BIRDS OF BERMUDA 



189 



blue bird need not necessarily be adduced as an argument 

 for the recent geological origin of the former. "The Bermuda 

 catbird (Galeoscoptes bermudianus), though closely resem- 

 bling the continental species, is considered distinct by jMessrs. 

 Bangs and Bradlee and by Dr. Sharpe. Finally, the Bermuda 

 cardinal (Cardinalis bermudianus) can at once be identified 

 from its continental relative by its characteristic bill. 



Dr. Wallace alludes to the Bermudan lizard as being the 

 only vertebrate animal which exhibits any peculiarity. But 

 much more can be said about it. It is a member of the family 

 of skinks (Scincidae), which is of cosmopolitan range and 

 undoubtedly of great age. The Bermudan skink (Eumeces 

 longirostris) is said to be nearly related to the American blue - 

 tailed lizard (Eumeces quinquelineatus), still we must remem- 

 ber that the latter has long been considered identical with the 

 Japanese skink (Eumeces latiscutatus) from which it can 

 be separated only by very careful study.* It may safely be 

 argued, therefore, that the Bermudan skink has originated in 

 early Tertiary times (compare pp. 123 126). 



Dr. Rehn f records twenty-eight species of Orthoptera, two 

 of them, viz., Paroxya bermudensis and Gryllus bermudensis, 

 being peculiar to the island. If we exclude the cosmopolitan 

 and circumtropical forms which the author regards as prob- 

 ably introduced by commerce, the remainder are more closely 

 related to continental than to Antillean species. 



Only a single ant is peculiar to Bermuda, viz., Prenolepis 

 kincaidi, because some of the more active recently introduced 

 warlike species have no doubt exterminated the greater part 

 of the older resident ant fauna. J 



Mr. Pocock recognised two species of myriopods from 

 Bermuda as doubtfully distinct, though he described them as 

 new species. These are Lithobius provocator and Lithobius 

 bermudensis. Altogether he believes that only six species 

 of centipedes .and millipedes are native to Bermuda, and that 

 three of them belong unquestionably to the Mediterranean 



* Garman, Sam, "Beptiles of Bermuda," p. 287. 

 t Rehn, J. A. G., " Orthoptera of Bermuda," p. 3. 

 t Wheeler, W. M., " Ants of Bermuda," p. 347. 



Pocock, E. L, " Myriopoda of the Challenger Expedition," pp. 123 

 124. 



