Inland Cliffs and Terraces. 11 



notably near the middle of the north coast, the structure is more 

 complex. Here, on descending the slope of the terrace towards 

 the clift' edge, we come first to a narrow belt of pinnacles, beyond 

 which is a sudden drop of about 50 feet ; at the foot of the low cliff 

 thus formed is a perfectly level, soil-clad terrace, some 50 yards 

 broad, which is bounded on the outer side by lines of pinnacles 

 20-30 feet high, separated by winding channels with level floors ; 

 beyond these is a slope covered with piles of limestone blocks 

 extending to the cliff edge. The channel included between the 

 low cliff and the outer belt of pinnacles extends for half a mile or 

 more roughly parallel to the coast, and may be either the result 

 of a slip downward of the outer part of the cliff, or possibly 

 a channel in a reef formed round the island when the sea was at 

 that level. Whatever its structure, this terrace is always thickly 

 covered with forest. 



The Upper Cliffs and Terraces. 



Above the first inland terrace, which, as just mentioned, varies 

 greatly in width, we meet with a second inland cliff, or rather 

 steep rock- covered slope, for an actual cliff is only found in a few 

 places, as, for instance, west of the southern end of Flying Fish 

 Cove. Usually the limestones composing this cliff show many 

 traces of coral structure. At the summit there is a second terrace 

 sloping gently upwards towards the foot of the third inland cliff, 

 which forms its inland boundary. The width of this terrace, like 

 that of the one below, varies very much, and is greatest opposite 

 the headlands. It is occasionally partly covered with pinnacles 

 and blocks of limestone, but usually is clothed with soil, which 

 supports a luxuriant forest of great trees 150-200 feet high; in 

 some places there is thick undergrowth of Pandanus, Randia, ferns, 

 etc., but as a rule the forest is fairly open. The upper cliff, like 

 that last described, is usually a steep talus-covered slope, with cliff' 

 faces showing in a few places only. Along the east coast, how- 

 ever, the upper 40 or 50 feet may be nearly vertical for long 

 distances, forming a true cliff along the upper rim of the island. 

 For the most part the rocks composing it show few traces of coral, 

 and have been to a great extent dolomitized, as will be described in 

 the geological section. 



On the south coast one or other of the upper inland cliffs is 

 wanting, or rather the two form a single declivity. 



The Central Plateau and Hills. 



Speaking generally, the whole of the upper part of the island 

 consists of a plain, sloping gently to the south and west, and 

 possessing a surface varied with shallow valleys, rounded flat- 

 topped hills, and low ridges and reefs of coral limestone. On the 

 northern and eastern sides the edge forms, in most places, a raised 

 rim, bounded externally by a low cliff, below which comes the 



