﻿Agassi? 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  "Albatross" 
  113 
  

  

  extensive 
  Tertiary 
  coralliferous 
  limestone 
  bed, 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  

   atoll 
  is, 
  after 
  having 
  been 
  denuded 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   again 
  built 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  material 
  of 
  its 
  two 
  faces, 
  which 
  is 
  

   thrown 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  wide 
  reef 
  flats 
  both 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  face 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  lagoon 
  side. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  find 
  in 
  the 
  Fijis 
  such 
  huge 
  

   reef 
  shelves 
  to 
  supply 
  such 
  masses 
  of 
  material 
  from 
  the 
  break- 
  

   ing 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  and 
  inner 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  limestone 
  

   platforms, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  recent 
  corals 
  

   growing 
  upon 
  the 
  flat 
  and 
  its 
  edges, 
  which, 
  when 
  dead, 
  are 
  

   thrown 
  up 
  and 
  formed 
  into 
  shingle 
  and 
  sand 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  pudding- 
  

   stone, 
  or 
  a 
  conglomerate, 
  or 
  breccia, 
  with 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  ledge 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  flats. 
  

  

  This 
  pudding-stone, 
  or 
  beach 
  rock, 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  reef 
  

   flats 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  group. 
  It 
  forms 
  great 
  bars, 
  at 
  right 
  

   angles 
  usually 
  to 
  the 
  shore-line, 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  sea 
  face 
  of 
  these 
  

   bars 
  is 
  thrown 
  up 
  coral 
  shingle, 
  both 
  old 
  and 
  recent, 
  which 
  

   builds 
  up 
  short 
  reaches 
  of 
  beaches 
  separated 
  by 
  wide 
  flats 
  

   through 
  which 
  the 
  sea 
  rushes 
  at 
  high- 
  water, 
  or 
  merely 
  covers 
  

   the 
  flats 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  ; 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  lagoon 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  wide 
  reef 
  

   flats 
  a 
  similar 
  process 
  is 
  going 
  on, 
  throwing 
  up 
  finer 
  sand 
  

   among 
  the 
  beach-rock 
  bars 
  and 
  along 
  their 
  sides, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   building 
  up 
  little 
  by 
  little 
  ; 
  at 
  first 
  small 
  sand 
  bars, 
  then 
  larger 
  

   bars, 
  or 
  islets, 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  shore-line, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  

   become 
  larger 
  by 
  accretions 
  from 
  both 
  sides, 
  they 
  finally 
  form 
  

   an 
  island 
  from 
  1,000 
  to 
  1,200 
  feet 
  long, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  width 
  

   of 
  the 
  reef 
  flat, 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  lagoon 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  flat 
  to 
  

   the 
  sea 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  atoll. 
  The 
  sand 
  bars, 
  little 
  by 
  little, 
  become 
  

   covered 
  with 
  vegetation, 
  and 
  at 
  some 
  stages 
  of 
  tide 
  appear 
  like 
  

   islands 
  and 
  islets 
  situated 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  within 
  the 
  

   lagoon. 
  Whenever 
  the 
  material 
  supplied 
  both 
  from 
  the 
  lagoon 
  

   side 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  face 
  is 
  very 
  abundant, 
  the 
  land 
  ring 
  

   becomes 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  solid, 
  the 
  islets 
  become 
  consolidated 
  into 
  

   islands, 
  separated 
  by 
  narrow 
  or 
  wider 
  cuts, 
  until 
  finally 
  they 
  

   form 
  the 
  larger 
  islands 
  which 
  seem 
  at 
  first 
  glance 
  to 
  form 
  con- 
  

   tinuous 
  land 
  along 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon, 
  but 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  

   seen 
  to 
  be 
  separated 
  according 
  to 
  local 
  conditions 
  by 
  narrow 
  

   cuts 
  which 
  finally 
  allow 
  no 
  water 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  and 
  merely 
  

   indicate 
  the 
  former 
  separation 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  land. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  lagoons 
  of 
  atolls 
  of 
  such 
  great 
  length 
  as 
  some 
  of 
  

   these 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus, 
  like 
  Eairoa, 
  Fakarava, 
  Makemo, 
  and 
  

   Hao 
  — 
  which 
  are 
  between 
  30 
  and 
  40 
  miles 
  long, 
  and 
  others 
  of 
  

   less 
  dimensions, 
  considerable 
  sea 
  rises 
  under 
  the 
  prevailing 
  

   trades. 
  The 
  sea 
  and 
  wind 
  generally 
  follow 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  

   shores, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  lagoon 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  sea 
  face, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   bars 
  of 
  beach 
  rock 
  act 
  like 
  buttresses 
  and 
  collect 
  material 
  at 
  

   their 
  inner 
  and 
  outer 
  extremities, 
  forming 
  the 
  sand 
  bars 
  and 
  

   islets 
  which 
  eventually 
  become 
  the 
  land 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  lagoon. 
  

  

  