673 A. KE. Verrill— The Bermuda Islands. 261 
Indeed, part of Hughes’ account might apply better to the terns than 
to the cahow, but he does not give the date of his visit to Cooper’s 
Island. To have remained for the egg-birds would imply a sojourn 
of about four or five months on Cooper’s Island. 
There are several references to this bird in the local laws of Ber- 
muda. Even so early as 1616, a law was passed restricting the taking 
of the bird and its eggs, because of the rapid decrease in its num- 
bers. It is thus referred to in Governor Butler’s “ Historye ” 
“In the same moneth he held his second generall Assize at St. 
George’s, as irregularly as the first, wherin not any matter of note 
was handled, only a proclamation (or rather article, as it was then 
tearmed) was published (but overlate) against the spoyle and havock 
of the cahowes, and other birds, which already wer almost all of 
them killed and scared awaye very improvidently by fire, diggeinge, 
stoneinge, and all kinds of murtheringes.” 
Among the laws enacted by the Bermuda Company, 1621-22, was 
the following : 
“The Governour, and other officers, shall take care for the preser- 
vation of the breed of Birds, by reserving to them those [ands 
whereunto they resort.” 
This doubtless refers to the egg-birds as well as to the cahow, but 
it was “overlate,” like the former law, for before that time the 
cahows and the egg-birds had been practically exterminated.* 
The cahow is said to have bred on various small islands to which 
the wild hogs could not swim. Previous to the introduction of the 
hogs they and the egg-birds may have bred also on the larger islands, 
for they had originally no natural enemies there. The hogs would 
certainly have exterminated them from all the islands to which they 
could get access. But Cooper’s Island is the only island mentioned 
by name as a breeding place. As they burrowed holes in the soil 
for their nests, they could have bred numerously only on those 
islands that had some sandy soil (shell-sand). 
Cooper’s Island, which contains about 77 acres, has a large amount 
of sandy soil, and was, therefore, admirably adapted for their use and 
would have afforded room for a vast number of nests. They prob- 
ably bred, also, on Nonesuch, St. David’s, Charles Island, etc., in 
those parts that are sandy. 
* Capt. John Smith in his General History of Virginia, etc. (ed. of 1629), 
states that the cahows and egg-birds were ‘‘all gone” at that date. 
Trans. Conn. AcapD., Vou. XI. 43 June, 1902. 
