REPTILES OF BERMUDA, 289 



means of Shippe-wracke. The liogges were manie, but are now brought 

 to a small number." Lizards do not appear in the list noted by William 

 Strachy, IGIO. "Worms I nener saw any, nor any venomous thing, as 

 Toade, or Snake, or anj^ creeping beast hurtfull, onely some Spiders, 

 which as many allirme are signes of great store of Gold." John Hardy's 

 poetical description of the Bermudass, 1671, tells ns that "Xo Adders, 

 Serpents, Toads, or Snakes are seen to prejudice Man's health," but says 

 nothing of lizards. 



In recent times there have been several notices, one of which, that of 

 Mr. Jones, in "The Naturalist in Bermuda," 1859, reports them to be 

 very common. From the work of Dr. T. L. Godet, 1800, p. 251, the fol- 

 lowing is taken : 



" In the class Reptilia (reptiles) we find the order Chelonia (the turtle 

 tribe). This order is represented by the green turtle {Chelonia my das, 

 Holbrook); and the hawk^s-bill {Chelonia caretta, Holbrook) is more or 

 less brown or rufous. In the order Sanria we have the lizard tribe. 

 The saurian reptiles are distinguished from the chelonian by the want 

 of a ehield and by the presence of teeth. The bluetailed skink {Scincus 

 fa.sciatus^ Holbrook) and the Scincus ocellatus (Da.) are representatives 

 of this order. The Scincus ocellatus burrows in the sand so quickly tliat 

 it is out of sight in an instant, and appears rather to have found a hole 

 than made one. In the class Reptilia we have had occasion to name but 

 a few genera and species; so barren are these islands in that class of 

 animals which respire by lungs, having red and cold blood, and bodies 

 covered with horny or cartilaginous i)lates or with hard scales." 



Apparently the doctor supposed there were two species of Bermuda 

 lizards, but of those he mentions, one, fasciatu^, belongs to the Southern 

 United States, and the other, ocellatus, to Australia, and neither is found 

 on these islands. The species found here is evidently not a recent arrival. 

 It differs so much from any of its neighbors in the new world that the 

 question of its origin has become quite a puzzle. Seines, Geccos, and 

 other small reptiles of similar habits are sometimes carried immense 

 distances in the ballast or cargoes of vessels. There would be no great 

 difficulty in the way of introduction, but as yet we know of no species 

 so closely allied as to suggest a common parentage among the more im- 

 mediate ancestry. 



The other four species making up the reptilian fauna of the Ber- 

 mudas belong to the Sea Turtles, whose erratic habits and great capa- 

 bilities as mariners have made them visitors upon all the shores of the 

 Bull. Nat. Mus. No. 25 19 



