533 A. E. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 121 
The Bermuda Islands afford unusually favorable conditions, though 
on a small scale, for such studies, for at the time when they were 
first visited by Europeans, in the sixteenth century, they had never 
been occupied even by aboriginal man. 
They were discovered a little before 1511. During the next 100 
years they were seldom visited, and no good descriptions were pub- 
lished until 1594 and 1610. We fortunately have, for the latter 
period, very good accounts of the more important animal and 
vegetable productions, as they existed before the permanent settle- 
ment made there in 1612. We also have unusually full records of 
the remarkable changes that were effected during the next quarter 
of a century, as well as subsequently. 
23.—Sketch of the Discovery and Early History ; Historical Ship- 
wrecks. 
The early history of the Bermudas is briefly as follows :—They 
were discovered by Juan Bermudez, according to Oviedo. Since 
they are represented on the map of Peter Martyr, in 1511, his dis- 
covery must have been a little before that time. They were visited 
in 1515 by Oviedo, but his account indicates that bad weather 
prevented his landing to leave hogs there, as he intended. At least 
one or two early shipwrecks, of which we have no details, are 
recorded shortly after that time. Probably there were many other 
early ones of which we have no record. The islands were regarded 
as very dangerous to approach, even at a distance, and as the abode of 
demons. They were called “Devils Ilands” during that century, 
and were carefully avoided by all merchant vessels. It is possible 
that the Spanish government sent other vessels, of which we have 
no record, to do what Oviedo failed in doing. 
Probably these islands were visited, during that period, by buc- 
caneers and pirates, for wood and water, and perhaps for repairs. 
The hogs may have been secretly put on the islands by such vessels, 
during that century, in order to furnish a supply of fresh meat, in 
case of need, for it was a common custom at that time to place hogs, 
goats, etc., on uninhabited islands. They may have tried to intro- 
duce goats, also, on these islands, but those introduced later by the 
English settlers did not thrive there,* though they do at the present 
time. The wild hogs, however, had become very numerous in 1593. 
* Probably at that time there were poisonous weeds that they ate, which may 
now be rare or extinct. Governor Butler suggested later that they ate too much 
tobacco. 
