This rock, acted upon by the weather, has a tendency to fall down in large masses, leaving cliffs, steep and rugged in some places and smooth in others; in colour it varies from white to red, and is usually of a light pink.

Behind one of the beaches, a few feet distant from high-water mark, I observed a bank twelve feet high of slightly agglutinated coral sand in parallel beds, mixed up with large depositions of weather-worn shells: Tridacna, Hippopus, Strombus, etc., all of species now living on the reef.

At one end this deposit appears to have been tilted up, forming a slight ridge stretching across the low part of the island.

The shores in some places are fringed with coral conglomerate composed of shells and sand, fragments of coral, and rolled pieces of rock from above.

The reef surrounding the islands does not dry at low water, and in crossing it in the boat very little live coral was observed, except on the outer margin, outside of which the bottom is a tenacious mud, effervescing on the application of hydrochloric acid.
I collected a few plants, among which are a yellow-flowered Cleome, a purple Pongamia, Convolvulus multivalvis, Evolvulus villosus, Guettarda speciosa, etc.