spots farther southeast, contain water the year round and

harbors an interesting but little known faunal assemblage

which includes at least two species of shrimp, several

species of fish, and an eel. The gut drains the entire

Tutu Valley plateau, about four square miles, which lies at

about 200 feet elevation and is fed by four tributary branches.

Much smaller guts drain the hills around Estate Nulliberg,

northwest of the Lagoon and Langmath and Benner on the north

and the northeast. The latter drains into a salt pond be-

hind the northeast shore of Banner Bay. The pond has been

partially filled as part of the area development already

mentioned.
 The dominant terrestrial organism in the study area is

hiophor mangle (red mangrove). The entire shoreline of

the Lagoon and of Benner Bay was formerly fringed with red

mangrove, but much of the Benner Bay shoreline has been cut

and piers and bulkheads constructed. The remaining mangroves
along Benner Bay are in a belt usually one plant wide. Ex-

tensive growth of mangroves is responsible for the formation

of the many cays in the area.

 The dominant marine feature of the area is an extensive

pasture of turtle grass, Thalassia testudintum the distribu-

tion of which has been mapped by Tabb and Michel (1968) and

McNulty, et al, (1968). Its density is sparser as one pro-

grasses into Benner Bay where all benthic plant growth


Paqe 7