114 



THE CORAL REEFS OF THE MALDIVES. 



Along the east face of South Male, north of Hutekolu, nothing of special 

 interest is to be seen on the extensive wide reef flat which forms the south- 

 east horn of South Male. The reef flat is shallow, with the exception 

 of a belt of deeper water, running diagonally across it south of Haru Hura. 

 The islands on this flat are covered with low vegetation. On the outer 

 edge of Mafuri, the reef flat to the north of Guradu, are heaps of small 

 boulders, and great patches of corals cover the rim of the flat. A good 

 part of the island of Mafuri (PI. 79, fig. 2) is wasting; what once formed its 

 northern extremity is now an islet with fallen cocoanut-trees covering the 

 intervening reef flat. The island and islet on the faro to the south of Guru 

 are flanked with shingle beaches near the outer edge of the faro, passing 

 into sand beaches close to the inner edge. Large heaps of shingle are 

 piled on the outer edge of the reef flat of Guru. 



The lagoon of the large faro north of Guru on the east face is remark- 

 able for its great depth; it is not less than nineteen fathoms, fully as deep as 

 that of Dureadu in the central part of the southern half of Miladummadulu. 

 The faros of the western face of South Male present no new feature, unless 

 it be the irregularity of their outlines. 



Native Boats off South Male. 



Pelidu. 



Plates 1, 4,5; 8 h, fr/s. 15, 16. 



Felidu (PI. 5) is the most irregular in outline of the Maldive groups: it is 

 .somewhat boot-shaped, the foot forming along projection to the eastward,' 

 bounded by a narrow reef flat with three small islands at the eastern horn. 

 Along the southern face and eastern extremity runs a continuous narrow 



