steep shingle 

 beaches on the east face with steep coral sand beaches along the western 

 side (PI. 49, fig. 2) ; on the western face of Mahafai there is a narrow 

 reef flat. 



We examined the faros on the east and north faces of Tiladummati, 

 north of Nuriwari. Those on the east face all have islands on the eastern 

 rims of the faros occupying a great part of the area of the eastern reef flat. 

 The southern point of Nuriwari is covered by low vegetation, swept by 

 the prevailing winds; the island is flanked by high, steep, coral sand 

 beaches driven far into the outer belt of bushes. At the northern point and 

 on the eastern part of the north face, which is evidently wasting away, 

 large coral boulders are found along the outer edge of the rim of the 

 diminutive secondary lagoon at that extremity of the island. 



At the southern extremity of the crescentic-shaped island of Noliwang 

 Faro, a few isolated islands and islets flanked with coarse shingle and 

 covered with tall bushes rise on the reef flat rim ; the edge of the reef 

 flat is bordered by a few boulders. The small islands form the eastern face 

 of the entrance to the shallow lagoon extending off the west face of the 

 island ; the western face of the pass is indicated by an accumulation of coral 

 shingle. The western rim of the lagoon is narrow with but few coral 

 patches on the rim of the slope which falls off very gradually towards 

 the west. The northern part of the island of Noliwang Faro is club- 

 shaped, with a hook-like extension to the south, occupying the northern 

 part of the western rim reef flat, partly enclosing a deep, open shallow b.ay. 

 This northern part was clearly at one time an island distinct from the south- 

 ern extremity ; it is now connected with it by a long coral sand ridge ; the 

 vegetation of the connecting ridge clearly indicates that its formation is of 

 more recent date than that of the two extremities. 



The eastern rim of Hanimadu, the next atoll to the north, is flanked by 

 a convex dumb-bell-shaped island, the clubs of which are united by a very 

 narrow coral sand ridge ; this gradually reached north and south from the 

 disconnected extremities of the original islands at the northern and southern 



