﻿A 
  . 
  Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  u 
  Albatross" 
  373 
  

  

  the 
  island. 
  The 
  shore 
  stratification 
  of 
  the 
  bluffs 
  is 
  much 
  dis- 
  

   torted 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  that 
  volcanic 
  outburst. 
  

  

  We 
  left 
  Guam 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  reach 
  Kota 
  by 
  day, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  

   this 
  island 
  is 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  elevated 
  coralliferous 
  limestone, 
  the 
  

   highest 
  cliffs 
  of 
  which 
  reach 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  800 
  feet. 
  Perhaps 
  in 
  

   none 
  of 
  the 
  elevated 
  islands 
  have 
  we 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  

   terraces 
  of 
  submarine 
  elevation 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  at 
  Rota, 
  especially 
  in 
  

   the 
  small 
  knob 
  at 
  the 
  southwest 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  peninsula 
  separat- 
  

   ing 
  Sosanlagh 
  and 
  Sosanjaya 
  bays, 
  which 
  itself 
  is 
  also 
  terraced 
  ; 
  

   no 
  less 
  than 
  seven 
  distinct 
  terraces 
  could 
  be 
  traced. 
  There 
  

   was 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  any 
  volcanic 
  outburst 
  except 
  at 
  the 
  northwest 
  

   point 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  where 
  both 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  slope 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  a 
  volcanic 
  structure. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  quite 
  probable 
  that 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  Ladrones, 
  like 
  Saipan, 
  

   and 
  the 
  islands 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  are 
  composed 
  in 
  part 
  at 
  least 
  of 
  

   elevated 
  limestone, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  hydrographic 
  charts 
  and 
  

   the 
  sketches 
  which 
  accompany 
  them. 
  On 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  north- 
  

   ern 
  Ladrones 
  there 
  are 
  active 
  volcanoes, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  

   possible 
  that 
  the 
  volcanic 
  outbursts 
  which 
  have 
  pushed 
  through 
  

   the 
  limestones, 
  or 
  have 
  elevated 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  

   group, 
  are 
  of 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  date. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  last 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  cruise, 
  from 
  Suva 
  to 
  Guam, 
  the 
  

   unfavorable 
  weather 
  greatly 
  interfered 
  with 
  our 
  deep-sea 
  and 
  

   pelagic 
  work 
  ; 
  in 
  fact 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  soundings 
  

   made 
  to 
  develop 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  practicable 
  the 
  depths 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  

   of 
  the 
  various 
  coral-reef 
  groups 
  we 
  visited, 
  we 
  abandoned 
  all 
  

   idea 
  of 
  carrying 
  out 
  the 
  deep-sea 
  and 
  pelagic 
  work 
  planned 
  for 
  

   the 
  district 
  between 
  the 
  Gilbert 
  and 
  Marshall 
  and 
  Caroline 
  

   groups. 
  To 
  our 
  great 
  disappointment 
  hardly 
  any 
  marine 
  work 
  

   could 
  be 
  accomplished, 
  and 
  our 
  investigations 
  were 
  limited 
  

   almost 
  entirely 
  to 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  coral 
  reefs 
  of 
  the 
  regions 
  

   passed 
  through. 
  

  

  After 
  Mr. 
  Townsend's 
  departure, 
  Dr. 
  Moore 
  continued 
  to 
  

   collect 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  where 
  we 
  anchored, 
  and 
  they 
  

   have 
  brought 
  together 
  a 
  fairly 
  typical 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  avifauna 
  

   of 
  the 
  South 
  Sea 
  Islands. 
  Dr. 
  Pryor 
  collected 
  the 
  character- 
  

   istic 
  plants, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Mayer 
  the 
  insects 
  and 
  reptiles 
  in 
  addition 
  

   to 
  such 
  pelagic 
  work 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  port. 
  Both 
  Dr. 
  

   Woodworth 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Mayer 
  took 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  photo- 
  

   graphs, 
  and 
  we 
  must 
  have 
  at 
  least 
  900 
  views 
  illustrating 
  the 
  

   coral 
  reefs 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific. 
  Dr. 
  Woodworth 
  also 
  collected 
  

   incidentally 
  such 
  ethnological 
  material 
  as 
  could 
  readily 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  during 
  our 
  short 
  stay 
  at 
  different 
  places. 
  

  

  We 
  were 
  everywhere 
  received 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  cordiality 
  

   and 
  courtesy 
  : 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus, 
  the 
  King 
  of 
  

   Tonga, 
  Sir 
  George 
  O'Brien 
  (the 
  High 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  the 
  

   Western 
  Pacific 
  at 
  Suva), 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  Brandeis 
  (the 
  Landes-Haupt- 
  

  

  