670 A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



shelled and have no difference in yolke nor white from an Hennes 

 Egge. There are thousands of these Birds, and two or three Hands 

 full of their Burrows, whether at any time (in two houres warning) 

 we could send our Cockboat, and bring home as many as would 

 serve the whole Company : which Birds for their blindnesse (for 

 they see weakly in the day) and for their cry and whooting, wee 

 called the Sea Owle;* they will bite cruelly with their crooked Bills."' 



The following description is taken from 'The Narrative' (1610), 

 by Silvanus Jourdan, who was also one of Somers' party : 



"Another Sea fowle there is that lyeth in little holes in the 

 ground, like unto Coney holes, and are in great numbers, exceedingly 

 good meate, very fat and sweet (those we had in the winter) and 

 their eggs are white, and of that bignesse that they are not to be 

 knowne from these egges. The other birds egges [terns] are 

 speckled and of a different colour." 



In "A Letter written from the Summer Islands," Dec, 1614, by 

 the Rev. Lewis Hughes, the following account of the cahow occurs : 



" Here is also plenty of sea foules, at one time of the yeare, as 

 about the middle of October, Birds which we call cahouze and Pirn- 

 licoes come in. The Cahouze continue til the beginning of June in 

 great abundance, they are bigger bodied than a Pigeon & of a very 

 firm & good flesh. They are taken with ease if one do but sit downe 

 in a darke night and make a noise, there will more come to him then 

 he shall be able to kill : some have told me that they have taken 

 twelve or fourteen dozen in an hower. When the Cahouze time is 

 out, other birds called noddies and sandie birds come in, and continue 

 till the latter end of August." This is the only account that gives 

 definitely the time of its arrival and departure (old style). 



The following extract is from the early part of Governor Butler's 

 "Historye," written about 1619, as shown by internal evidence : 



"For the cahowe (for so soundes his voice), it is a night bird, and 

 all the dave lon^ lies hidd in holes of the rocks, whence both them- 

 selves and their young are in great numbers extracted with ease, and 

 prove (especially the young) so pleaseinge in a dish, as ashamed I 

 am to tell how many dosen of them have been devoured by some 

 one of our northern stomacks, even at one only meale." 



'* These peculiarities do not apply to the shearwaters, for they are often Been 

 swimming and feeding in small flocks, in the day time, far away from their 

 nests. Nor are they known to utter any loud cry similar in sound to " cahow "': 

 in fact they are rather silent birds, not even making an outcry when prdled off 

 their eggs ; nor are they to be seen hovering over the water. See under " Pim- 

 lico," below. 



