RELATIONSHIP OF THE FAUNA. 83 



seventeenth century, and as late as the last decade, is again be- 

 coming rare. 



The most regular and abundant, among land-birds, of the 

 " regular " visitants are the small-billed water-thrush {Seiurus 

 Noveboracensis), snow bunting {Fledrophanes nivalis), bobolink 

 {Dolichonyx oryzivorus), night hawk {Chordeiles Virginianus), 

 and belted kingfisher {Ceryle alcyon), some of which arrive and 

 go witli almost strict punctuality to season. The pigeon-hawk 

 {Hypotriorchis columbarius) and osprey {Pandion haliaetus), as 

 also one or two species of owl, are somewhat less regular, but 

 not exactly uncommon. If we except the Seiurus, all these 

 birds are either partial migrants or hard fliers, and it is not 

 difficult to account for their presence in the islands. Some of 

 them, doubtless, reach the Bermudas in the direct line of their 

 migration, and are not wind-borne. The regularity of the ar- 

 rivals proves this almost beyond question, as it likewise does 

 in the case of the numerous water-fowl — sandpipers, plovers, 

 snipe, etc, — which so largely abound during the seasons of 

 migration. Tlie condition is otherwise with the birds that have 

 been met with only at long intervals or on single occasions. 

 There can be no question that these are wind-swept, and have 

 been involuntarily carried seaward by sudden storms. Some 

 of the more delicate birds, such as the warblers, tits, and hum- 

 ming-bird, have thus managed to reach the islands, while, 

 doubtless, many more perished in the interval separating them 

 from the mainland. It is interesting to note that even such a 

 large bird as the American swan should have crossed this 

 stretch of the ocean, but it is diffcult to conceive that the pres- 

 ence of this bird is due to simple wind-drift. May it not be a 

 case of misdirected flight, following the lead of some other 

 birds? Possibly the exceptional occurrence of the flamingo 

 {Phoenicopierus ruber) may be similarly accounted for. 



Excluding the marine turtles which visit the waters there is 

 but a single reptile in the islands. It is a skink, Eumeces 

 longirostris, a form closely related to the common skink of thfe 



