ORNITHOLOGY OF THE BERMUDAS. 
The manner in which islands became inhabited by living beings, 
or clothed with vegetation, is a subject of great interest. Birds, 
of all other creatures, possess the greatest facilities for passing 
over vast distances, and in general will be found to be the most 
numerous inhabitants, both numerically and specifically, particu- 
larly those belonging to the waders and aquatic tribes. Mammalia 
and reptiles are generally extremely limited, while insects and 
the flora of the island depend more on accessary causes, and 
sometimes exhibit geographical differences not presented by other 
groups. 
The flora of the Bermudas presents varied features; in a list 
of about 130 species commonly met with, now before us, we see 
that the hand of man has been much employed in their distribu- 
tion, and we can only thus account for the appearance of common 
European and British plants, such as Lepidium ruderale, Mercu - 
rialis annua , Cerastium viscosum, Runex ascetosa , Anagallis 
arvensis, See., as carried thither with the various economic seeds, 
which from time to time have been attempted to be introduced. 
The animals yet observed, except imported ones (such as rats 
an mice), consist of only a single species, referred by Mr. Tris- 
tram to Vespertilio pruinosus, or Hairy Bat of North America, 
s extends fiom Philadelphia to the Saskatchewan, in latitude 54°. 
epti es, as we might anticipate, are equally limited, they perhaps 
enip t e most unlikely to be introduced, the tortoises excepted, 
w ch are ascertained to have escaped from confinement. 
+1 tv pomology is more extended. The Lepidoptera present 
. mei lcan tyP es as Danais archippus ; but some European 
P e ?, iaYe a ^ so ^ een me f with, the appearance of which is not 
si y accounted for. Mr. Tristram has taken Cinthia cardui, 
onZ w/r 5 at f anta ’ volychloros, sphinx, convolvuli, &c. ; and 
!f Se t0 the cx “tion of an entomological friend, 
form S T! 16 CXCOpti °“ 0f K at Vanta, which is the American 
v 2 ml r T%T reP ° rted t0 b6 idcntical 5 and he presumes that 
were cTnt °° ^ introduced > the only spot where they 
had an a, n,M “V” gardGn of Mr ' Kennedy who for years 
had an annual importation of plants from England. 
Mr Tristrlm 0 th ®. Bermudas is essentially North American. 
occrnSf o • Prmt . ed a . Kst in t,1C isIa “ d ^ of all the birds that had 
ocemred to Ins not.ee 1847; and that list, drawn up with the 
