36 The Ottawa Naturalist. [May 



a special object of enquiry during his stay here. The most 

 conspicuous regular bird is the Cardinal Grossbeak, and 

 there is a bluebird of about the same size, of the most 

 cerulean blue ; the two flitting in and out of the monotonous 

 evergreen juniper which clothes the hillsides add a brilliancy to 

 the foliage, the brighter by contrast. A law of the Islands pro- 

 hibits the killing of birds, and as a consequence bird life is very 

 abundant. In the vicinity of the towns and settlements the 

 English sparrow has managed to drive off to a great extent the 

 native birds, but in the country their number makes up for the 

 town's loss. 



The fauna of the Bermudas as far as mammals and butter- 

 flies are concerned, is excessively limited. Two or three species 

 of rats, a rare occurrence of bats, and a very limited number of 

 butterflies constitute all there is. The fauna, excepting the 

 rats, has been pronounced exotic, and inblown by storms. 



To the botanist the Islands are a veritable garden of Eden. 

 Most of our hot-house flowers waste their fragrance on the 

 desert air, and the flowering shrubs clothe the hillsides with a 

 beauty which the North cannot conceive. Everywhere maybe seen 

 the Oleander in every shade of colour, from white to crimson, 

 while Cacti, Aloes, Bamboo, Night-blooming Cereus, the Passion 

 flower and Honeysuckle find a foothold in the crumbling coral 

 rocks or on the old stone walls which here take the place 

 of Canadian fence rails. Very few of the numerous plants found 

 here are indigenous, but so kindly do importations take to the soil 

 and climate and escape from cultivation, that it is a hard matter 

 to say what is a wild plant. Fain would I dwell on the beauty 

 of the palms and palmettos, on the foliage of the Tamarind or 

 the grand flowers of the Loquat, but space will not allow of 

 this. Adding greatly to the semi-tropical appearance of the 

 islands is the Banana, generally growing in every garden, and 

 its successive bunches of fruit keep on ripening all through the 

 year. 



The climate may be styled that of a perpetual spring, the 

 temperature never exceeding 90, and never nearing the freezing 

 point. The air is heavily charged with moisture, and, vegetation 



