RAROIA. 95 



northern part of the atoll. It and Takume are remarkable for the number 

 of islands which are found on their western face. The larger islands of the 

 land rim of Raroia form the northern and southern horns of the atoll. 



Along the west coast of Raroia there are very large boulders scattered 

 all along the shore, seemingly larger than any we had seen before. As we 

 approached the beaches towards the northwest point, the shore ledges became 

 more apparent. There is but little sand above them, and everywhere large 

 boulders were scattered about. 



The islets on the opposite face of the lagoon, as seen across the lagoon, 

 have their sandy beaches on the lagoon side, and those on the west face have 

 similar sand beaches on the lagoon side, passing gradually into the coral 

 shingle beaches facing the sea and with a narrow reef platform bordered by 

 long reaches of old ledge rocks. Across the low gaps in the islands we 

 could see also the light green strips of the narrow lagoon platform. The 

 islands and islets on the west side all appear to be placed more or less 

 at an angle across the outer rim flat. At the west point there is a long 

 line of small sand bars on the inner edge of the lagoon flat, some of them 

 islets high enough above tide lines to be covered with a scanty vegetation. 

 The reef flat extending around the northwest point of the atoll is wide, 

 and its sea face is flanked by a low bank of coral shingle. On the lagoon 

 side of the flat rise a series of islets and islands more or less at right angles 

 to the general trend of the shore. 



The old ledge crops out at the base of the coarse shingle beaches, and runs 

 out in low buttresses more or less covered by sand or coral shingle. On the 

 reef flat many boulders of old ledge are scattered. 



The east face of the atoll, as far as we could see it, is quite bare of 

 islands, the bare or partly submerged ledge, according to our pilot, resem- 

 bling in every respect that of Takume. The outer islands gradually diminish 

 in number from the north side towards the east and south, while on the 

 north end they are quite closely crowded. The islands, as is usual, are 

 placed at right angles, or nearly so, to the general trend of the shore line. 

 This structure is of course ultimately lost sight of where adjacent islets have 

 united into a larger island. In some cases the process of consolidation has 

 been repeated often enough to make an island several miles in length but 



