503 A. E. Verrill— The Bermuda Islands. 91 
e.—Drouths and Famines. 
Throughout the early history of the islands there were frequent 
seasons of scarcity of food, and sometimes of genuine famine during 
the winter, but the reasons for this are frequently not given, except 
as an infliction sent upon them by the Lord for their sins, as stated 
in the proclamations of the governors. 
The causes of some of these famines have been mentioned in other 
chapters. Not infrequently lack of food was due to the destruction 
of the crops by hurricanes, as in 1629, when the “great guste” of 
August 16 destroyed all their crops and many of their houses and 
forts, and was followed in the next winter by a partial famine. (See 
p. 497.) 
In 1616 to 1619 great scarcity of food was due to the plague of 
wood-rats that ate up all their crops, even digging up the seed as 
soon as planted. (See Part III, ch. 33.) But several seasons of great 
scarcity have certainly been due to summer drouths, though these 
are not often very severe. 
A proclamation for thanksgiving was issued by Governor Sayle, 
Thursday, Aug. 22, 1662, because it had pleased God “to send us a 
gratious rain in a plentiful manner, thorow his tender mercies and 
compassions.” He explained that before the rain came, he had been 
about to appoint a day of fasting and prayer, on account of “a great 
and terrible drouth upon the land, that all things were even withered 
and dried upp, soe that the dumb creatures began to languish.” 
In the summer of 1784 there was a severe drouth. It was so 
severe that according to an item in the Royal Gazette, “there is 
scarcely any grain left for the horses and cattle.” 
J.— Temperature of the Sea. 
The average surface temperature of the sea varies in different 
months, about as follows: 
JERI 35 oe ee eS Seoe eee 59°-63° F. Jitalliya Sepa ye eet § 79°-83° F. 
Hebruany2e- = 2 ocseece 59 — 63 ATI BUST See ee see ee ease 82 — 85 
Mare peer c oe ieee 62 - 66 SCOUEMMI OEP S25 ee 83 — 75 
ENT osetIL eS Re os os eens OS as 66 — 71 Octobersissasse ss eee te 75 - 69 
WIA Soe ees een, Sc me 70 — 76 INOVem| bere eee 69 — 65 
RECESS es ae ia en 75 - 80 Decemberac sess: Saye oe 65 — 61 
19.— Remarkable Instance of the Death of Fishes, etc., due to Cold- 
ness of the Sea, in 1901, 
During the months of February and the first part of March, in 
1901, the weather at Bermuda was unusually cold, stormy, and wet. 
The temperature fell, at one time, as low as 45 F. The continued 
