A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 661 



Bougainvillaea spectabilis Willd. 



A very ornamental garden plant, in flower from November to 

 May. Common in the larger gardens. Brazilian ; introduced from 

 Gibraltar in 1874, by Governor Lefroy. 



Another species (B. glabra) has also been cultivated at Clarence 

 House (Lefroy). 



Madeira Vine. (Boussingaidtia baselloides H. B. K.) 

 Occasionally cultivated ; South American. 



Dutchman's Pipe; Juaco. (Aristolochia trilobata L.) Not common. 



Oriental Smilax ; Sarsaparilla. [Smilax aspera L. = S. sagittwfolia 

 Lodd.) 



Naturalized in some places. Not common. 



29. — The Extermination or partial Extermination of Native Birds. 



a. — Character of the Original Native Avifauna. 



Fortunately several of the early writers* give pretty full accounts 

 of the birds that they found on the islands, and especially of those 

 seabirds that existed in large numbers and were of great importance 

 to them as food. 



These writers all agree in respect to the wonderful abundance of 

 certain seabirds, whose eggs and flesh contributed very largely to 

 their food supply during the early years. Indeed, it is probable that 

 without this source of food those shipwrecked parties would have 

 died of starvation. Even later, in 1614-1615, during the famine 

 that occurred among the settlers (see p. 552), the birds furnished for 

 a time a large part of their food. One of these abundant and use- 

 ful birds they called the ' Egg-bird,' because its spotted eggs were 

 laid in vast numbers in May, openly, on some of the smaller sandy 

 islands ' reserved for their use.' These were undoubtedly terns. 

 They were very soon all exterminated or driven away. 



Among the formerly abundant birds there was one of very great 

 interest ; originally called the ' Cahow ' or ' Cohowe,' with various 



* Strachy and Silvanus Jourdan, of Somers' shipwrecked party, published good 

 accounts in 1610. Governor Moore's letter was written in 1612, but it was not 

 published at that time. The Rev. Lewis Hughes published his account in 1615, 

 and Capt. John Smith, borrowing his facts mainly from Governor Butler's 

 MSS. Historye, published his own History in 1624. 



