A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



731 



it had become abundant and injurious over a large part of the Main 

 Island. Its ravages soon attracted the attention of the Board of 

 Agriculture. Finally a prize was offered by them for the best essay 

 on this snail. Five of the resulting essays were published together 

 in pamphlet form.* 



At the present time this snail is exceedingly abundant over all of 

 the Main Island and the other islands connected directly with it, 

 beinf carried about by carts and in various other ways, and with 

 merchandise of many kinds. It is very prolific and has very few 

 natural enemies. It feeds on a great variety of plants, including 



76 



78a 



Figure 76. — Spiral Snail (Rumina decolla to) ; a, animal expanded ; b, shell ; both 

 natural size. Figure 77. — Subulina octona ; x 2. Figure 78. — Opeas Swif- 

 tianum ; x2%. Figure 78a. — Ccecilioides acicula ; after Binney. 



nearly all cultivated crops. Hand picking is practised to a large 

 extent and great quantities are destroyed, but the total number 

 seems to be constantly increasing. 



The Tropic Bird has learned to eat it at certain times, but whether 

 to any great extent is not known. (See p. 680.) Probably the great 



*" Five Essays as furnished to the Board of Agriculture in response to an 

 advertisement offering prizes for the descriptions of and the History of the 

 Spiral Snails, and the most efficacious, expeditious, and economical methods to 

 effect their extermination." Printed by Gregory V. Lee, Queen's Printer, Ham- 

 ilton, Bermuda. (No date.) 



The Essays are by the following authors: 1, by the Eev. W. G. Lane. 2, 

 by Theophilus Roach. 3, by Morris A. M. Frith ; appended to this are copies 

 of letters from J. M. Jones and John T. Bartram, giving facts as to the earliest 

 date, 1876, of the introduction of R. decollate/,, as indicated by finding a single 

 specimen. 4, by O. T. Middleton. 5, by Miss Annie Peniston, contains many 

 facts as to the date of introduction and rate of diffusion. 



