CH. Ti MABINE FAUNA OF TALIS SE SHORES 131 



few small seriatoporas. They are found almost exclusively 

 in the pools. When I found them uncovered and exposed to 

 the sun, they were almost invariably dead and putrefying. 

 Nearly everyone who visits a coral reef for the fu'st time at 

 low water notices an unpleasant stench everywhere in the 

 immediate vicinity. After a time I got quite accustomed 

 to it and did not notice it ; my recollection of it is, that it 

 resembles the stench of decaying sea-weed, but is rather 

 more offensive. It is due, I beheve, to the fact that when- 

 ever the water leaves the inner side of the reef exposed, a 

 considerable number of corals, star-fishes, worms, and 

 other things are killed by the fierce heat of the midday 

 sun, and in the warm damp atmosphere begin to putrefy 

 almost immediately. The coral reef is not alone to blame 

 for the malarias of the tropical coasts ; the mangrove swamp, 

 which I shall presently describe, is the principal offender 

 in this respect, the parent and nurse of all manner of 

 noxious vapours and fell diseases. 



But to return from this digression to my expedition on 

 the Talisse reefs. I have now, let us suppose, wandered 

 half a mUe in a northerly du-ection towards Kinabohutan 

 straits. The reef is here quite different in appearance to 

 what it is near the pier. Not only is it nearly twice as 

 far from the shore, but it is also much more densely crowded 

 with coral growth of every sort and description. Here on 

 the outer edge are huge specimens of the common fan- 

 shaped madrepore, great bushes of seriatoporas and mille- 

 poras (ill. alcieornis), and hundreds of different kinds of corals 

 too numerous to mention. No specimen is here that is not 

 fine and well-grown, and not a square inch of ground can 

 be seen that is not covered with some vigorous and 

 flourishing coral growth. The inside of the reef is very 

 much the same as it is nearer home, but I find here a large 

 armless star-fish (Culcita) like a great pentagonal leather 



K 2 



