THE TIMOR GROUP 
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other by submarine banks is as yet unknown, although 
this is improbable. Between them and these eastern 
Sunda islands very deep water is known to exist. In 
the Ombay Passage, separating Timor from Ombay, the 
depth of water probably averages about 2000 fathoms, 
while between Sumba and Flores such soundings as have 
been taken show it to be about 700 to 900 fathoms. This 
separation is borne out by geological evidence, Timor 
consisting mainly of slates, schists, and sandstones, with 
limestone rocks of carboniferous age at the western 
extremity, thus differing considerably from the chain of 
volcanic islands which run from Java to Banda. More¬ 
over, Timor is not only washed by deep water on its 
northern but also on its southern shores, for the great 
bank of soundings, which runs out for a vast distance 
from Northern Australia, suddenly ends about 90 miles 
from Timor, and gives place to great depths of from 
1000 to 2000 fathoms. It might thus be expected that 
an isolation so long continued as these facts imply 
should be manifested by great singularity in the fauna 
and flora. This does not, however, appear to be the case, 
although collections are perhaps as yet too scanty to 
permit a judgment, except possibly as far as regards the 
botany of the island. 
Timor, which lies with its long axis in a N.E. and 
S.W. direction, is almost exactly 300 miles long, and of 
tolerably regular outline, being for a great part of its 
length about 60 miles wide. It is therefore considerably 
larger than Ceram, and has an estimated area of 11,650 
square miles. It is mountainous throughout, and its 
surface exceedingly broken and rugged. The ranges do 
not, however, often rise higher than 5000 or 6000 feet, 
and they are generally bare or thinly wooded, and often 
exceedingly sterile, especially on the Australian side. 
