LAGOOA' IS LAX /IS OR ATOIJ.S 



495 



to these mountains of stone accmnulateil b)' tlie ayency of 

 \arious minute and tender animals ! This is a wonder which 

 does not at lirst strike the ej'e of the body, Ijut, after reflection, 

 the eye of reason. 



I will now give a ver}- brief account of tlie three great 

 classes of coral-reefs; namely. Atolls, ISarrier and Fringing 

 Reefs, and will explain my views' on their formation. Almost 

 every \oyager who has crossed tlie Pacific has expressed his 

 unbounded astonishment at the lagoon islands, or as I shall 

 for the futLue call them b)- their Indian name fjf atolls, and 

 has attempted some explanation. Even as long ago as the 

 }'ear 1605, I'yi'iii'd dc Laval well exclaimed, " C'est unc meruille 

 de voir chacun de ces atollons, eiuiironne d'un grand banc de 



WHITSUND.W l^LA.-.D. 



pierre t(jut autour, n'y ayant point d'artifice humain." The 

 accompanying sketch of Whitsunday Island in the Pacillc, 

 C(jpied from Capt. JSeechey's admirable \^uyai:;c, gives but a 

 faint idea of the singular aspect of an atoll ; it is one of the 

 smallest size, and has its narrow islets united together in a ring. 

 The immensity of the ocean, the fury of the breakers, contrasted 

 with the lowness of the laiul and the smoothness of the bright 

 green water within the lagoon, can hardly be imagined without 

 having been seen. 



The earlier voyagers fancietl that the coral-building animals 

 instinctively built up their great circles to afford themselves 

 protecti(jn in the inner [jarts ; but sc; far is this from the truth 



^ These were firsL rciii] hLfniu Uie (i 

 sinCL' liixTi ilc\'rli.|)rii ill a sL-iiar.itu \'()hinic 

 R,rp. 



(tluL;ir:i! Society iii .May 1S3", ,iinl li.ivu 

 111 the Sfr/i./i/iv .111,1 I'lnli il'Khoii ot Coral 



