Formation of the Islands. 155 
said about the formation of these upheaved coral islands :-— 
a being the water level, c the cliff rising from the shore flat, 
B the crevices or wells occurring more conspicuously on the 
island of Maré. The shore flat is all waterworn and honey- 
combed in a remarkable way, and has evidently been exposed 
for a very long time to the action of the waves; for it is 
as hard as granite, and would take no small force to wear it 
into the form it now presents. 
All the New Hebrides islands are rising gradually,—at least 
so say men of science—a consoling thought for the inhabitants; 
and, from the casual observations which I was able to make, 
I should certainly concur in the statement. Some small islands 
near Efaté, and also part of the north-western side of that 
island itself, exhibit a certain peculiarity of form, which, I 
think, bears out this statement. 
7 
Pp TELE 
This section (on an exaggerated scale) will show what I 
mean. It seems to me that, in these cases, the coral insects 
have been at work while the land was rising instead of falling ; 
for supposing that the dotted line in the section represents the 
original form of the island c, with its top just ona level with the 
surface of the water, then round it the insects work and bring their 
reefs tothe level of the land-summit: then, however, a rising takes 
place, and that part now a flat top is elevated above the water, 
and another part of the sea-bottom brought into the working 
sphere of the polypes. Again they make their reef round it, 
until another upheaval takes place. The edges of these steps 
marked B on the section, have much the same appearance 
as the white cliffs of Aniwa. In this way their peculiar 
form may naturally be accounted for, and the fact of the 
