FUNAFUTI. 213 



dividing the two wide ship channels on the eastern face of Funafuti, south 

 of Funamanu (Pis. 130, fig. 4 ; 222). From that island the encircling reef 

 is again continuous as far as the northern entrance to the atoll of Funafuti. 

 By far the greater extent of that part of the narrow eastern land rim is 

 occupied by the island of Funafuti (Pis. 131, fig. 1 ; 222), it forms an 

 inverted L, the smaller shank of which occupies the easternmost horn of 

 the atoll (Pis. 222; 224, fig. 1). To the south of Funafuti are Funamana, 

 Funangongo, and Fatato (PI. 222), all separated by wide shallow gaps, while 

 to the north of Funafuti come Tengako separated from it by a dry gap 

 (PI. 133, fig. 2), next Amatuku (PL 131, fig. 2), and Mulitefala (PI. 131, fig. 2), 

 the former separated by a wide gap from Tengako. Between Mulitefala and 

 the islets to the east of the northern entrance to Funafuti (PI. 131, fig. 4) 

 there is a reach of reef nearly three miles in length, not quite bare at low 

 water (PI. 222). With the exception of Tebuka the islands on the northern 

 and western face of the atoll are few in number and quite insignificant 

 (PL 222). There are in the western face several passages (deeper gaps) 

 between parts of the wide encircling reef on the western side of Funafuti. 

 At nearly all the passages the reef flats extend a considerable distance into 

 the lagoon at right angles to the reef face. 



At the south point of Funafuti Island there is a gap between it and 

 Fatato, the island to the south of it, over which the sea is breaking with 

 great violence. Following the eastern face of the atoll along Funafuti 

 and Tengako Island, we come upon short stretches of coral sand beaches 

 separated by steep coarse coral shingle beaches with cocoanuts growing to 

 the very edge of the shingle (Pis. 132, fig. 2 ; 133). The belt of bushes is 

 narrow. Coral breccia crops out at the foot of the beach (Pis. 132, fig. 2 ; 

 135, fig. 2) ; this is flanked by the narrow reef platform where the coral 

 breccia is in place (PL 136, fig. 1). The coral breccia crops out on the outer 

 edge of the reef platform ; it is covered with huge knolls of Nullipores and 

 Pocillipores. Huge boulders of coral breccia and coral shingle in all 

 possible stages of disintegration (PL 136, fig. 2) are scattered over the 

 reef platform. 



The sea must encroach more or less on the southern part of the eastern 

 face of Funamanu, as we found the cocoanuts overhanging the beach, and 



