39 
Kimuta, a well grassed island, the largest of the Renards, was 
also found at Mguoa, on western end, to be formed by a raised coral 
reef. The reef is composed of a cream colored, fossiliferous limestone, 
seamed with veinlets of carbonate of lime. 
The island of Misima (St. Aignan), which I visited after leaving 
the Renards, is perhaps one of the most interesting and instructive to 
the student of coral reefs. Misima is about 22 miles long and varying 
from 1 to 10 miles in breadth. The highest peak, Mount Lakia, rears 
its summit to 3,500 feet above sea level. The wild and romantic 
character of the scenery of Misima leaves an indeliable impression 
upon any traveller who sets foot on the island, and can scarcely be 
rivalled in any part of this portion of New Guinea. A fringe of raised 
coral reef exists around the east coast of the island, presenting a 
perpendicular face to the sea. I first set foot on Misima near 
Bagoiya, where the temporary quarters of the Resident 
Magistrate of the ' Louisiade Group were situated, and had 
an opportunity of examining the coast line in the vicinity 
of the mouth of Gumonina Creek. Gumonina Creek has a 
generally southerly direction, and enters the sea somewhere between 
the villages of Gaibobo and Labbipi. * The coast consisted of an 
almost flat terrace, a little above high water mark. From this rises 
a white vertical escarpment of about 20 or 30 feet in height, forming 
another similar terrace. The face of this cliff is weathered into 
curious cavernous forms. Through this mass of upraised coral reef, 
Gumonina Creek has cut a channel for itself to the sea. The platform 
upon which this elevated reef rests consists of vertical crystalline 
schists, the prevailing strike of which is paraded to the length of the 
island itself. These schists are intersected by pale grey granite, and 
contain numerous quartz reefs, which no doubt is the parent source of 
the gold for which the island is famed. From Gumonina, the whole 
of the coast line, as far as the native village of Tenoklamana, was 
fringed with similar coral limestones, which were observed forming 
terraces at all elevations above the sea level No further opportunity 
of examining the elevated reef masses of the south coast than was 
afforded by a traverse along the coast from a point near the village of 
Lagira to Bagorya presented itself. The character of the limestone 
was the same throughout; no organic remains were noticed ; in all 
probability the structure of the corals may have been obliterated. 
The north-east coast of Misima, in the vicinity of Treachery Bay, 
there were several instructive sections which showed the relation sub- 
sisting between the elevated reef masses and the underlying rocks 
From Sagara, the coast as far as Gulewa Creek was traversed, and for 
some distance the track skirted the foot of cliffs of white limestone. 
When approaching Gulewa, bold cliffs of coarse volcanic conglomerate, 
full of pebbles of acidic lava were encountered ; interstratified with 
these were thin lavas of a distinctly trachytic type. The elevated reef 
