104 THE SHORE 



reefs. A few wells probably exist, which give admir- 

 able sections of the land, and, labour being cheap, others 

 may be dug so that its structure is made thoroughly 

 clear. We ask a few questions of the traveller. Are 

 the islands growing or washing away, either on their 

 seaward or lagoon sides, or on both ? Are they 

 extending farther along the line of the reef ? Whatever 

 is happening to them, are they all following some 

 definite law, or is each apparently adapting itself to 

 its own immediate environment ? On the flat reef 

 itself large bare masses of coral rock are often seen 

 standing up as high as, or even above, the high-tide 

 level. Are they pinnacles, and therefore part of the 

 reef on which they are standing ? or are they masses 

 which have been hurled up on to the surface of the reef 

 by the waves in storms ? In all cases they are valuable 

 for the study of the formation of the coral rock from 

 the heterogeneous series of organisms which build a 

 reef. Ordinarily they are washing away, and present 

 jagged points of coral worn out. If they are part of the 

 reef below, this coral should be in the position of growth, 

 a fact which can be easily ascertained by comparison 

 with the corals growing in the vicinity. Any evidence 

 of stratification anywhere will be of value. Pools of 

 salt or brackish water in the islands are always of 

 interest in connection with the formation of the islands 

 themselves. In the land fauna and flora there is 

 perhaps little interest, but the visitor or trader who 

 calls at all islands of a group or a large series of islands 

 would render service by recording the flotsam and 

 jetsam which reaches them, in reference to the possible 

 peopling of islands recently formed or otherwise bare. 

 The residents will point out peculiar trees, and the 

 examination of growing-out spits, etc., will reveal many, 

 seeds. 



