A. E. Verrlll — The Bermuda Islands. 737 



A law was passed in Aug., 1620, requiring that turkeys should be 

 kept confined during the time of planting corn, because of the 

 damage that they did by scratching it up, and " untill the said corne 

 shall be found to be half legge high above ground." But in August, 

 162.;!, this act was repealed because it was found that the cut-worms 

 and caterpillars were increasing very rapidly and devastating the 

 corn. But it is now impossible to identify the species referred to. 

 Governor Butler's account, 1619, of the insects is as follows : 

 " The moscitoes [ Culex] and flies [House-fly ?] also are somewhat 

 over busie, with a certain Indian bugge called, by a Spanish appella- 

 tion, a caca-roche,* the which, creepeinge into chestes and boxes, eate 

 and defile with their dung (and thence their Spanish name) all they 

 meet with ; as doe likewise the little aunt [house ant], which are in 

 the summer time in infinite numbers ; wormes [grubs or cut worms] 

 in the earth and mould also, ther are but too many (but of them we 

 shall saye somewhat more by and by), as likewise the grass-hopper,f 

 and a certaine sommer-singinge great flie, [Cicada Bermudiana] 

 the sure token of the established springe (and in that respect as the 

 English nightingale and cukoe), whose loud note very much resem- 

 blinge the whirle of a spindle, hath caused herselfe thereby to be 

 called the good -huswife." 



b. — Modes of Introduction. 



The Rice Weevil (fig. 153), Bean Weevil, Larder Beetle (fig. 171), 

 Meal Beetles, and various other household insects, such as the 

 Clothes Moths (figs. 146, 147), Fleas, Bedbug, House-fly, Meat-flies, 

 etc., were doubtless introduced from England by the early settlers, 

 as well as the parasites of domestic animals and poultry.^ But other 

 more tropical species, such as the Jigger, larger Cockroaches, etc., 

 were brought from the West Indies. 



Insects whose larva? live in fruit or seeds are easily introduced. 



* Cockroaches of several species are now abundant. The most common are 

 Periplaneta Americana, P. A ustralasice Brunn., and Panchlora Maderce. Prob- 

 ably one or more of these may have been indigenous. 



f Probably the green Conocephalus dissimilis. Fig. 191. 



X The hens, especially when sitting, and their nests, are badly and injuriously 

 infested with a small, active parasitic insect called " Merry wig '' or "Merry- 

 wing." I did not see specimens myself, but heard complaints of thek 

 abundance. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XI. 47 Dec, 1902. 



