PRELIMINARY REPORT. 35 



After leaving Nukufetau we encountered nothing but bad weather, 

 which put a stop to all our work until we arrived under the lee of Arorai, 

 the southernmost of the Gilbert Islands. On our way from Taputeuea we 

 steamed to Apamama and Maiana, which we examined, as well as Tarawa, 

 We next examined Maraki, an atoll which is nearly closed with high 

 beaches, having only two small boat passages leading through the narrow 

 outer land-rims. Both Maraki and Taritari, the last island of the Gilberts 

 which we visited, are remarkable for the development of an inner row of 

 islands and sand-bars in certain parts of the lagoon parallel to the outer 

 land-rim, a feature which also exists in many of the Marshall Islands 

 atolls. 



We reached Jaluit the 9th of January, and after a few days spent 

 in coaling, we passed about three weeks in exploring the Marshall Islands, 

 taking in turn the atolls of the Ralick Chain to the north of Jaluit: Ail- 

 inglab Lab, Namu, Kwajalong, and Rongelab, and then some of the atolls of 

 the Ratack Chain, Likieb, Wotje, and Arhno. The atolls of the Marshall 

 Group are noted for their great size and the comparatively small area of 

 the outer land-rims, the land-rims of some of the atolls being reduced to 

 a few insignificant islands and islets. In none of the atolls of the EUice, 

 Gilbert, or Marshall Islands were we able to observe the character of the 

 underlying base which forms the foundations of the land areas of these 

 groups. In this respect these gi-oups are in striking contrast to the Pau- 

 motus, the Society Islands, the Cook Group, Nine, the Tongas, and the 

 Fiji Islands, where the character of the underlying foundations of the 

 land-rims is readily ascertained. But, on the other hand, these groups 

 give us the means of studying the mode of formation of the land-rims 

 in a most satisfactory manner, and nowhere have we been able to study 

 as clearly the results of the various agencies at work in shaping the end- 

 less variations produced in the islands and islets of the land-rims of the 

 different atolls by the incessant handling and rehandling of the material 

 in place, or of the fresh material added from the disintegration of the 

 sea or lagoon faces of the outer land-rim, or of the corals on the outer 

 and inner slopes. It has been very interesting to trace the ever-changing 

 conditions which have resulted in producing so many variations in the 



