﻿THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Emil 
  P. 
  Albrecht 
  

  

  ALONG 
  THE 
  SOUTH 
  SHORE 
  OE 
  THE 
  BERMUDAS 
  

  

  The 
  soil 
  of 
  Bermuda 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  elements 
  on 
  the 
  seolian 
  limestone 
  and 
  

  

  coral 
  rocks. 
  

  

  and 
  drift 
  and 
  currents 
  of 
  the 
  seas. 
  As 
  

   one 
  writer 
  says 
  : 
  ''Probably 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  

   select 
  a 
  more 
  perfect 
  example 
  of 
  current- 
  

   formed 
  islands 
  than 
  the 
  Bermudas." 
  

  

  This 
  origin 
  has 
  turned 
  the 
  closest 
  at- 
  

   tention 
  of 
  natural 
  scientists 
  to 
  these 
  

   islands 
  and 
  brought 
  out 
  from 
  them 
  many 
  

   articles 
  and 
  volumes 
  on 
  the 
  geology, 
  

   conchology, 
  zoology, 
  actinology, 
  arach- 
  

   nology, 
  ichthyology, 
  meteorology, 
  and 
  the 
  

   flora 
  and 
  fauna 
  of 
  this 
  little 
  punctuation 
  

   point 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic. 
  

  

  While 
  we 
  cannot 
  entirely 
  exclude 
  from 
  

   the 
  enthusiasm 
  and 
  prolific 
  activity 
  of 
  

   our 
  scientific 
  men 
  the 
  motive 
  which 
  the 
  

   charm 
  and 
  bodily 
  comfort 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  

   furnished 
  for 
  these 
  expeditions 
  thither, 
  

   the 
  publications 
  manifest 
  an 
  exceptional 
  

   interest 
  on 
  their 
  part 
  in 
  this 
  tiny 
  spot 
  on 
  

   the 
  world's 
  and 
  ocean's 
  surface 
  which 
  the 
  

   peculiar 
  history 
  of 
  its 
  creation 
  has 
  justi- 
  

   fied. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  fruitful 
  sources 
  of 
  

   the 
  spread 
  of 
  life, 
  animal 
  and 
  vegetable, 
  

   are 
  wind, 
  current, 
  and 
  birds 
  ; 
  and 
  here 
  we 
  

   have 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  them 
  all 
  in 
  an 
  isolated 
  

   form, 
  so 
  set 
  apart 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  the 
  most 
  

   satisfactory 
  study 
  of 
  their 
  results. 
  

  

  Kish 
  were 
  naturally 
  attracted 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  

  

  honeycombed 
  front 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  as 
  these 
  

   coral 
  banks 
  make, 
  and 
  their 
  variety, 
  

   beauty, 
  and 
  flavor 
  are 
  such 
  that 
  the 
  tak- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  them 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  in- 
  

   dustry. 
  

  

  Indeed, 
  even 
  the 
  deep-sea 
  monsters 
  

   gather 
  here 
  apparently 
  to 
  note 
  this 
  ob- 
  

   struction 
  in 
  the 
  wide 
  depths 
  of 
  their 
  

   domain, 
  and 
  the 
  islands 
  were 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  

   the 
  center 
  of 
  a 
  whale 
  industry 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  de- 
  

   veloped, 
  though 
  the 
  ichthyology 
  of 
  the 
  

   group, 
  both 
  in 
  respect 
  of 
  those 
  denizens 
  

   who 
  inhabit 
  the 
  shallower 
  waters 
  and 
  

   also 
  the 
  deep 
  sea, 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   many 
  scientific 
  treatises. 
  

  

  The 
  transparent 
  waters, 
  the 
  beauty 
  of 
  

   the 
  shallow 
  sea 
  bottom 
  near 
  the 
  shore, 
  

   and 
  the 
  brilliant 
  coloring 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishes 
  make 
  a 
  picture 
  in 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  even 
  

   the 
  casual 
  observer 
  not 
  soon 
  forgotten 
  

   (see 
  Color 
  Plates 
  I 
  to 
  XVI 
  in 
  this 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  The 
  Geographic). 
  

  

  By 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  freaks 
  of 
  the 
  coral 
  

   shores 
  so 
  frequent 
  here, 
  a 
  small 
  pool 
  has 
  

   been 
  formed 
  in 
  an 
  island 
  grotto 
  in 
  which 
  

   several 
  varieties 
  of 
  fish 
  were, 
  perhaps, 
  

   first 
  imprisoned 
  and 
  others 
  have 
  been 
  

   added. 
  They 
  have 
  grown 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  

  

  