bkanner: the stone reefs of brazil. 221 



He thinks it probably belongs to the same series of formations as the 

 sand reef of Pernambuco, and "■ is the only example known of the eleva- 

 tion of such materials." This bank is three hundred metres long and 

 rises four metres above the shore, falling away gradually both north and 

 south. The lower three metres of this beach are consolidated, and on this 

 rests a black sandy soil filled with shellfish and containing human re- 

 mains. The bottom half of the beach is of corals and water-worn shells 

 mixed with sand and small pebbles. In places it has enough lime in it 

 to allow of its being burnt for lime. " This part of the beach resembles 

 in structure and hardness the consolidated beaches east of the Bahia 

 lighthouse. The hardening seems to have gone on more rapidly at 

 some levels than at others." He regards the Porto Santo deposit as 

 very superficial and recent ; the shells and corals in it are all recent. 



Reclus, Elisde. Nouvelle geographic universelle. La Terre et les 

 hommes. Tom. XIX. Amerique du sud : I'Amazonie et la Plata 

 etc. Paris, 1894, p. 222-223; 244. 



He says there is a line of reefs extending from the mouth of the Par- 

 ahyba to that of Rio Sao Francisco, some of them of coral and others, 

 like that of Pernambuco, of a different oi'igin. " There is probably not 

 in the world a formation that has more the appearance of having been 

 built by the hand of man." It is stated to have a width of from thirty 

 to sixty metres, to be flat on top, and uncovered at low tide. The rock 

 is said to be of a compact sandstone "in which it is difficult to distin- 

 guish the bedding." He thinks the material was probably a line of 

 dunes, hardened by time. 



He states that Agassiz thought the reef was a terminal moraine, but 

 makes no reference to the publication of this opinion. 



Opposite p. 480 is a fine wood engraving of the Pernambuco reef, the 

 view being taken from the lighthouse at its northern end ; and on p. 245 

 is a map of Pernambuco showing part of the reef. 



Rolt. A new and accurate history of South- America. . . . By Mr. 

 Rolt. London, 1756, p. 546. 

 " The port of Arraci/e, opposite the town of Pernamhuco, is so called 

 from its situation among a ridge of rocks, or sands ; and the harbor of 

 Pernambuco, or rather Infernohoco, the mouth of hell, was so named by 

 the Portuguese, on account of the rocks and shoals, under water, at its 

 entrance." A similar explanation of " Pernambuck " is oflered by 

 Arnoldus Montanus in his Unbekante Neue Welt, p. 434. It should be 

 noted that this explanation of the word Pernambuco is not con'ect. 



