A. EF. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 465 
2.—Forms and Extent of the Islands and Reefs. 
The existing islands of Bermuda must be regarded as the remnants 
of the higher parts of a submerged and very much eroded, older 
limestone island, of much larger size, which has been well called the 
“ Greater Bermuda.” It might, perhaps, be as well called the Plio- 
cene Bermuda, from a geological point of view. 
The outline of the Greater Bermuda is preserved by the outlying 
limestone reefs that surround the present islands on all sides. These 
reefs have an elliptical outline, about 223 miles long and 11 wide, in 
the widest parts, and cover about 250 square miles. 
They consist of zolian or sand-dune limestone, like that of the dry 
land itself. They are, in most parts, covered with coatings of living 
corals, corallines, and alge, that retard the erosion by the sea. In most 
places they rise nearly to the surface of the sea, and at extreme low 
tides large, flat areas of reefs rocks, called “ flats,” are laid bare. 
Therefore they are extremely dangerous to navigators, even now, 
though the two excellent lighthouses and the excellent modern charts 
have greatly reduced the danger. 
The outer reefs, on the north side, enclose large areas of irregular 
scattered reefs of the same kind, and also several large sunken lagoons 
and anchorages of deeper open waters, with bottoms covered with 
tenacious, white, calcareous mud and shell-sand, thus affording good 
anchorages, large enough to accommodate the largest fleets of 
vessels. These are often 50 to 70 feet deep, and sometimes deeper 
than that in places. The entrances are narrow and few. Murray 
Anchorage and Great Sound are good examples of these. (See map.) 
The dry land of the islands consists of over 150 islands and islets, 
many of them very small; together they form a narrow, hook-shaped 
group, about 14 miles long, in a straight line, and mostly from one- 
half to two miles wide. The total area is about 12,400 acres, or 194 
square miles, of which about 3,000 acres is said to be arable.* 
*Some of the other islands, of less importance, with their approximate areas, 
according to Norwood’s 1663 survey (fractions usually omitted), are as follows: 
Cooper’s Island, 77 acres. Boas Island, 4 acres. 
Paget or Peniston I., 31 acres. Yates Island, 31 ‘ 
Long Bird Island, 46 acres. Hlizabeth ‘“‘ 21 “ 
Smith’s Island, 61 acres. Tucker's ‘‘ 21 and 7 acres. (Now 
Nonesuch ** 15 ‘ Daniel Island and Benets Island.) 
Coney ne Aes TOOdS: Brother’s Islands, 20 and 17 acres. (Now 
Castle es 3 ‘* 2 -roods. Tucker’s Island and Morgan Island.) 
Southampton Island, 1 acre 2 roods. Trunk Island, 3 acres. 
Charles Island, 3 acres 3 roods. 
Norwood stated that most of these sizes are only estimates. But they agree 
closely with the official estimate made in 1875. 
Trans. Conn. Acap., Vou. XI. 30 APRIL, 1902. 
