A. Agassis — Expedition to the Maldives. 303 



not fail to show at a glance how very different in structure are 

 Makumudu, Gafuru, Kardiva, Goidu, B-asdu, Toddu, Wattaru, 

 Fua Mulaku and Addu from such groups of atolls as North 

 and South Male, Ari, North and South Nilandu, Felidu, the 

 Malosmadulu atolls, of Miladummadulu and its northern exten- 

 sion Tiladummati, which might be called the Maldivian group 

 of atolls par excellence ; both to be contrasted again to such 

 atolls or groups of atolls as Fadiffolu, Felidu and Mulaku, 

 which have as it were combinations or modifications character- 

 istic of the Maldivian atolls with features common to a great 

 number of Pacific atolls. And finally we come to a third class 

 of atolls like Kolomadulu, Haddummati and Suvadiva, which 

 remind us of some of the larger atolls of the Pacific in the 

 Marshall, Ellis and Gilbert Islands or Caroline Islands; atolls 

 noted for the absence of shoals and of islands in the lagoons, 

 while the typical grouping of the small Maldivian atolls along 

 the 40 to 30 fathom line of the great Maldivian plateau forms 

 an agglomeration of small atolls along that belt resembling the 

 great reef flats of the Pacific atolls, but which have grown up 

 as distinct parts and are separated by deep channels. These 

 small atolls vary in size from a couple of hundred feet in 

 diameter to atolls of seven miles in length. While it is true 

 that in such clusters of atolls as those of North and South Male, 

 of Ari, of the Malosmadulu atolls and of others, their arrange- 

 ment is such as to form well-defined well-marked rims, remind- 

 ing us of the rims formed by great reef flats such as are com- 

 mon in the Pacific, yet the structure of such groups of atolls 

 as Miladummadulu and its Tiladummati extension misnamed as 

 atoll gives us the key to a rational explanation of the formation 

 of the atolls and groups of atolls in the Maldives. 



The two atolls I have just named are not atolls in any sense 

 of the word. They are so ill-defined that their division on the 

 chart for political purposes is marked by a mere dotted line. 

 In fact they are a great number of small atolls often separated 

 by considerable distances as much as five to ten miles which 

 have gradually grown up on that part of the Maldivian plateau 

 from depths of 25 to 30 fathoms, and where they can be seen 

 in all possible stages of growth. We examined them in detail 

 at several points in the Maldives. Their mode of growth and 

 the great variety of conditions under which they exist is well 

 seen in North Male. There we see many of the future atolls 

 existing as flats or bars or mere rings which do not rise more 

 than five or six fathoms from the top of the plateau ; others 

 which vary in depth from the surface from three to five or 

 seven fathoms. Others again which form rings or bars just 

 awash or with two to three feet over the rim, and finally rings 

 partially awash only with sand banks projecting a foot or so 



