164 CORALS AND CORAL ISLANDS. 



seen from these examples that atolls are not annular. In the 

 southernmost, Tapateuea, the form is very narrow, the 

 length being thirty-three miles, with the width of the southern 

 portion scarcely exceeding six miles, and that of the northern 

 more than one-half less. The emerged land is confined to one 

 side, the eastern or windward, and consists of a series of islets 

 upon the eastern line of coral reef. The western side is for 

 the most part several feet under water, and there is hardly a 

 proper lagoon. Sailing by the island, to windward, the patch- 

 es of verdure, thus strung together, seem to rise out of a long 

 white line of breakers, the sea surging violently against the un- 

 seen coral reef upon which they rest. 



Nonouti, the next island north, is abont twenty miles 

 long by eight broad. The rim of land, though in fewer islets, 

 is similar to that of Tapateuea in being confined to the reef 

 fronting northeast. The reef of the opposite side, though bare 

 of vegetation, stands near low-tide level, and the whole en- 

 closes a large lagoon. 



Aranuka and Apamama, though smaller than Nonouti, 

 have the same general character. Aranuka is triangular in 

 shape, and has an islet on the western point or cape, which is 

 quite prominent. Apamama differs from either of the preced- 

 ing in having two narrow ship entrances to the lagoon, one 

 through the northwestern reef, and another through the south- 

 western. 



Kuria is a remarkable double island, without a proper 

 lagoon. It consists of two neighboring groves, each about a 

 square mile in extent, on adjacent patches of reef. 



Maiana is quite regularly quadrangular, with an uninter- 

 rupted range of land on two of the four sides, and an exposed 

 reef constituting the other two. 



Tarawa consists of two sides of a triangle. The western 



