SOUTH MALE. 113 



level of the surrounding reef flats. To the north of Kandinias Island also 

 begins the narrow lagoon which extends nearly the whole length of that reef 

 flat for a distance of about six miles. The inner rim of the lagoon is much 

 narrower than the outer sea foce rim flat, the greater part of which is edged 

 by a boulder belt. Great patches of corals are scattered on the sea face of 

 the reef flat, and often extend well across the outer rim towards the lagoon 

 of the faro. This long faro is separated from Huluwa Island (PI. 62, fig. 1) 

 by an angular faro with a long spit at the southwest horn, on which a coarse 

 shingle beach and heaps of boulders have been thrown up. The limits of 

 the rim of this faro are well defined by the light green belt surrounding the 

 lagoon. Reddish Nullipores cover many of the boulders forming the outer 

 fringing belt of the faro. 



The many gaps between the numerous small islets and islands which dot 

 the east face of South Nilandu afford an excellent opportunity to study the 

 formation of the islets, their change into small islands, and the gradual pas- 

 sage into larger islands by the coalescence and junction of the sand spits 

 and sand-bars of adjoining islets and islands. 



South Male. 



Plates 1, 4; 8h, flgs. 12, 16; S c, Jiffs. 19, 27 : 79, fg. 2. 



The structure of South Male (PI. 4) resembles in a general way that of 

 North Male ; it is smaller, elliptical, and its outlines defined by a greater 

 number of reef flats and fewer faros. There are few rings *within the 

 central basin ; the banks are more numerous than in North Male, and only 

 five small islands in the central area. 



South Male has a greatest length of nineteen miles, and eleven miles in 

 width towards the northern extremity. It is separated from North Male by 

 Wadu Channel, not more than two and a quarter miles in width and a depth 

 of about two hundi'ed and fifty fathoms, and from Felidu to the south by 

 Fulidu Channel, about seven miles in width with three hundred and seventy- 

 four fathoms in the centre of the channel. South Male is as a whole shoaler 

 than North Male ; its greatest depth is thirty-two fathoms, but by far the 

 majority of the soundings are between twenty and twenty-seven fathoms. 



