ASTER01DEA OF THE MEfiGUI ARCHIPELAGO. 



321 



much less salt than it does arouud the outer islands of the Archi- 

 pelago, as the Tavoy and Tenasserim rivers discharge a great 

 body of water, supplemented by the outflow of many other but 

 smaller streams. Another result of this freshwater discharge is 

 that the bed of the sea around the inner islands is covered by a 

 thick layer of mud brought down by these rivers. King Island 

 is situated 10 miles to the west of Mergui. 



" The conditions, however, that prevail at Owen Island are very 

 different, as this island, which is about 73 miles south of King 

 Island, and nearly 30 miles to the west of the main land, lies 

 fully exposed to the Bay of Bengal. The little bay in this island, 

 visited by me, occurs at its southern end. Its head was margined 

 by bright yellow sand — high and dry — on which were numerous 

 examples of a Spirula thrown up during the storms of the south- 

 west monsoon. This sand was succeeded by a bank of coral, 

 while the sides of the bay were strewn with stems and broken 

 fragments of coral, lying over gravel and sand. On this part 

 of the shore I obtained the Echinoderms from Owen Island, 

 and among them, I believe, more than one species of Sand-star 

 — one, a small active form that rapidly buried itself in the sand 

 when the stones under which it was found were disturbed. 



" The western side of Sullivan Island also lies open to the 

 Bay of Bengal, and as the prevalent wind at night was from 

 the east, I had, for safety's sake, to anchor my vessel under 

 the shelter of the high land of the island, within some rocky 

 islets that defined a kind of bay into which a number of small 

 streams flowed. When I attempted to dredge, I found the 

 bottom to be composed entirely of mud about one mile from the 

 shore. It yielded a few Mollusca and some immature Penna- 

 tulids. In the tidal way between the islets and the main island 

 corals occurred in profusion, and among them I obtained the 

 Echinoderms from Sullivan Island. This island is situated about 

 13 miles to the south of Owen Island. 



" Sir William James Island is 10 miles to the south of Suliivan 

 Island, and out at sea. — J. A." 



