738 A. E. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 
Wood-boring insects and those inhabiting bark may readily have 
been introduced with lumber and wood. Various insects, either as 
egos, larvee, or imagos, can be transported in cargoes of hay, grain, 
and other merchandize, or in packing materials, while the larve 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 larve and pup. 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, ete., and probably many have been intro- 
duced in that way, by vessels. 
