738 A. K Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 



Wood-boring insects and those inhabiting bark may readily have 

 been introduced with lumber and wood. Various insects, either as 

 eggs, larvae, or imagos, can be transported in cargoes of hay, grain, 

 and other merchandize, or in packing materials, while the larvae of 

 aquatic insects are often transported in the water-casks or tanks of 

 vessels.* 



As soon as growing plants were introduced, the eggs and young 

 of various insects must have been introduced, both in the soil and 

 adhering to the bark and foliage, while the earth about their roots 

 may easily harbor their larvae and pupae. Probably the number of 

 native insects was unusually small, owing to the small number of 

 native food-plants, but with increasing introduction of fruit trees 

 and other plants the number rapidly increased, and probably addi- 

 tional species have been introduced nearly every year since the 

 settlement, but some may often have died out later, owing to 

 unfavorable weather or to the birds. 



The very small variety of insectivorous birds and reptiles has, how- 

 ever, been unusually favorable for the increase of insects. Another 

 favorable point of greater importance is the fact that the insect- 

 parasites and other natural insect-enemies of injurious species have 

 not been introduced with them, except occasionally and accidentally. 

 Therefore, although the insect fauna is not abundant, certain species, 

 especially of Scale-insects and Plant-lice, have here often proved 

 very destructive to the fruit trees and to other vegetation, as in the 

 case of the Peach, Orange, Lemon, etc., which have been nearly or 

 quite ruined by insects (see pp. 526, 635, 639). Probably numerous 

 species of American Lady-bugs, Syrphus-flies, and Lace-wings could 

 easily be introduced, which would help to destroy the scale-insects 

 and plant-lice. Perhaps ninety per cent, of all the insects on the 

 islands have been introduced by man, since the settlement. 



The following list must be regarded as very incomplete. Doubt- 

 less many more remain to be collected. 



The insect fauna of Bermuda, as now known, is remarkable for 

 the rarity or total absence of many groups common in most coun- 



* Miss Victoria Hayward informs me that Mr. Bartram formerly had in his 

 collection a tree-frog taken alive from a water-cask in Bermuda, and a turtle 

 from a bale of hay. 



Certain insects are in the habit of hiding away among merchandize, furniture, 

 draperies, etc., on board of vessels. This is notably the case with many spiders, 

 cockroaches, certain mosquitoes, flies, etc., and probably many have been intro- 

 duced in that way, by vessels. 



