JALUIT. 279 



deep basin we encountered between the Gilbert Islands and Jaluit, and 

 its extension in the northern Marshall Islands, a comparatively flat basin 

 varying between 2200 and 2600 fathoms in depth, the spurs of which 

 form the channels between the atolls. 



The vegetation of the atolls of the EUice,' Gilbert, and Marshall Islands^ 

 is more luxuriant than that of the Paumotus, probably from the greater 

 rainfall, though the number of species of plants characteristic of the western 

 atolls is not much greater. It is only in the larger western volcanic islands 

 — the Fiji,^ Samoan, and Caroline* group — that we note the marked 

 increase in the number of species of forest trees allied to those occurring 

 still farther west, over those on the eastern groups, like the Cook* and 

 Society Islands. 



Jaluit. 



Plates 161-166, 167, fig. 2 ; ^25 ; 226, figs. J^-10 ; 227, figs. 1-3; 22S, fig. 2. 



The atoll of Jaluit is rectangular in shape ; the eastern and western faces, 

 however, run to a point towards the north ; it is about thirty miles in length 

 and seventeen miles in width (PI. 226, fig. 6). The land rim to the south of 

 the southeast passage forms the island of Jaluit, a long, extremely narrow 

 strip of land (PI. 161, fig. 1), in places but a few yards in width. It con- 

 sists of a high coarse shingle beach (PI. 165, fig. 1), extending from Jabor to 

 the southern point of Jaluit, where it forms a sharp angle, and extends north 

 about three miles. Across the lagoon angle of the southern horn extends a 

 wide triangular reef. The northeast coast from the eastern cape to the 

 northern point consists of a series of small islands and islets separated by 

 gaps and shoals with a number of deeper passages between them. 



» See C. Hedley, General Account of the Atoll of Funafuti, p. 20, for an account of the flora of the 

 Ellice Islands. 



' There is an excellent account of the plants of the Marshall Islands by Betche, Gartenzeitung 

 1884, p. IS.S. 



» A full account of the flora of Fiji will be found in Seemann, Flora Vitiensis. The Algse and 

 corallines of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, have been described by A. Griinow in Jour. d. Mus. Godeffroy, Heft 

 VI. p. 23. The lichens of the Tropical Pacific are enumerated by Dr. A. v. Kampelhuber in the Journal 

 d. Museum Godeffroy, Heft IV. p. 269. 



* Ponapean Trees, Plants, Shrubs, p. 328. The CaroHne Islands, by F. W. Christian. 



5 A list of the ferns of the Cook Islands has been published by C. Luerssen in Jour. d. Mus. 

 Godeffroy, Heft I. p. 39. 



