Fewkes.] 522 [March 21, 



reef of the Bermudas is concerned. The oval and circular form 

 of the platform on which the Bermudas rest, and the ring-shaped 

 reef, are often adduced as evidences of the atoll character of the 

 islands. It can, on the other hand, hardly be urged, however, that 

 they prove any submergence, even if it can be shown that the Ber- 

 mudas were formerly much larger than they are at present. 



The isolated remnants of what may be known as the old Bermu- 

 das, now called the North Rocks, show how much erosion has taken 

 place, and indicate how much larger the islands formerly were. 

 They do not prove submergence, but only the great erosion of the 

 rock by the sea. 



Is it possible that in former times the Bermuda was a compact 

 island, reaching from the North Hocks and the line of the North 

 Reef to the present land of Bermuda? Was the oval platform of 

 the islands formerly covered by land of the same shape as the sub- 

 marine platform ? It seems to me necessary to suppose, at least, 

 that the platform was fringed by high lands possibly much higher 

 than the highest point of the present islands. On the southern 

 border of the platform this land remains almost continuous from St. 

 Georges to Ireland island. The North Rocks are remnants of the 

 same on the northern side. Historically, as well as geologically, 

 the evidence is that the reduction in size of the last mentioned has 

 been great in late times. 



It is of course not necessary, even if we have accepted the the- 

 ory that there was a ring-shaped island or series of islands skirting 

 the present platform, to ascribe this form to submergence. Its con- 

 tour in old times may or may not have been ring-shaped. My de- 

 sire this evening is simply to show that the present form is mainly 

 due to erosion. 



The Bermudas are regarded as islands carved out into circular 

 reefs by the inroads of the sea. These inroads have taken place in 

 comparatively recent times. While it is not denied that subsidence 

 may have taken place in the floor of the ocean upon which the Ber- 

 mudas rest, that subsidence has not led to the peculiar ring-shaped 

 sounds and reefs which characterize the Bermuda islands as a whole. 



Mr. Alexander Agassiz made a few remarks on the last paper, 

 suggesting difficulties to an acceptance of certain of the views ad- 

 vanced. He spoke of the existence of living coral in lagoons on 

 the Bermuda reef ascribed to erosion, and of the high cliffs of seo- 

 lian limestone in the Sandwich islands. 



