A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 533 



The Bermuda Islands afford unusually favorable conditions, though 

 on a small scale, for such studies, for at the time when they were 

 first visited by Europeans, in the sixteenth century, they had never 

 been occupied even by aboriginal man. 



They were discovered a little before 1511. During the next 100 

 years they were seldom visited, and no good descriptions were pub- 

 lished until 1594 and 1610. We fortunately have, for the latter 

 period, very good accounts of the more important animal and 

 vegetable productions, as they existed before the permanent settle- 

 ment made there in 1612. We also have unusually full records of 

 the remarkable changes that were effected during the next quarter 

 of a century, as well as subsequently. 



23. — SketcJi of the Discovery and Early History ; Historical Ship- 

 wrecks. 



The early history of the Bermudas is briefly as follows : — They 

 were discovered by Juan Bermudez, according to Oviedo. Since 

 they are represented on the map of Peter Martyr, in 1511, his dis- 

 covery must have been a little before that time. They were visited 

 in 1515 by Oviedo, but his account indicates that bad weather 

 prevented his landing to leave hogs there, as he intended. At least 

 one or two early shipwrecks, of which we have no details, are 

 recorded shortly after that time. Probably there were many other 

 early ones of which we have no record. The islands were regarded 

 as very dangerous to approach, even at a distance, and as the abode of 

 demons. They were called "Devils Hands" during that century, 

 and were carefully avoided by all merchant vessels. It is possible 

 that the Spanish government sent other vessels, of which we have 

 no record, to do what Oviedo failed in doing. 



Probably these islands were visited, during that period, by buc- 

 caneers and pirates, for wood and water, and perhaps for repairs. 

 The hogs may have been secretly put on the islands by such vessels, 

 during that century, in order to furnish a supply of fresh meat, in 

 case of need, for it was a common custom at that time to place hogs, 

 goats, etc., on uninhabited islands. They may have tried to intro- 

 duce goats, also, on these islands, but those introduced later by the 

 English settlers did not thrive there,* though they do at the present 

 time. The wild hogs, however, had become very numerous in 1593. 



* Probably at that time there were poisonous weeds that they ate, which may 

 now be rare or extinct. Governor Butler suggested later that they ate too much 

 tobacco. 



