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Australia, telegraphic communication with Mauritius being established in 1902. With a length of 13 M. E. and W., and a breadth of 3 to 6 m. N. and S., it has an See also:

AREA

area estimated at 422 sq. m. On all sides it is surrounded by a fringing See also:

REEF (1)

reef of See also:

CORAL

coral, studded with islets. This reef, only Too yds. wide at the eastern end of the island, extends westward 3 m., and both N. and S. forms a See also:

FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat area partly dry at See also:

low See also:

WATER

water. Two passages through the reef are available for large vessels—these leading respectively to See also:

PORT

Port Mathurin on the N. See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast and to Port South-See also:

East. The island was at one See also:

period believed to consist of See also:

GRANITE (adapted from the Ital. granite, grained; Lat. granum, grain)

granite over-laid with See also:

LIMESTONE

limestone and other See also:

MODERN

modern formations, and its supposed formation caused it to be regarded as a remnant of the hypothetical See also:

CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

continent of Lemuria. The investigations made by an expedition sent by the British See also:

government in 1874 showed, however, that the island is a See also:

mass of volcanic See also:

rock, mainly a doleritic See also:

LAVA

lava, See also:

rich in See also:

OLIVINE

olivine. The See also:

LAND

land consists largely of a See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of hills. The See also:

main See also:

ridge, which runs parallel to the longest See also:

DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter, rises abruptly on the east, more gradually on the See also:

west, where there is a wide See also:

PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain of coralline limestone, studded with caves, some stalactitic.

Of several peaks on the main ridge the highest is Mt. See also:

LIMON, or PORT LIMON

Limon, 1300 ft. above the See also:

sea. The ridge is deeply cut by ravines, the upper parts of which show successive belts of lava separated by thin beds of cinders, See also:

AGGLOMERATE (from the Lat. agglomerare, to form into a ball, glomus, glomeris)

agglomerate and coloured See also:

CLAYS, PAUL JEAN (1819-1900)

clays. In places the cliffs rise 300 ft. and exhibit twelve distinct lava flows. The See also:

CLIMATE

climate is like that of Mauritius, but Rodriguez is more subject than Mauritius to hurricanes during the See also:

north-west See also:

monsoon (See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November to See also:

APRIL

April). See also:

FLORA

Flora and See also:

FAUNA

Fauna.—When discovered, and down into the 17th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century, Rodriguez was clothed with See also:

FINE

fine See also:

TIMBER

timber trees; but goats, See also:

CATTLE (Norman Fr. catel, from Late Lat. capitale, wealth or property, a word applied in the feudal system to movable property and particularly to live stock, and surviving in its wider meaning as " chattel " or " chattle ")

cattle and See also:

BUSH

bush-fires have combined to destroy the See also:

GREAT

great bulk of the old vegetation, and the indigenous See also:

PLANTS

plants have in many cases been ousted by intrusive foreigners. Parts are, however, still well wooded, and elsewhere there is excellent pasturage. The' sweet See also:

potato, manioc, See also:

MAIZE, or INDIAN CORN

maize, See also:

millet, the See also:

SUGAR

sugar-See also:

CANE

cane, See also:

cotton, See also:

COFFEE (Fr: cafe, Ger. Kaffee)

coffee and See also:

rice grow well. See also:

TOBACCO

Tobacco is also cultivated. See also:

Wheat is seldom seen, mainly because of the parakeets and the See also:

JAVA

Java sparrows. Beans (Phaseolus lunatus), lentils, See also:

GRAM

gram (Cicer arietinum), dholl (Cajanus indicus) and ground-nuts are all grown to a certain extent in spite of ravages by rats. Mangoes, bananas, guavas, See also:

PINE (Lat. Pinus, Gr. srlrur)

pine-apples, custard-apples, and especially oranges, citrons and limes flourish.

Of the timber trees the most See also:

COMMON

common are Elaeodendron orientate, much used in See also:

CARPENTRY

carpentry and for pirouges, and Latania Verschaffelti (Leguat's plantane). At least two See also:

SPECIES

species of See also:

SCREW (O.E. scrue, from O. Fr. escroue, mod. ecrou; ultimate origin uncertain; the word, or a similar one, appears in Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Schraube, Dan. skrue, but Skeat, following Diaz, finds the origin in Lat. scrobs, a ditch, hole, particularl

screw-pine (Pandanus heterocarpus, Balf. See also:

fit., and P. tenuifolius) occur freely throughout the island. The See also:

TOTAL

total number of known species, according to See also:

PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

Professor I. B. See also:

Balfour, is 470, belonging to 85 families and 293 genera. The families represented by the greatest number of species are Gramineae, See also:

LEGUMINOSAE

Leguminosae, See also:

CONVOLVULACEAE

Convolvulaceae, See also:

MALVACEAE

Malvaceae, See also:

RUBIACEAE

Rubiaceae, See also:

CYPERACEAE

Cyperaceae, See also:

EUPHORBIACEAE

Euphorbiaceae, See also:

LILIACEAE

Liliaceae, See also:

COMPOSITAE

Compositae. Mathurina penduliflora (Turneraceae) is interesting, as its nearest congener is in Central See also:

AMERICA

America. Of 33 species of mosses 17 are See also:

PECULIAR

peculiar. Variability of species and heterophylly are characteristic of the flora to quite an unusual degree. At See also:

PRESENT

present the only indigenous mammal is a species of See also:

FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit-eating See also:

bat (Pteropus rodericensis), and the introduced species are See also:

FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

familiar creatures as See also:

deer, See also:

pig, See also:

RABBIT

rabbit, See also:

RAT (a word common to Teut. and Rom. languages; probably first adopted in Teut.; the ultimate origin is not known; Skeat suggests the root rad-, to scratch; cf. Ger. Ratte, Dan. rotte, Fr. rat, &c.)

rat, See also:

MOUSE

mouse, &c.; but down to a See also:

RECENT

recent period the island was the See also:

home of a very large land-See also:

TORTOISE

tortoise (Testudo Vosmaeri or rodericensis), and its limestone caves have yielded a large number of skeletons of the See also:

DODO (from the PortugueseDhudo, a simpleton)

dodo-like See also:

SOLITAIRE (Fr. for " solitary ")

solitaire (Pezophaps salitarius), which still built its See also:

MOUND

mound-like See also:

NEST

nest in the island in the See also:

close of the 17th century, but is now See also:

EXTINCT

extinct (see Donis). Deer, once plentiful, had become very scarce by the beginning of the 20th century, having been indiscriminately hunted by the inhabitants. Of indigenous birds 13 species have been registered.

The See also:

GUINEA

guinea-See also:

FOWL (Dan. Fugl, Ger. Vogel)

fowl (introduced) has become exceedingly abundant, partly owing to a protective See also:

GAME

game-See also:

law; and a francolin (F. ponticerianus), popularly a " See also:

partridge," is also common.

End of Article: RODRIGUEZ (officially RODRIGUES)

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