680 A. E. Verrill — Tlie Bermuda Islands. 



its name (as I think) by reason it is never seene, either to the north- 

 ward or southward, far distant from one of the two tropicks." 



That it was called " Boatswain Bird " by the early settlers is evident, 

 for it gave that name* to a small island near Spanish Point where it 

 nested. This name appears on various maps, including the Admir- 

 alty chart of 1874. 



As the flesh and eggs of the Tropic Bird are scarcely edible, it 

 never w r as destroyed to any great extent for food. At one time, 

 some twenty years ago, it was in some danger of extermination for 

 millinery purposes. But it has been pretty well protected by the 

 laws in recent years.f Still it is probably far less abundant than in 

 the early times of the colony. 



Mr. A. H. Verrill found, in 1901, large numbers of the very 

 injurious "Spiral Snail" ( Rumina decottata) in the stomachs of some 

 specimens, in April, together with broken sea-urchins and the remains 

 of fishes. If it has acquired a decided taste for this snail, as indi- 

 cated by these instances, it will prove a great blessing to the farmers, 

 for the snail is very prolific, and has few natural enemies, so that it 

 has already rapidly spread over all the Main Island. On some occa- 

 sions it was seen in the act of eating the snails. 



Contrary to the statements of several writers, we often saw these 

 birds swimming on the surface of the water. We estimated that 

 there may have been 2,000 pairs breeding about the islands in 1901. 



f. — The Herons and Egrets. 



The early waiters speak of herons as abundant and breeding — 

 especially the White Herons. Probably both the White Egret 

 (Ardea egretta) and the Snowy Heron (Ardea candidissima) were 

 breeding there at first, as well as the Great Blue Heron [Ardea 

 herodias), which has been found breeding occasionally in modern 

 times. The white herons still occur, but probably rarely breed. 



Strachy's account is as follows : "There are also great store and 

 plenty of Herons and those are so familiar and tame, that we beate 

 them downe from the trees with stones and staves : but, such were 



* On some modern maps the name of this island has been corrupted to 

 "•Boasting Bird Island.'' 



f A law passed in 1881 imposes a fine of £5 and costs for killing any one of 

 the various singing birds (enumerated), resident game birds, long-tail, crane or 

 heron, woodpecker, kingfisher, etc.; and a fine of 5 sh and cost for every egg 

 taken or destroyed. The same law offers a premium of 4 s1 ' for every crow 

 destroyed, and l sh for every crow egg destroyed. 



