A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 667 



would, that every one of the company were to have, some three 

 some foure a peese, three for a childe boy or girl, for a man foure, 

 then reckon what those that served some fourscore people did amount 

 unto. But this is certaine, if wee would have brought away twice 

 so many more wee might, but our order is not to take Fish or Fowle 

 but for one or two meales, because that by reason of the flies, and 

 heat of the countrey they will not keepe, especially these two 

 monthes, June and July, and some part of August." 



Governor Butler, writing of the Egg Birds in 1619, said : 



" Thes last, arriveinge the first of the spring, upon the first of 

 May,* a day constant kept, falls a layeinge infinite store of egges,upon 

 certaine smale sandy Hands reserved for them ; and so continue all 

 that monethe, being all the while so tame and fearlesse that they suffer 

 themselves, with much adoe, to be thrust of their egges, the which, 

 notwithstandinge they laye and sitt upon promiscuously ; so that 

 many thousands of egges (being as bigge as hen's egges) are yearely 

 eaten, and many more would be, but that by stricte inhibition, they 

 are preserved." 



This was written after certain restrictive laws had been passed, 

 against recklessly killing and robbing these birds and the Cahow, 

 but " overlate," as Butler himself said. (See p. 673.) 



From the early accounts it is not possible to tell, with certainty, 

 which species of. terns were included under the general name of 

 Egg Birds. 



Hughes speaks of two kinds : the Noddies, which were probably 

 the same as the West Indian Noddyf {Anous stolidiis), and the 

 Sandies, which may have been the Common Tern (Sterna hinmdo) 

 and the Roseate Tern (Sterna Doug<dli), both of which are recorded 

 by Hurdis as having been found breeding on Gurnet Head Rock in 

 some numbers (40 to 50 pairs), in 1848, but were destroyed or driven 

 away soon after that, so that for about fifty years past they have 

 only been known as irregular migrants, not seen at all some years, 

 but sometimes appearing in flocks of considerable size in autumn. 



*This being "old style" reckoning, the corresponding date now would be 

 May 12th. This is about the date when they now arrive at Nautucket Island, 

 where they still breed. 



f Hughes and the other early historians of Bermuda probably obtained their 

 names of the birds and fishes, etc., directly from the sailors, some of whom had 

 doubtless visited the West Indies in former voyages. It is well known that the 

 vernacular or sailor's names of West Indian productions are wonderfully per- 

 sistent, large numbers of them being widely used now, just as they were 300 

 years or more ago. 



