﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Emil 
  P. 
  Albrecht 
  

  

  TPIE 
  CATHEDRAI, 
  ROCKS 
  OP 
  SOMERSET 
  ISLAND, 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  The 
  sea 
  has 
  washed 
  out 
  quantities 
  of 
  soft 
  rock, 
  leaving 
  these 
  fluted 
  and 
  fretted 
  columns, 
  

   which 
  support 
  a 
  roof 
  of 
  hard 
  limestone. 
  

  

  number 
  and 
  there 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  near 
  

   at 
  hand 
  and 
  their 
  beauty 
  of 
  color 
  brought 
  

   out. 
  Their 
  voracity 
  is 
  their 
  most 
  impres- 
  

   sive 
  characteristic, 
  and 
  the 
  place 
  is 
  sig- 
  

   nificantly 
  called 
  the 
  "Devil's 
  Hole." 
  

  

  BERMUDA 
  IS 
  AS 
  PREE 
  OP 
  SNAKES 
  AS 
  IS 
  

   IRELAND 
  

  

  The 
  birds, 
  especially 
  the 
  aquatic 
  spe- 
  

   cies, 
  are 
  numerous, 
  283 
  species 
  visiting 
  

   the 
  islands 
  yearly. 
  Many 
  varieties 
  were 
  

   much 
  more 
  in 
  evidence 
  when 
  the 
  islands 
  

   were 
  discovered 
  than 
  now. 
  Their 
  num- 
  

   ber, 
  their 
  tameness, 
  the 
  great 
  supply 
  of 
  

   good 
  meat 
  and 
  eggs 
  they 
  furnished, 
  as 
  a 
  

   source 
  of 
  food, 
  formed 
  one 
  theme 
  of 
  the 
  

   rosy 
  accounts 
  which 
  were 
  circulated 
  about 
  

   the 
  islands 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  years 
  of 
  their 
  his- 
  

   tory. 
  Efforts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  

   most 
  useful, 
  but 
  failed. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  no 
  more 
  snakes 
  in 
  Bermuda 
  

   than 
  there 
  are 
  in 
  Ireland. 
  They 
  have 
  a 
  

   lizard 
  and 
  some 
  varieties 
  of 
  turtle, 
  but 
  

   that 
  is 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  reptile 
  life. 
  

  

  The 
  turtles 
  must 
  in 
  old 
  times 
  have 
  been 
  

   of 
  huge 
  size; 
  one, 
  it 
  was 
  said, 
  was 
  large 
  

   enough 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  good 
  meal 
  from 
  its 
  meat 
  

  

  to 
  fifty 
  men, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  the 
  oil 
  of 
  

   such 
  monsters 
  were 
  equally 
  useful. 
  There 
  

   are 
  turtles 
  there 
  still, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  

   discouraged 
  in 
  their 
  expansive 
  ambitions 
  

   and 
  do 
  not 
  furnish 
  forth 
  a 
  marriage 
  feast 
  

   as 
  generously 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  dawn 
  of 
  civiliza- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  that 
  little 
  community. 
  

  

  The 
  Bermudas 
  are 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  adopted 
  

   nativity. 
  They 
  are 
  most 
  hospitable 
  to 
  

   new 
  varieties 
  of 
  life. 
  Some 
  enterprising 
  

   grower 
  of 
  plants 
  introduced 
  a 
  toad 
  to 
  

   take 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  which 
  were 
  

   troubling 
  him 
  in 
  his 
  garden 
  and 
  though 
  

   this 
  was 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   last 
  century, 
  one 
  runs 
  across 
  everywhere 
  

   frequent 
  evidence 
  of 
  these 
  immigrants 
  of 
  

   a 
  size 
  startling 
  to 
  one 
  used 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  

   modest 
  variety 
  at 
  home. 
  

  

  A 
  PLAGUE 
  OP 
  RATS 
  LEAVES 
  A 
  PLAGUE 
  

   OP 
  CATS 
  

  

  Very 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  settlement, 
  and 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  1620, 
  a 
  vessel 
  brought 
  some 
  enter- 
  

   prising 
  rats, 
  which, 
  with 
  enthusiasm 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  a 
  better 
  cause, 
  multiplied 
  until 
  

   they 
  ravaged 
  the 
  islands, 
  ate 
  everything 
  

  

  