PREFACE. 



The Bermudas or Somers Islands, since their discovery in 1515, have 

 given origin to a literature of very considerable extent. Not only have 

 they been the subject of discussion in many a book of history and 

 travel, they have inspired the jjoetic fancies of Thomas Moore and 

 Andrew Marvell, and supplied Shakespeare with an environment for 

 " The Winter's Tale." The natural history of this little archipelago has 

 also been a fruitful subject of description from the days of Sil Jourdau 

 and his quaint old black-letter volume, "The Wreck of the Sea Adven- 

 ture," The literature of the islands, as will be shown in a bibliograjihy 

 to be published in a subsequent partof this work, includes many papers 

 of considerable importance from a scientific standpoint. 



The "enchanted isles'' have proved very attractive to naturalists, 

 especially during the past decade, and to the old list of observers, con- 

 taining such names as those of J. Matthew Jones, Sir William Eeid, Sir 

 Henry Lefroy, Lansdowne Guildiug, H. B. Tristram, J. L. Hurdis, Col. 

 H. M. Drummond-Hay, Colonel Xelson, Dr. J. J. Eein, and Colonel 

 Wedderburu, must be added those of Sir Wyville Thomson and his as- 

 sistants on the Challenger staff, especially John Murray and H. i^, 

 Moseley, Prof. W. G. Farlow, Mr. Walter Faxon, Dr. C. Hart Merriam, 

 Mr. J. W. Fewkes, Prof. William North Eice, Dr. G. W. Hawes, Dr. F. 

 M. Hamlin, and Prof. A. S. Bickmore. The field of marine zoology is as 

 yet hardly touched. No place can be more suitable for a laboratory of 

 biology. 



The only book in which a general survey of the flora and fiiuua of the 

 islands has been attempted is in " The Naturalist in Bermuda," an oc- 

 tavo volume of 200 pages, published in London in 1859, by John Matthew 

 Jones, Esq., F. L. S., barrister, of the Middle Temple. This work is full 

 of interest and suggestion. It bears upon its title page as its legend, 

 the well-known saying of White of Selborue, ^^ Every Idngdom^ every prov 

 ince, should have its oicn monographer ^^^ was conceived and executed in 

 the spirit of a true disciple of the Hampshire sage, and received a well- 

 merited encomium from Darwin in his Origin of Species. 



In "The Naturalist in Bermuda," Mr. Jones made no attempt to 



