12 C. F. Oldham —Physical Features of the Laccadives . [No. 1, 
sand-cays, at Peremul Par a sand cay and patches of sand, at the north¬ 
ern atoll Agatti, some small islets, and at Suheli Par two islets and some 
sand-cays ; these again are all formed on the eastern side of the reefs, 
with the exception of the island of Bungarra in the north atoll of the 
Agatti group. 
2. At Kiltan, Chitlac, Kardamat, Kavaratti and Agatti, the shallow 
depths where live coral exists, and the flourishing condition of the edges 
of the coral reefs on the western and southern sides, also the extensive 
shelf of reef-flat inside the outer reefs at Betra Par, Peremul Par, and. 
the northern atoll Agatti, shew that the atolls are all extending west¬ 
ward, southward, and in the case of Suheli Par south and south-east¬ 
ward more rapidly than in other directions. 
3. The islands and islets are extending at their extremities, and in 
some cases are being added to on the lagoon side. 
4. The larger the atoll the deeper the lagoon. 
5. No signs of elevation or subsidence were observed. The islet 
at Betra Par, although being washed away on its N.-E. and S.-W. sides, 
is extending at its extremities. 
6. Large boulders of coral rock are found on the beach, on the east 
and north east sides of the islands. 
7. With one exception, that of Peremul Par, the entrances to the 
lagoon are on the north-east, north, and north west sides : that is, to 
windward. 
A careful study of the strong winds found in the neighbourhood 
of the Laccadives establishes the fact that the strongest of the ordinary 
monsoon winds is from west, this sometimes has a force of 4 to 5; also 
the vast majority of winds are from some point between N. N.-E. round 
to S.-W. It is evident that these winds and the seas caused by them, 
could not have piled up large boulders and blocks of coral on the E. 
and N.-E. lee sides sufficient to form the foundations of the present 
islands ; there must have been some other agency at work, and this is 
probably to be found in the hurricanes of these seas. Hurricanes are 
rare at the Laccadives, but between these islands and the coast of India 
and to the south-eastward over the southern end of the Indian Penin¬ 
sula, hurricanes are comparatively frequent. Their course is to the W. 
N.-W. or north-westward, passing up between the Laccadives and the 
Malabar coast. (One of these storms is mentioned in the description of 
Chitlac). During these storms the w'inds at the Laccadives would be 
E., N.-E. (the N.-E. being very strong) N. and then N.-W. At the 
latter point the wind would be moderating. 
The seas due to the hurricanes would strike on the eastern and 
