144 



THE CORAL REEFS OF THE MALDIVES. 



As to the missing shoal marked in passage to the south of Kuradu, 

 that may have been wrongly marked, or merely a spur of the reef flat 

 projecting into the passage, much as we found coral patches growing in 

 great abundance on both sides of the pass north of Dandu. 



Mr. Gardiner states ^ that on the west face of Suvadiva the islands south 

 of Nadale are wasting on the lagoon face, while north of Nadale to Hondedu 

 " they show little or no sign of erosion." So are many of the islands of the 

 east face, yet a number are sending out very marked spits lagoonward 

 from the angles of their lagoon faces, as are the islands on the south face 

 between Gan and Wadu. Some of the islands we passed in the lagoon 

 seem to be wasting on the western faces. 



On the west face, according to Gardiner, great changes have taken place 

 in the shape of the land of Tinadu ; he considers the two passes to 

 the south to be closing (he could not examine them), and yet in the 

 immediate vicinity the lagoon was deepening, as he anchored in twenty 

 fathoms where the chart marked seventeen. Owing to the changes of the 

 shape of the reef flat the evidence is not very conclusive, specially as less 

 than a quarter of a mile off, soundings are given of twenty-five and twenty- 

 three fathoms ; he considers the hook-shaped spit to the east of Tinadu as 

 indicating the former presence of a velu now opening into the lagoon. 



1 Loc. cil., p. 413. 



Under tue AVixg of the Chief Dandu. 



