106 A NATUBALI8T IN CELEBES ch. vi 



CHAPTEE VI 



MAEINE FAUNA OF TALISSB SHOBES 



Depth of Talisse Sea— Shore gradients — Fauna of the sea-bottom— Structure 

 of corals — Principal types of corals — A ramble on the coral reefs — Fauna 

 of the lagoon — Fauna of the mangrove swamp — The food of corals — The 

 colour of corals. 



The marine fauna of this region may conveniently be con- 

 sidered under four headings — the sea bottom of Talisse 

 Sea, the coral reef, the lagoon, and the mangrove swamp. 

 I am sorry that I can give no account of the marine fauna 

 of the bottom in the deeper waters outside the group of 

 islands, but I found the difficulties in the way of investigat- 

 ing the greater depths insuperable, and I was reluctantly 

 obliged to relinquish the attempt. The main difficulties 

 were the impossibility of obtaining a suitable boat for such 

 work and the rapidity of the tides which sweep round the 

 islands. For deep-sea dredging in these seas it is quite 

 necessary to have steam, and an almost unlimited supply of 

 good manilla hemp-rope ; without them the naturalist runs 

 the risk of losing much valuable time and apparatus, and 

 obtaining no results. 



I was able, however, on several occasions to dredge in 

 the shallow waters of Talisse Sea, and thereby gain a 

 glimpse of the character of the sea-bottom. 



From the edge of the coral reef off Talisse Pier the 

 water rapidly deepens to 12 fathoms, and then less rapidly 

 to 19 and 20 fathoms — a depth which is maintained with- 

 out much variation over the whole of the Talisse Sea. 



