A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 61 3 



Indeed, part of Hughes' account might apply better to the terns than 

 to the cahow, but he does not give the date of his visit to Cooper's 

 Island. To have remained for the egg-birds would imply a sojourn 

 of about four or five months on Cooper's Island. 



There are several references to this bird in the local laws of Ber- 

 muda. Even so early as 1616, a law was passed restricting the taking 

 of the bird and its eggs, because of the rapid decrease in its num- 

 bers. It is thus referred to in Governor Butler's " Historye": 



" In the same moneth he held his second generall Assize at St. 

 George's, as irregularly as the first, wherin not any matter of note 

 was handled, only a proclamation (or rather article, as it was then 

 tearmed) was published (but overlate) against the spoyle and havock 

 of the cahowes, and other birds, which already wer almost all of 

 them killed and scared awaye very improvidently by fire, diggeinge, 

 stoneinge, and all kinds of murtheringes." 



Among the laws enacted by the Bermuda Company, 1621-22, was 

 the following : 



" The Governour, and other officers, shall take care for the preser- 

 vation of the breed of Birds, by reserving to them those Hands 

 whereunto they resort." 



This doubtless refers to the egg-birds as well as to the cahow, but 

 it was " overlate," like the former law, for before that time the 

 cahows and the egg-birds had been practically exterminated.* 



The cahow is said to have bred on various small islands to which 

 the wild boos could not swim. Previous to the introduction of the 

 hogs they and the egg-birds may have bred also on the larger islands, 

 for they had originally no natural enemies there. The hogs would 

 certainly have exterminated them from all the islands to which they 

 could get access. But Cooper's Island is the only island mentioned 

 by name as a breeding place. As they burrowed holes in the soil 

 for their nests, they could have bred numerously only on those 

 islands that had some sandy soil (shell-sand). 



Cooper's Island, which contains about 11 acres, has a large amount 

 of sandy soil, and was, therefore, admirably adapted for their use and 

 would have afforded room for a vast number of nests. They prob- 

 ably bred, also, on Nonesuch, St. David's, Charles Island, etc., in 

 those parts that are sandy. 



* Capt. John Smith in his General History of Virginia, etc. (ed. of 1629), 

 states that the cahows and egg-birds were "all gone" at that date. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XI. 43 June, 1902. 



