JONES ON THE VEGETATION OF THE BERMUDAS. 237 



Carboniferous strata, the position of the red stratum, and the isola- 

 tion of the Upper Arisaig fossiliferous strata, attest this. Yet I 

 believe that it has been a benefactor to our geology, as I consideo: 

 that without it this interesting and typical series which is of so much 

 service in the illustration of Nova Scotian Geology, would still 

 have been hidden in the depths. 



Art. VI. On the Vegetation of the Bermudas. Br 

 J. Matthew Jones, F. L. S. 



The Bermudas, sometimes known under the almost obsolete 

 name of The Somers' Isles, are situate in 32^ 15' north latitude, 

 and 64° 51' west longitude, being distant from the nearest land, 

 Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, about 600 nautical miles. 



The general features of the group present no remarkable attrac- 

 tions ; merely an elongated strip of land about 25 miles in length, 

 somewhat in shape like the letter J without its horizontal summit, 

 slightly elevated above the surrounding ocean, and broken more or 

 less into a series of disconnected patches, which, although in 

 reality islets, are only slightly separated from the principal body of 

 land which may be called "Bermuda proper." On its northern 

 side, this strip of land as seen from sea, presents a rugged coast 

 outline, composed alternately of cliiFs of slight elevation and lowlands 

 faced seaward with a strip of shelving sand beach, or masses of 

 wave w^orn rock channelled and fretted by the ceaseless action of 

 the waves. The w^hole is surrounded by a barrier reef formed of 

 the same calcareous limestone as the islands, coated with serpulae ; 

 which, although originally the coast line of the Bermuda land is 

 now wholly submerged at high water, save at one point to the 

 north, where on the line of this barrier reef stand four pinnacles of 

 rock about ten feet above high water. 



The surface of the land, which is nowhere higher than 250 feet, 

 appears on trivial inspection to be composed of sand and soil in- 

 terspersed with rock, and clothed over its whole extent with stunted 

 cedars. In certain places where the land lies nearly on a level 



