. The Australian Museum magazine. Natural history. THE ALSTKALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 79 A Naturalist on the Great Barrier Reef. By E. a. Briggs, Li'cturcr ill Zoology, Univci'sity of Sytliicy. My trij) to the (livat Biinicr Keef of Australia was uiulertakt'n for the purpose of studying- the marine life of this fascinating area of reefs and slial- lows, of islands and lagoons. Among these interesting places I spent a con- siderable time examining and noting the haliits of the many curious animaLs which comprise the heterogeneous life of tliese reefs. The Great Barrier Keef is one of the mos
. The Australian Museum magazine. Natural history. THE ALSTKALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 79 A Naturalist on the Great Barrier Reef. By E. a. Briggs, Li'cturcr ill Zoology, Univci'sity of Sytliicy. My trij) to the (livat Biinicr Keef of Australia was uiulertakt'n for the purpose of studying- the marine life of this fascinating area of reefs and slial- lows, of islands and lagoons. Among these interesting places I spent a con- siderable time examining and noting the haliits of the many curious animaLs which comprise the heterogeneous life of tliese reefs. The Great Barrier Keef is one of the most interesting areas of recent laml growth in t!ie world. The gradual sub- sidence of the Queensland coast, and the graihial spreading of the coral rock over the sinking continental shelf has led to the fiuniation of a huge deposit of limestone which extends from the neighbourhood of Torres Strait along the north-east coast of Australia fo, a distance of 1,250 miles. This im mense liarrier, built up by the activi- ties of countless myriads of coral i^olyir-^. is not an uninterrupted wall, but is deeply scored in many places by clian- nels and passages, whicli, in some cases, are wide outlets to tlie vast ex'iDanse of the Pacific. The distance from the mainland to the outer edge of this great chain of reefs varies from ten to thirty miles near its northern extremity. As mv follow t!ie reefs to the southward we find the outer edge of the barrier grad- ually creeps away from the Queensland coast until south of Cairns it is 40 to 60 miles from the mainland. Still fur- ther south the liarrier extends rapidly to the east, and tinally breaks up into a series of isolated reefs and small is- lands, the outermost of Avliich are some 150 miles distant from the Queensland coast. The area within the barrier is thickly studded with islets, reefs and sand-banks, all of which offer a happy hunting ground to the naturalist. This great accumulation of coral does not form a high barrier above the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky
