BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 
12 
Thousands of years ago, these beautiful islands were represented 
by the barren tops of submarine mountains, over which the waves 
dashed in the fury of the hurricane, or the calm expanse of water 
lay unbroken, hardly rippled by the gentle breezes of the tropics. 
Generation after generation of coral insects lived and died, working 
steadily, gradually raising the foundation of a future home for man- 
kind. Ages passed, and their summits reached the surface, vege- 
tation appeared, and now they stand, like oases in a desert, their 
tall palms swaying in the breeze, teaching us still another lesson 
in the beautiful work of creation. 
Although in many places the soil is exceeding scant, yet vege- 
tation flourishes on the larger islands. The cedar, lignumvitse, 
satin-wood, mahogany, and many other species abound. Among 
the fruits, the banana, sapodilla, coffee -plant, tamarind, mango, 
guava, orange, cocoanut, marmee, shattuck, grape-fruit, and many 
others grow in profusion. Birds and fish abound, many of them 
very beautiful ; but the zoology of the islands is limited. On some 
of the larger Ones, wild cattle and hogs are numerous, but they are 
descendants of a few domestic representatives of their race which 
were imported years ago. No other animals were observed, except 
several species of mice and two species of bats. 
On Andros Island the Iguana is abundant, and the natives 
consider it a great delicacy. Only one small one was seen by our 
party. Both the green turtle and the tortoise are common, and the 
shell of the latter forms an important item in the commerce of 
the. islands. Crustacea and radiata are numerous, as well as land 
