A. F. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 503 



e. — Drouths and Famines. 



Throughout the early history of the islands there were frequent 

 seasons of scarcity of food, and sometimes of genuine famine during 

 the winter, but the reasons for this are frequently not given, except 

 as an infliction sent upon them by the Lord for their sins, as stated 

 in the proclamations of the governors. 



The causes of some of these famines have been mentioned in other 

 chapters. Not infrequently lack of food was due to the destruction 

 of the crops by hurricanes, as in 1629, when the "great guste " of 

 August 16 destroyed all their crops and many of their houses and 

 forts, and was followed in the next winter by a partial famine. (See 

 p. 497.) 



In 1616 to 1619 great scarcity of food was due to the plague of 

 wood-rats that ate up all their crops, even digging up the seed as 

 soon as planted. (See Part III, ch. 33.) But several seasons of great 

 scarcity have certainly been due to summer drouths, though these 

 are not often very severe. 



A proclamation for thanksgiving was issued by Governor Sayle, 

 Thursday, Aug. 22, 1662, because it had pleased God "to send us a 

 gratious rain in a plentiful manner, thorow his tender mercies and 

 compassions." He explained that before the rain came, he had been 

 about to appoint a day of fasting and prayer, on account of " a great 

 and terrible drouth upon the land, that all things were even withered 

 and dried upp, soe that the dumb creatures began to languish." 



In the summer of 1784 there was a severe drouth. It was so 

 severe that according to an item in the Royal Gazette, " there is 

 scarcely any grain left for the horses and cattle." 



f. — Temperature of the Sea. 



The average surface temperature of the sea varies in different 

 months, about as follows : 



January 59°-63°F. 



February 59-63 



March 62-66 



April. 66-71 



May....- 70-76 



June 75-80 



July 79°-83°F. 



August 82-85 



September 83-75 



October 75-69 



November 69-65 



December 65-61 



19. — Remarkable Instance of the Death of Fishes, etc., due to Cold- 

 ness of the Sea, in 1901, 



During the months of February and the first part of March, in 

 1901, the weather at Bermuda was unusually cold, stormy, and wet. 

 The temperature fell, at one time, as low as 45 F. The continued 



