NUKUTIPIPI. 125 



On the sea slope of the reef flat corals were not abundant, and on the reef 

 flat none were seen. 



The notes for the description of the lagoon of Pinaki were made by 

 Messrs. Townsend and Alexander, who examined it while we steamed about 

 the island. 



The Duke of Gloucester Islands. 

 Nukutipipi. 



Plates 76, 77, 201, 203 ; 206, firj. 4. 



Nukutipipi Island is the easternmost of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, 

 a small helmet-shaped lagoon about two miles in circumference, which is 

 well wooded on the northern and eastern faces, with a wide bare reef on the 

 southwest face. The vegetation consists almost entirely of Pandanus, with 

 a few cocoanut trees on the centre of the western face and on the northeast 

 face of the atoll (PI. 206, fig. 4). 



Seen about three fourths of a mile distant coming up from the southeast, 

 the high wide coral sand beach of the larger eastern island of Nukutipipi 

 stands out prominently (PI. 76, fig. 2), with the few patches of beach rock 

 of the westernmost end of the beach and a similar line of beach rock ledge 

 extending into the open half-submerged reef flat which forms the southern 

 land rim of the atoll. The reef flat extends far into the lagoon on the 

 southern side ; the deeper part, indicated by its darker blue water, occupies 

 but a comparatively small area towards the northern part of the lagoon 

 (Pis. 76, fig. 1 ; 206, fig. 4). The vegetation here as well as in the greater 

 part of the southeastern atolls of the Paumotus is marked by the predomi- 

 nance of native plants, especially Pandanus, Pisonia, and Scaevola. But 

 few cocoanuts have been planted here as yet. 



On the lagoon side the two islands of the land rim are faced with fine 

 coral sand beaches (PL 77, fig. 2). On the southwest side a wide reef flat 

 extends far out (Pis. 76, fig. 3; 77; 206, fig. 4) to form the western and 

 southeastern point of the atoll ; over this an enormous mass of water must 

 at each tide find its way into the lagoon, as the greater part of the western 

 reef flat is submerged, the flow of water being only broken by a narrow 



