A Vigem Do Beagle Darwin

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The Voyage of the Beagle

Charles Darwin

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The Voyage of the Beagle

by Charles Darwin

une 1../ 2Etext #.3342Date last u"ate"5 -ete&ber 16 67784

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The 0nternet (ireta :nline E"ition of T,E V:RGE :* T,E BEG>EBR C,+>E- D+(0;

bout the online e"ition

The "egree sy&bol is reresente" as N"egsN 0talics



are reresente" as @italics@ *ootnotes are collecte"at the en" of each chater

T,E V:RGE :* T,E BEG>E

P+E*CE

0 ha!e state" in the reface to the first E"ition of this wor$an" in the Woology of the Voyage of the Beagle that it was inconseLuence of a wish exresse" by Catain *it9 +oy of ha!ing

so&e scientific erson on boar" acco&anie" by an offer fro&hi& of gi!ing u art of his own acco&&o"ations that 0!olunteere" &y ser!ices which recei!e" through the $in"ness of the hy"rograher Catain Beaufort the sanction of the >or"s of the "&iralty s 0 feel that the oortunities which 0 enjoye"of stu"ying the ;atural ,istory of the "ifferent countries we!isite" ha!e been wholly "ue to Catain *it9 +oy 0 hoe 0 &ayhere be er&itte" to reeat &y exression of gratitu"e to hi&San" to a"" that "uring the fi!e years we were together 0recei!e" fro& hi& the &ost cor"ial frien"shi an" stea"yassistance Both to Catain *it9 +oy an" to all the :fficers of the Beagle 214 0 shall e!er feel &ost than$ful for the

un"e!iating $in"ness with which 0 was treate" "uring our long!oyage

This !olu&e contains in the for& of a ournal a history of our !oyage an" a s$etch of those obser!ations in ;atural ,istoryan" Geology which 0 thin$ will ossess so&e interest for thegeneral rea"er 0 ha!e in this e"ition largely con"ense" an"correcte" so&e arts an" ha!e a""e" a little to others in or"er to ren"er the !olu&e &ore fitte" for oular rea"ingS but 0 trustthat naturalists will re&e&ber that they &ust refer for "etailsto the larger ublications which co&rise the scientific resultsof the Exe"ition The Woology of the Voyage of the Beagle

inclu"es an account of the *ossil =a&&alia by Professor :wenSof the >i!ing =a&&alia by =r (aterhouseS of the Bir"s by=r Goul"S of the *ish by the +e! > enynsS an" of the+etiles by =r Bell 0 ha!e aen"e" to the "escritions of each secies an account of its habits an" range These wor$swhich 0 owe to the high talents an" "isintereste" 9eal of theabo!e "istinguishe" authors coul" not ha!e been un"erta$en ha"it not been for the liberality of the >or"s Co&&issioners of ,er =ajesty's Treasury who through the reresentation of the +ight,onourable the Chancellor of the ExcheLuer ha!e been lease"to grant a su& of one thousan" oun"s towar"s "efraying artof the exenses of ublication

0 ha!e &yself ublishe" searate !olu&es on the '-tructurean" Distribution of Coral +eefsS' on the 'Volcanic 0slan"s



!isite" "uring the Voyage of the BeagleS' an" on the 'Geologyof -outh &erica' The sixth !olu&e of the 'GeologicalTransactions' contains two aers of &ine on the ErraticBoul"ers an" Volcanic Pheno&ena of -outh &erica =essrs(aterhouse (al$er ;ew&an an" (hite ha!e ublishe" se!eralable aers on the 0nsects which were collecte" an" 0 trust

that &any others will hereafter follow The lants fro& thesouthern arts of &erica will be gi!en by Dr ,oo$er inhis great wor$ on the Botany of the -outhern ,e&ishere The*lora of the Galaagos rchielago is the subject of a searate&e&oir by hi& in the '>innean Transactions' The +e!eren"Professor ,enslow has ublishe" a list of the lants collecte"by &e at the Ueeling 0slan"sS an" the +e!eren" = Ber$eleyhas "escribe" &y crytoga&ic lants

0 shall ha!e the leasure of ac$nowle"ging the great assistancewhich 0 ha!e recei!e" fro& se!eral other naturalists in thecourse of this an" &y other wor$sS but 0 &ust be here allowe"

to return &y &ost sincere than$s to the +e!eren" Professor ,enslow who when 0 was an un"ergra"uate at Ca&bri"ge wasone chief &eans of gi!ing &e a taste for ;atural ,istory who "uring &y absence too$ charge of the collections 0 sentho&e an" by his correson"ence "irecte" &y en"ea!ours an"who since &y return has constantly ren"ere" &e e!eryassistance which the $in"est frien" coul" offer

D:(; B+:=>ER UE;Tune . 1I3M

214 0 &ust ta$e this oortunity of returning &y sincere than$s

to =r Bynoe the surgeon of the Beagle for his !ery $in"attention to &e when 0 was ill at Valaraiso

T,E V:RGE :* T,E BEG>E

C,PTE+ 0

-T G: CPE DE VE+D 0->;D-

Porto Praya +ibeira Gran"e t&osheric Dust with0nfusoria ,abits of a -easlug an" Cuttlefish -tPaul's +oc$s non!olcanic -ingular 0ncrustations 0nsects the first Colonists of 0slan"s *ernan"o ;oronha Bahia Burnishe" +oc$s ,abits of a Dio"on PelagicConfer!ae an" 0nfusoria Causes of "iscoloure" -ea

*TE+ ha!ing been twice "ri!en bac$ by hea!y southwesterngales ,er =ajesty's shi Beagle a tengunbrig un"er the co&&an" of Catain *it9 +oy + ;

saile" fro& De!onort on the 6/th of Dece&ber 1I81 Theobject of the exe"ition was to co&lete the sur!ey of Patagonia an" Tierra "el *uego co&&ence" un"er Catain Uing



in 1I6H to 1I87 to sur!ey the shores of Chile Peru an"of so&e islan"s in the Pacific an" to carry a chain of chrono&etrical &easure&ents roun" the (orl" :n the Hthof anuary we reache" Teneriffe but were re!ente" lan"ingby fears of our bringing the cholera5 the next &orningwe saw the sun rise behin" the rugge" outline of the Gran"

Canary islan" an" su""enly illu&inate the Pea$ of Teneriffewhilst the lower arts were !eile" in fleecy clou"s Thiswas the first of &any "elightful "ays ne!er to be forgotten:n the 1Hth of anuary 1I86 we anchore" at Porto Prayain -t ago the chief islan" of the Cae "e Ver" archielago

The neighbourhoo" of Porto Praya !iewe" fro& the seawears a "esolate asect The !olcanic fires of a ast agean" the scorching heat of a troical sun ha!e in &ost lacesren"ere" the soil unfit for !egetation The country rises insuccessi!e stes of tablelan" interserse" with so&e truncateconical hills an" the hori9on is boun"e" by an irregular

chain of &ore lofty &ountains The scene as behel" throughthe ha9y at&oshere of this cli&ate is one of great interestSif in"ee" a erson fresh fro& sea an" who has justwal$e" for the first ti&e in a gro!e of cocoanut trees canbe a ju"ge of anything but his own hainess The islan"woul" generally be consi"ere" as !ery uninteresting but toanyone accusto&e" only to an English lan"scae the no!elasect of an utterly sterile lan" ossesses a gran"eur which&ore !egetation &ight soil single green leaf canscarcely be "isco!ere" o!er wi"e tracts of the la!a lainsSyet floc$s of goats together with a few cows contri!e toexist 0t rains !ery sel"o& but "uring a short ortion of

the year hea!y torrents fall an" i&&e"iately afterwar"s alight !egetation srings out of e!ery cre!ice This soonwithersS an" uon such naturally for&e" hay the ani&alsli!e 0t ha" not now raine" for an entire year (hen theislan" was "isco!ere" the i&&e"iate neighbourhoo" of Porto Praya was clothe" with trees 214 the rec$less"estruction of which has cause" here as at -t ,elena an"at so&e of the Canary islan"s al&ost entire sterility Thebroa" flatbotto&e" !alleys &any of which ser!e "uring afew "ays only in the season as watercourses are clothe"with thic$ets of leafless bushes *ew li!ing creatures inhabitthese !alleys The co&&onest bir" is a $ingfisher Dacelo

0agoensis which ta&ely sits on the branches of the castoroil lant an" thence "arts on grasshoers an" li9ar"s 0tis brightly coloure" but not so beautiful as the Euroeansecies5 in its flight &anners an" lace of habitationwhich is generally in the "riest !alley there is also a wi"e"ifference

:ne "ay two of the officers an" &yself ro"e to +ibeiraGran"e a !illage a few &iles eastwar" of Porto Praya <ntilwe reache" the !alley of -t =artin the country resente"its usual "ull brown aearanceS but here a !ery s&all rillof water ro"uces a &ost refreshing &argin of luxuriant

!egetation 0n the course of an hour we arri!e" at +ibeiraGran"e an" were surrise" at the sight of a large ruine"fort an" cathe"ral This little town before its harbour was



fille" u was the rincial lace in the islan"5 it nowresents a &elancholy but !ery icturesLue aearance ,a!ingrocure" a blac$ Pa"re for a gui"e an" a -aniar" whoha" ser!e" in the Peninsular war as an interreter we !isite"a collection of buil"ings of which an ancient churchfor&e" the rincial art 0t is here the go!ernors an"

cataingenerals of the islan"s ha!e been burie" -o&e of the to&bstones recor"e" "ates of the sixteenth century 264

The heral"ic orna&ents were the only things in this retire"lace that re&in"e" us of Euroe The church or chaelfor&e" one si"e of a Lua"rangle in the &i""le of which alarge clu& of bananas were growing :n another si"ewas a hosital containing about a "o9en &iserableloo$ingin&ates

(e returne" to the Ven"a to eat our "inners consi"erablenu&ber of &en wo&en an" chil"ren all as blac$ as

jet collecte" to watch us :ur co&anions were extre&ely&erryS an" e!erything we sai" or "i" was followe" by their hearty laughter Before lea!ing the town we !isite" thecathe"ral 0t "oes not aear so rich as the s&aller churchbut boasts of a little organ which sent forth singularlyinhar&onious cries (e resente" the blac$ riest with a fewshillings an" the -aniar" atting hi& on the hea" sai"with &uch can"our he thought his colour &a"e no great"ifference (e then returne" as fast as the onies woul"go to Porto Praya

nother "ay we ro"e to the !illage of -t Do&ingo situate"

near the centre of the islan" :n a s&all lain whichwe crosse" a few stunte" acacias were growingS their tosha" been bent by the stea"y tra"ewin" in a singular &anner so&e of the& e!en at right angles to their trun$sThe "irection of the branches was exactly ; E by ; an" - (by - an" these natural !anes &ust in"icate the re!ailing"irection of the force of the tra"ewin" The tra!elling ha"&a"e so little i&ression on the barren soil that we here&isse" our trac$ an" too$ that to *uentes This we "i"not fin" out till we arri!e" thereS an" we were afterwar"sgla" of our &ista$e *uentes is a retty !illage with a s&allstrea&S an" e!erything aeare" to roser well exceting

in"ee" that which ought to "o so &ost its inhabitantsThe blac$ chil"ren co&letely na$e" an" loo$ing !erywretche" were carrying bun"les of firewoo" half as big astheir own bo"ies

;ear *uentes we saw a large floc$ of guineafowl robably fifty or sixty in nu&ber They were extre&elywary an" coul" not be aroache" They a!oi"e" us li$eartri"ges on a rainy "ay in -ete&ber running with their hea"s coc$e" uS an" if ursue" they rea"ily too$ to thewing

The scenery of -t Do&ingo ossesses a beauty totallyunexecte" fro& the re!alent gloo&y character of the restof the islan" The !illage is situate" at the botto& of a



!alley boun"e" by lofty an" jagge" walls of stratifie" la!aThe blac$ roc$s affor" a &ost stri$ing contrast with thebright green !egetation which follows the ban$s of a littlestrea& of clear water 0t haene" to be a gran" feast"ayan" the !illage was full of eole :n our return we o!ertoo$a arty of about twenty young blac$ girls "resse" in

excellent tasteS their blac$ s$ins an" snowwhite linen beingset off by coloure" turbans an" large shawls s soon aswe aroache" near they su""enly all turne" roun" an"co!ering the ath with their shawls sung with great energya wil" song beating ti&e with their han"s uon their legs(e threw the& so&e !inte&s which were recei!e" withscrea&s of laughter an" we left the& re"oubling the noiseof their song

:ne &orning the !iew was singularly clearS the "istant&ountains being rojecte" with the sharest outline on ahea!y ban$ of "ar$ blue clou"s u"ging fro& the aearance

an" fro& si&ilar cases in Englan" 0 suose" that theair was saturate" with &oisture The fact howe!er turne"out Luite the contrary The hygro&eter ga!e a "ifferenceof 6.H "egs between the te&erature of the air an" theoint at which "ew was reciitate" This "ifference wasnearly "ouble that which 0 ha" obser!e" on the re!ious&ornings This unusual "egree of at&osheric "ryness wasacco&anie" by continual flashes of lightning 0s it not anunco&&on case thus to fin" a re&ar$able "egree of aerialtransarency with such a state of weatherQ

Generally the at&oshere is ha9yS an" this is cause" by

the falling of i&alably fine "ust which was foun" to ha!eslightly injure" the astrono&ical instru&ents The &orningbefore we anchore" at Porto Praya 0 collecte" a little ac$etof this browncoloure" fine "ust which aeare" to ha!ebeen filtere" fro& the win" by the gau9e of the !ane at the&asthea" =r >yell has also gi!en &e four ac$ets of "ustwhich fell on a !essel a few hun"re" &iles northwar" of these islan"s Professor Ehrenberg 284 fin"s that this "ustconsists in great art of infusoria with siliceous shiel"s an"of the siliceous tissue of lants 0n fi!e little ac$ets which0 sent hi& he has ascertaine" no less than sixtyse!en"ifferent organic for&s% The infusoria with the excetion of

two &arine secies are all inhabitants of freshwater 0ha!e foun" no less than fifteen "ifferent accounts of "ustha!ing fallen on !essels when far out in the tlantic *ro&the "irection of the win" whene!er it has fallen an" fro&its ha!ing always fallen "uring those &onths when the har&attanis $nown to raise clou"s of "ust high into the at&osherewe &ay feel sure that it all co&es fro& frica 0tis howe!er a !ery singular fact that although Professor Ehrenberg $nows &any secies of infusoria eculiar to frica he fin"s none of these in the "ust which 0 sent hi&:n the other han" he fin"s in it two secies which hithertohe $nows as li!ing only in -outh &erica The "ust falls

in such Luantities as to "irty e!erything on boar" an" tohurt eole's eyesS !essels e!en ha!e run on shore owing tothe obscurity of the at&oshere 0t has often fallen on



shis when se!eral hun"re" an" e!en &ore than a thousan"&iles fro& the coast of frica an" at oints sixteen hun"re"&iles "istant in a north an" south "irection 0n so&e"ust which was collecte" on a !essel three hun"re" &ilesfro& the lan" 0 was &uch surrise" to fin" articles of stone abo!e the thousan"th of an inch sLuare &ixe" with

finer &atter fter this fact one nee" not be surrise"at the "iffusion of the far lighter an" s&aller sorules of crytoga&ic lants

The geology of this islan" is the &ost interesting art of its natural history :n entering the harbour a erfectlyhori9ontal white ban" in the face of the sea cliff &ay be seenrunning for so&e &iles along the coast an" at the height of about fortyfi!e feet abo!e the water <on exa&inationthis white stratu& is foun" to consist of calcareous &atter with nu&erous shells e&be""e" &ost or all of which nowexist on the neighbouring coast 0t rests on ancient !olcanic

roc$s an" has been co!ere" by a strea& of basalt which&ust ha!e entere" the sea when the white shelly be" waslying at the botto& 0t is interesting to trace the changesro"uce" by the heat of the o!erlying la!a on the friable&ass which in arts has been con!erte" into a crystallineli&estone an" in other arts into a co&act sotte" stone(here the li&e has been caught u by the scoriaceous frag&entsof the lower surface of the strea& it is con!erte" intogrous of beautifully ra"iate" fibres rese&bling arragoniteThe be"s of la!a rise in successi!e gentlysloing lainstowar"s the interior whence the "eluges of &elte" stoneha!e originally rocee"e" (ithin historical ti&es no signs

of !olcanic acti!ity ha!e 0 belie!e been &anifeste" in anyart of -t ago E!en the for& of a crater can but rarelybe "isco!ere" on the su&&its of the &any re" cin"ery hillsSyet the &ore recent strea&s can be "istinguishe" on thecoast for&ing lines of cliffs of less height but stretchingout in a"!ance of those belonging to an ol"er series5 theheight of the cliffs thus affor"ing a ru"e &easure of the ageof the strea&s

During our stay 0 obser!e" the habits of so&e &arineani&als large lysia is !ery co&&on This seaslugis about fi!e inches longS an" is of a "irty yellowish colour

!eine" with urle :n each si"e of the lower surface or foot there is a broa" &e&brane which aears so&eti&esto act as a !entilator in causing a current of water to flowo!er the "orsal branchiae or lungs 0t fee"s on the "elicateseawee"s which grow a&ong the stones in &u""y an" shallowwaterS an" 0 foun" in its sto&ach se!eral s&all ebblesas in the gi99ar" of a bir" This slug when "isturbe" e&itsa !ery fine urlishre" flui" which stains the water for thesace of a foot aroun" Besi"es this &eans of "efence anacri" secretion which is srea" o!er its bo"y causes ashar stinging sensation si&ilar to that ro"uce" by thePhysalia or Portuguese &anofwar

0 was &uch intereste" on se!eral occasions by watchingthe habits of an :ctous or cuttlefish lthough co&&on



in the ools of water left by the retiring ti"e these ani&alswere not easily caught By &eans of their long ar&s an"suc$ers they coul" "rag their bo"ies into !ery narrow cre!icesSan" when thus fixe" it reLuire" great force to re&o!ethe& t other ti&es they "arte" tail first with the rai"ityof an arrow fro& one si"e of the ool to the other at the

sa&e instant "iscolouring the water with a "ar$ chestnutbrownin$ These ani&als also escae "etection by a !eryextraor"inary cha&eleonli$e ower of changing their colourThey aear to !ary their tints accor"ing to the natureof the groun" o!er which they ass5 when in "ee watertheir general sha"e was brownish urle but when lace" onthe lan" or in shallow water this "ar$ tint change" into oneof a yellowish green The colour exa&ine" &ore carefullywas a *rench grey with nu&erous &inute sots of brightyellow5 the for&er of these !arie" in intensityS the latter entirely "isaeare" an" aeare" again by turns Thesechanges were effecte" in such a &anner that clou"s !arying

in tint between a hyacinth re" an" a chestnutbrown 234 werecontinually assing o!er the bo"y ny art being subjecte"to a slight shoc$ of gal!anis& beca&e al&ost blac$5 a si&ilar effect but in a less "egree was ro"uce" by scratchingthe s$in with a nee"le These clou"s or blushes as they &aybe calle" are sai" to be ro"uce" by the alternate exansionan" contraction of &inute !esicles containing !ariouslycoloure" flui"s 2M4

This cuttlefish "islaye" its cha&eleonli$e ower both"uring the act of swi&&ing an" whilst re&aining stationaryat the botto& 0 was &uch a&use" by the !arious arts to

escae "etection use" by one in"i!i"ual which see&e" fullyaware that 0 was watching it +e&aining for a ti&e &otionlessit woul" then stealthily a"!ance an inch or two li$e acat after a &ouseS so&eti&es changing its colour5 it thusrocee"e" till ha!ing gaine" a "eeer art it "arte" awaylea!ing a "us$y train of in$ to hi"e the hole into which itha" crawle"

(hile loo$ing for &arine ani&als with &y hea" abouttwo feet abo!e the roc$y shore 0 was &ore than once salute"by a jet of water acco&anie" by a slight grating noise tfirst 0 coul" not thin$ what it was but afterwar"s 0 foun"

out that it was this cuttlefish which though conceale" in ahole thus often le" &e to its "isco!ery That it ossessesthe ower of ejecting water there is no "oubt an" it aeare"to &e that it coul" certainly ta$e goo" ai& by "irecting thetube or sihon on the un"er si"e of its bo"y *ro& the"ifficulty which these ani&als ha!e in carrying their hea"sthey cannot crawl with ease when lace" on the groun" 0obser!e" that one which 0 $et in the cabin was slightlyhoshorescent in the "ar$

-T P<>'- +:CU- 0n crossing the tlantic we ho!eto"uring the &orning of *ebruary 1Hth close to the islan" of

-t Paul's This cluster of roc$s is situate" in 7 "egs MI'north latitu"e an" 6. "egs 1M' west longitu"e 0t is M37&iles "istant fro& the coast of &erica an" 8M7 fro& the islan"



of *ernan"o ;oronha The highest oint is only fifty feet abo!ethe le!el of the sea an" the entire circu&ference is un"er threeLuarters of a &ile This s&all oint rises abrutly outof the "eths of the ocean 0ts &ineralogical constitutionis not si&leS in so&e arts the roc$ is of a cherty in othersof a felsathic nature inclu"ing thin !eins of serentine 0t

is a re&ar$able fact that all the &any s&all islan"s lyingfar fro& any continent in the Pacific 0n"ian an" tlantic:ceans with the excetion of the -eychelles an" this littleoint of roc$ are 0 belie!e co&ose" either of coral or of erute" &atter The !olcanic nature of these oceanic islan"sis e!i"ently an extension of that law an" the effect of thosesa&e causes whether che&ical or &echanical fro& which itresults that a !ast &ajority of the !olcanoes now in actionstan" either near seacoasts or as islan"s in the &i"st of thesea

The roc$s of -t Paul aear fro& a "istance of a brilliantly

white colour This is artly owing to the "ung of a!ast &ultitu"e of seafowl an" artly to a coating of a har"glossy substance with a early lustre which is inti&atelyunite" to the surface of the roc$s This when exa&ine"with a lens is foun" to consist of nu&erous excee"inglythin layers its total thic$ness being about the tenth of aninch 0t contains &uch ani&al &atter an" its origin no"oubt is "ue to the action of the rain or sray on the bir"s'"ung Below so&e s&all &asses of guano at scension an"on the brolhos 0slets 0 foun" certain stalactitic branchingbo"ies for&e" aarently in the sa&e &anner as the thinwhite coating on these roc$s The branching bo"ies so closely

rese&ble" in general aearance certain nulliorae a fa&ilyof har" calcareous sealants that in lately loo$ing hastilyo!er &y collection 0 "i" not ercei!e the "ifference Theglobular extre&ities of the branches are of a early textureli$e the ena&el of teeth but so har" as just to scratch lateglass 0 &ay here &ention that on a art of the coast of scension where there is a !ast accu&ulation of shelly san"an incrustation is "eosite" on the ti"al roc$s by the water of the sea rese&bling as reresente" in the woo"cut certaincrytoga&ic lants =archantiae often seen on "a&walls The surface of the fron"s is beautifully glossyS an"those arts for&e" where fully exose" to the light are of a

jet blac$ colour but those sha"e" un"er le"ges are only grey0 ha!e shown seci&ens of this incrustation to se!eralgeologists an" they all thought that they were of !olcanicor igneous origin% 0n its har"ness an" translucency inits olish eLual to that of the finest oli!ashell in theba" s&ell gi!en out an" loss of colour un"er the blowie itshows a close si&ilarity with li!ing seashells =oreo!er inseashells it is $nown that the arts habitually co!ere" an"sha"e" by the &antle of the ani&al are of a aler colour than those fully exose" to the light just as is the case withthis incrustation (hen we re&e&ber that li&e either as ahoshate or carbonate enters into the co&osition of the

har" arts such as bones an" shells of all li!ing ani&als itis an interesting hysiological fact 2H4 to fin" substanceshar"er than the ena&el of teeth an" coloure" surfaces as well



olishe" as those of a fresh shell refor&e" through inorganic&eans fro& "ea" organic &atter &oc$ing also inshae so&e of the lower !egetable ro"uctions

(e foun" on -t Paul's only two $in"s of bir"s thebooby an" the no""y The for&er is a secies of gannet

an" the latter a tern Both are of a ta&e an" stui""isosition an" are so unaccusto&e" to !isitors that 0 coul"ha!e $ille" any nu&ber of the& with &y geological ha&&erThe booby lays her eggs on the bare roc$S but the tern &a$esa !ery si&le nest with seawee" By the si"e of &any of these nests a s&all flyingfish was lace"S which 0 suoseha" been brought by the &ale bir" for its artner 0t wasa&using to watch how Luic$ly a large an" acti!e crabGrasus which inhabits the cre!ices of the roc$ stole thefish fro& the si"e of the nest as soon as we ha" "isturbe"the arent bir"s -ir ( -y&on"s one of the few ersonswho ha!e lan"e" here infor&s &e that he saw the crabs

"ragging e!en the young bir"s out of their nests an" "e!ouringthe& ;ot a single lant not e!en a lichen growson this isletS yet it is inhabite" by se!eral insects an"si"ers The following list co&letes 0 belie!e theterrestrial fauna5 a fly :lfersia li!ing on the booby an"a tic$ which &ust ha!e co&e here as a arasite on the bir"sSa s&all brown &oth belonging to a genus that fee"s on feathersSa beetle ue"ius an" a woo"louse fro& beneath the "ungS an"lastly nu&erous si"ers which 0 suose rey on these s&allatten"ants an" sca!engers of the waterfowl The often reeate""escrition of the stately al& an" other noble troicallants then bir"s an" lastly &an ta$ing ossession of

the coral islets as soon as for&e" in the Pacific is robablynot correctS 0 fear it "estroys the oetry of this story thatfeather an" "irtfee"ing an" arasitic insects an" si"ersshoul" be the first inhabitants of newly for&e" oceaniclan"

The s&allest roc$ in the troical seas by gi!ing a foun"ationfor the growth of innu&erable $in"s of seawee" an"co&oun" ani&als suorts li$ewise a large nu&ber of fishThe shar$s an" the sea&en in the boats &aintaine" a constantstruggle which shoul" secure the greater share of therey caught by the fishinglines 0 ha!e hear" that a roc$

near the Ber&u"as lying &any &iles out at sea an" at aconsi"erable "eth was first "isco!ere" by the circu&stanceof fish ha!ing been obser!e" in the neighbourhoo"

*E+;;D: ;:+:;, *eb 67th s far as 0 was enable"to obser!e "uring the few hours we staye" at this lace theconstitution of the islan" is !olcanic but robably not of arecent "ate The &ost re&ar$able feature is a conical hillabout one thousan" feet high the uer art of which isexcee"ingly stee an" on one si"e o!erhangs its base Theroc$ is honolite an" is "i!i"e" into irregular colu&ns :n!iewing one of these isolate" &asses at first one is incline"

to belie!e that it has been su""enly ushe" u in a se&iflui"state t -t ,elena howe!er 0 ascertaine" that so&einnacles of a nearly si&ilar figure an" constitution ha"



been for&e" by the injection of &elte" roc$ into yiel"ingstrata which thus ha" for&e" the &oul"s for these giganticobelis$s The whole islan" is co!ere" with woo"S but fro&the "ryness of the cli&ate there is no aearance of luxuriance,alfway u the &ountain so&e great &asses of thecolu&nar roc$ sha"e" by laurelli$e trees an" orna&ente"

by others co!ere" with fine in$ flowers but without a singleleaf ga!e a leasing effect to the nearer arts of the scenery

B,0 :+ -; ->VD:+ B+W0> *eb 6.th The "ayhas asse" "elightfully Delight itself howe!er is a wea$ter& to exress the feelings of a naturalist who for the firstti&e has wan"ere" by hi&self in a Bra9ilian forest Theelegance of the grasses the no!elty of the arasitical lantsthe beauty of the flowers the glossy green of the foliagebut abo!e all the general luxuriance of the !egetation fille"&e with a"&iration &ost ara"oxical &ixture of soun"an" silence er!a"es the sha"y arts of the woo" The noise

fro& the insects is so lou" that it &ay be hear" e!en in a!essel anchore" se!eral hun"re" yar"s fro& the shoreS yetwithin the recesses of the forest a uni!ersal silence aearsto reign To a erson fon" of natural history such a "ayas this brings with it a "eeer leasure than he can e!er hoeto exerience again fter wan"ering about for so&e hours0 returne" to the lan"inglaceS but before reaching it 0was o!erta$en by a troical stor& 0 trie" to fin" shelter un"er a tree which was so thic$ that it woul" ne!er ha!ebeen enetrate" by co&&on English rainS but here in acoule of &inutes a little torrent flowe" "own the trun$0t is to this !iolence of the rain that we &ust attribute the

!er"ure at the botto& of the thic$est woo"s5 if the showerswere li$e those of a col"er cli&ate the greater art woul"be absorbe" or e!aorate" before it reache" the groun" 0will not at resent atte&t to "escribe the gau"y sceneryof this noble bay because in our ho&ewar" !oyage wecalle" here a secon" ti&e an" 0 shall then ha!e occasion tore&ar$ on it

long the whole coast of Bra9il for a length of at least6777 &iles an" certainly for a consi"erable sace inlan"where!er soli" roc$ occurs it belongs to a granitic for&ationThe circu&stance of this enor&ous area being constitute" of

&aterials which &ost geologists belie!e to ha!ebeen crystalli9e" when heate" un"er ressure gi!es rise to&any curious reflections (as this effect ro"uce" beneaththe "eths of a rofoun" oceanQ or "i" a co!ering of stratafor&erly exten" o!er it which has since been re&o!e"QCan we belie!e that any ower acting for a ti&e short of infinity coul" ha!e "enu"e" the granite o!er so &any thousan"sLuare leaguesQ

:n a oint not far fro& the city where a ri!ulet entere"the sea 0 obser!e" a fact connecte" with a subject "iscusse"by ,u&bol"t 2/4 t the cataracts of the great ri!ers

:rinoco ;ile an" Congo the syenitic roc$s are coate" bya blac$ substance aearing as if they ha" been olishe"with lu&bago The layer is of extre&e thinnessS an" on



analysis by Ber9elius it was foun" to consist of the oxi"esof &anganese an" iron 0n the :rinoco it occurs on theroc$s erio"ically washe" by the floo"s an" in those artsalone where the strea& is rai"S or as the 0n"ians say Ntheroc$s are blac$ where the waters are whiteN ,ere the coatingis of a rich brown instea" of a blac$ colour an" see&s

to be co&ose" of ferruginous &atter alone ,an" seci&ensfail to gi!e a just i"ea of these brown burnishe" stoneswhich glitter in the sun's rays They occur only within theli&its of the ti"al wa!esS an" as the ri!ulet slowly tric$les"own the surf &ust suly the olishing ower of the cataractsin the great ri!ers 0n li$e &anner the rise an" fallof the ti"e robably answer to the erio"ical inun"ationsSan" thus the sa&e effects are ro"uce" un"er aarently "ifferentbut really si&ilar circu&stances The origin howe!er of these coatings of &etallic oxi"es which see& as if ce&ente" to the roc$s is not un"erstoo"S an" no reason 0belie!e can be assigne" for their thic$ness re&aining the

sa&e

:ne "ay 0 was a&use" by watching the habits of theDio"on antennatus which was caught swi&&ing near theshore This fish with its flabby s$in is well $nown to ossessthe singular ower of "isten"ing itself into a nearlysherical for& fter ha!ing been ta$en out of water for a short ti&e an" then again i&&erse" in it a consi"erableLuantity both of water an" air is absorbe" by the &outhan" erhas li$ewise by the branchial orifices This rocessis effecte" by two &etho"s5 the air is swallowe" an" is thenforce" into the ca!ity of the bo"y its return being re!ente"

by a &uscular contraction which is externally !isible5 butthe water enters in a gentle strea& through the &outhwhich is $et wi"e oen an" &otionlessS this latter action&ust therefore "een" on suction The s$in about theab"o&en is &uch looser than that on the bac$S hence "uringthe inflation the lower surface beco&es far &ore "isten"e"than the uerS an" the fish in conseLuence floatswith its bac$ "ownwar"s Cu!ier "oubts whether the Dio"onin this osition is able to swi&S but not only can it thus&o!e forwar" in a straight line but it can turn roun" toeither si"e This latter &o!e&ent is effecte" solely by theai" of the ectoral finsS the tail being collase" an" not

use" *ro& the bo"y being buoye" u with so &uch air thebranchial oenings are out of water but a strea& "rawn inby the &outh constantly flows through the&

The fish ha!ing re&aine" in this "isten"e" state for ashort ti&e generally exelle" the air an" water withconsi"erable force fro& the branchial aertures an" &outh 0tcoul" e&it at will a certain ortion of the water an" itaears therefore robable that this flui" is ta$en in artlyfor the sa$e of regulating its secific gra!ity This Dio"onossesse" se!eral &eans of "efence 0t coul" gi!e a se!erebite an" coul" eject water fro& its &outh to so&e "istance

at the sa&e ti&e &a$ing a curious noise by the &o!e&entof its jaws By the inflation of its bo"y the aillae withwhich the s$in is co!ere" beco&e erect an" ointe" But



the &ost curious circu&stance is that it secretes fro& thes$in of its belly when han"le" a &ost beautiful car&inere"fibrous &atter which stains i!ory an" aer in so er&anenta &anner that the tint is retaine" with all its brightnessto the resent "ay5 0 a& Luite ignorant of the naturean" use of this secretion 0 ha!e hear" fro& Dr llan of

*orres that he has freLuently foun" a Dio"on floating ali!ean" "isten"e" in the sto&ach of the shar$ an" that onse!eral occasions he has $nown it eat its way not onlythrough the coats of the sto&ach but through the si"es of the &onster which has thus been $ille" (ho woul" e!er ha!e i&agine" that a little soft fish coul" ha!e "estroye"the great an" sa!age shar$Q

=arch 1Ith (e saile" fro& Bahia few "ays afterwar"swhen not far "istant fro& the brolhos 0slets &ySattention was calle" to a re""ishbrown aearance in thesea The whole surface of the water as it aeare" un"er a

wea$ lens see&e" as if co!ere" by choe" bits of hay withtheir en"s jagge" These are &inute cylin"rical confer!aein bun"les or rafts of fro& twenty to sixty in each =rBer$eley infor&s &e that they are the sa&e seciesTricho"es&iu& erythraeu& with that foun" o!er large sacesin the +e" -ea an" whence its na&e of +e" -ea is "eri!e" 2I4Their nu&bers &ust be infinite5 the shi asse" throughse!eral ban"s of the& one of which was about ten yar"swi"e an" ju"ging fro& the &u"li$e colour of the waterat least two an" a half &iles long 0n al&ost e!ery long!oyage so&e account is gi!en of these confer!ae They aear esecially co&&on in the sea near ustraliaS an" off

Cae >eeuwin 0 foun" an allie" but s&aller an" aarently"ifferent secies Catain Coo$ in his thir" !oyage re&ar$sthat the sailors ga!e to this aearance the na&e of seasaw"ust

;ear Ueeling toll in the 0n"ian :cean 0 obser!e"&any little &asses of confer!ae a few inches sLuare consistingof long cylin"rical threa"s of excessi!e thinness so asto be barely !isible to the na$e" eye &ingle" with other rather larger bo"ies finely conical at both en"s Two of these are shown in the woo"cut unite" together They !aryin length fro& 73 to 7H an" e!en to 7I of an inch in

lengthS an" in "ia&eter fro& 77H to 77I of an inch ;ear one extre&ity of the cylin"rical art a green setu& for&e"of granular &atter an" thic$est in the &i""le &ay generallybe seen This 0 belie!e is the botto& of a &ost "elicatecolourless sac co&ose" of a uly substance which linesthe exterior case but "oes not exten" within the extre&econical oints 0n so&e seci&ens s&all but erfect sheresof brownish granular &atter sulie" thelaces of the setaS an" 0 obser!e" the curious rocess bywhich they were ro"uce" The uly &atter of the internalcoating su""enly groue" itself into lines so&e of whichassu&e" a for& ra"iating fro& a co&&on centreS it then

continue" with an irregular an" rai" &o!e&ent to contractitself so that in the course of a secon" the whole wasunite" into a erfect little shere which occuie" the



osition of the setu& at one en" of the now Luite hollow caseThe for&ation of the granular shere was hastene" by anyacci"ental injury 0 &ay a"" that freLuently a air of thesebo"ies were attache" to each other as reresente" abo!econe besi"e cone at that en" where the setu& occurs

0 will a"" here a few other obser!ations connecte" withthe "iscoloration of the sea fro& organic causes :n thecoast of Chile a few leagues north of Concecion the Beagleone "ay asse" through great ban"s of &u""y water exactlyli$e that of a swollen ri!erS an" again a "egree south of Valaraiso when fifty &iles fro& the lan" the sa&e aearancewas still &ore extensi!e -o&e of the water lace"in a glass was of a ale re""ish tintS an" exa&ine" un"er a &icroscoe was seen to swar& with &inute ani&alcula"arting about an" often exlo"ing Their shae is o!alan" contracte" in the &i""le by a ring of !ibrating cur!e"ciliae 0t was howe!er !ery "ifficult to exa&ine the& with

care for al&ost the instant &otion cease" e!en while crossingthe fiel" of !ision their bo"ies burst -o&eti&es bothen"s burst at once so&eti&es only one an" a Luantity of coarse brownish granular &atter was ejecte" The ani&alan instant before bursting exan"e" to half again its naturalsi9eS an" the exlosion too$ lace about fifteen secon"safter the rai" rogressi!e &otion ha" cease"5 in a fewcases it was rece"e" for a short inter!al by a rotatory&o!e&ent on the longer axis bout two &inutes after anynu&ber were isolate" in a "ro of water they thus erishe"The ani&als &o!e with the narrow aex forwar"s by theai" of their !ibratory ciliae an" generally by rai" starts

They are excee"ingly &inute an" Luite in!isible to thena$e" eye only co!ering a sace eLual to the sLuare of thethousan"th of an inch Their nu&bers were infiniteS for the s&allest "ro of water which 0 coul" re&o!e containe"!ery &any 0n one "ay we asse" through two saces of water thus staine" one of which alone &ust ha!e exten"e"o!er se!eral sLuare &iles (hat incalculable nu&bers of these &icroscoical ani&als% The colour of the water asseen at so&e "istance was li$e that of a ri!er which hasflowe" through a re" clay "istrict but un"er the sha"e of the !essel's si"e it was Luite as "ar$ as chocolate The linewhere the re" an" blue water joine" was "istinctly "efine"

The weather for so&e "ays re!iously ha" been cal& an" theocean aboun"e" to an unusual "egree with li!ing creatures 2.4

0n the sea aroun" Tierra "el *uego an" at no great "istancefro& the lan" 0 ha!e seen narrow lines of water of abright re" colour fro& the nu&ber of crustacea whichso&ewhat rese&ble in for& large rawns The sealers callthe& whalefoo" (hether whales fee" on the& 0 "o not$nowS but terns cor&orants an" i&&ense her"s of greatunwiel"y seals "eri!e on so&e arts of the coast their chief sustenance fro& these swi&&ing crabs -ea&enin!ariably attribute the "iscoloration of the water to sawnS

but 0 foun" this to be the case only on one occasion tthe "istance of se!eral leagues fro& the rchielago of theGalaagos the shi saile" through three stris of a "ar$



yellowish or &u"li$e waterS these stris were so&e &ileslong but only a few yar"s wi"e an" they were searate"fro& the surroun"ing water by a sinuous yet "istinct &arginThe colour was cause" by little gelatinous balls aboutthe fifth of an inch in "ia&eter in which nu&erous &inutesherical o!ules were i&be""e"5 they were of two "istinct

$in"s one being of a re""ish colour an" of a "ifferent shaefro& the other 0 cannot for& a conjecture as to what two$in"s of ani&als these belonge" Catain Colnett re&ar$sthat this aearance is !ery co&&on a&ong the Galaagos0slan"s an" that the "irections of the ban"s in"icate thatof the currentsS in the "escribe" case howe!er the line wascause" by the win" The only other aearance which 0ha!e to notice is a thin oily coat on the water which "islaysiri"escent colours 0 saw a consi"erable tract of theocean thus co!ere" on the coast of Bra9ilS the sea&enattribute" it to the utrefying carcase of so&e whale whichrobably was floating at no great "istance 0 "o not here

&ention the &inute gelatinous articles hereafter to bereferre" to which are freLuently "iserse" throughout thewater for they are not sufficiently abun"ant to create anychange of colour

There are two circu&stances in the abo!e accounts whichaear re&ar$able5 first how "o the !arious bo"ies whichfor& the ban"s with "efine" e"ges $ee togetherQ 0n thecase of the rawnli$e crabs their &o!e&ents were ascoinstantaneous as in a regi&ent of sol"iersS but this cannothaen fro& anything li$e !oluntary action with the o!ulesor the confer!ae nor is it robable a&ong the infusoria

-econ"ly what causes the length an" narrowness of theban"sQ The aearance so &uch rese&bles that which &aybe seen in e!ery torrent where the strea& uncoils into longstrea$s the froth collecte" in the e""ies that 0 &ust attributethe effect to a si&ilar action either of the currents of theair or sea <n"er this suosition we &ust belie!e that the!arious organi9e" bo"ies are ro"uce" in certain fa!ourablelaces an" are thence re&o!e" by the set of either win"or water 0 confess howe!er there is a !ery great "ifficultyin i&agining any one sot to be the birthlace of the &illionsof &illions of ani&alcula an" confer!ae5 for whence co&ethe ger&s at such ointsQ the arent bo"ies ha!ing been

"istribute" by the win"s an" wa!es o!er the i&&ense oceanBut on no other hyothesis can 0 un"erstan" their linear grouing 0 &ay a"" that -coresby re&ar$s that greenwater aboun"ing with elagic ani&als is in!ariably foun"in a certain art of the rctic -ea

214 0 state this on the authority of Dr E Dieffenbach in hisGer&an translation of the first e"ition of this ournal

264 The Cae "e Ver" 0slan"s were "isco!ere" in 133. There wasa to&bstone of a bisho with the "ate of 1M/1S an" a crest of ahan" an" "agger "ate" 13./

284 0 &ust ta$e this oortunity of ac$nowle"ging the great$in"ness with which this illustrious naturalist has exa&ine"



&any of &y seci&ens 0 ha!e sent une 1I3M a full accountof the falling of this "ust to the Geological -ociety

234 -o na&e" accor"ing to Patric$ -y&es's no&enclature

2M4 -ee Encyclo of nat an" Physiol article Cehaloo"a

2H4 =r ,orner an" -ir Da!i" Brewster ha!e "escribe"Philosohical Transactions 1I8H HM a singular Nartificial substance rese&bling shellN 0t is "eosite" infine transarent highly olishe" browncoloure" la&inaeossessing eculiar otical roerties on the insi"e of a!essel in which cloth first reare" with glue an" thenwith li&e is &a"e to re!ol!e rai"ly in water 0t is &uchsofter &ore transarent an" contains &ore ani&al &atterthan the natural incrustation at scensionS but we hereagain see the strong ten"ency which carbonate of li&e an"ani&al &atter e!ince to for& a soli" substance allie" to

shell

2/4 Pers ;arr !ol ! t 1 1I

2I4 = =ontagne in Co&tes +en"us etc uillet 1I33S an" nnal "es -cienc ;at Dec 1I33

2.4 = >esson Voyage "e la CoLuille to& i 6MM &entionsre" water off >i&a aarently ro"uce" by the sa&e causePeron the "istinguishe" naturalist in the Voyage aux Terres ustrales gi!es no less than twel!e references to !oyagerswho ha!e allu"e" to the "iscoloure" waters of the sea !ol

ii 68. To the references gi!en by Peron &ay be a""e",u&bol"t's Pers ;arr !ol !i I73S *lin"er's Voyage!ol i .6S >abillar"iere !ol i 6I/S <lloa's VoyageSVoyage of the strolabe an" of the CoLuilleS Catain Uing's-ur!ey of ustralia etc

C,PTE+ 00

+0: DE ;E0+:

+io "e aneiro Excursion north of Cae *rio GreatE!aoration -la!ery Botofogo Bay TerrestrialPlanariae Clou"s on the Corco!a"o ,ea!y +ain =usical*rogs Phoshorescent 0nsects Elater sringing owersof Blue ,a9e ;oise &a"e by a Butterfly Ento&ology nts (as $illing a -i"er Parasitical -i"er rtifices of an Eeira Gregarious -i"er -i"er withan unsy&&etrical (eb

P+0> 3th to uly Mth 1I86 few "ays after our arri!al 0 beca&e acLuainte" with an English&an who

was going to !isit his estate situate" rather &orethan a hun"re" &iles fro& the caital to the northwar" of Cae *rio 0 gla"ly accete" his $in" offer of allowing &e



to acco&any hi&

ril Ith :ur arty a&ounte" to se!en The first stagewas !ery interesting The "ay was owerfully hot an" aswe asse" through the woo"s e!erything was &otionlessexceting the large an" brilliant butterflies which la9ily

fluttere" about The !iew seen when crossing the hillsbehin" Praia Gran"e was &ost beautifulS the colours wereintense an" the re!ailing tint a "ar$ blueS the s$y an" thecal& waters of the bay !ie" with each other in slen"our fter assing through so&e culti!ate" country we entere"a forest which in the gran"eur of all its arts coul" not beexcee"e" (e arri!e" by &i""ay at 0thacaiaS this s&all!illage is situate" on a lain an" roun" the central houseare the huts of the negroes These fro& their regular for&an" osition re&in"e" &e of the "rawings of the ,ottentothabitations in -outhern frica s the &oon rose early we"eter&ine" to start the sa&e e!ening for our sleeinglace

at the >agoa =arica s it was growing "ar$ we asse"un"er one of the &assi!e bare an" stee hills of granitewhich are so co&&on in this country This sot is notoriousfro& ha!ing been for a long ti&e the resi"ence of so&erunaway sla!es who by culti!ating a little groun" near theto contri!e" to e$e out a subsistence t length they were"isco!ere" an" a arty of sol"iers being sent the wholewere sei9e" with the excetion of one ol" wo&an whosooner than again be le" into sla!ery "ashe" herself toieces fro& the su&&it of the &ountain 0n a +o&an&atron this woul" ha!e been calle" the noble lo!e of free"o&5in a oor negress it is &ere brutal obstinacy (e

continue" ri"ing for so&e hours *or the few last &iles theroa" was intricate an" it asse" through a "esert waste of &arshes an" lagoons The scene by the "i&&e" light of the&oon was &ost "esolate few fireflies flitte" by usS an"the solitary snie as it rose uttere" its lainti!e cry The"istant an" sullen roar of the sea scarcely bro$e the stillnessof the night

ril .th (e left our &iserable sleeinglace beforesunrise The roa" asse" through a narrow san"y lainlying between the sea an" the interior salt lagoons Thenu&ber of beautiful fishing bir"s such as egrets an" cranes

an" the succulent lants assu&ing &ost fantastical for&sga!e to the scene an interest which it woul" not otherwiseha!e ossesse" The few stunte" trees were loa"e" witharasitical lants a&ong which the beauty an" "eliciousfragrance of so&e of the orchi"eae were &ost to be a"&ire" s the sun rose the "ay beca&e extre&ely hot an" thereflection of the light an" heat fro& the white san" was !ery"istressing (e "ine" at =an"etibaS the ther&o&eter inthe sha"e being I3 "egs The beautiful !iew of the "istantwoo"e" hills reflecte" in the erfectly cal& water of anextensi!e lagoon Luite refreshe" us s the !en"a 214 herewas a !ery goo" one an" 0 ha!e the leasant but rare

re&e&brance of an excellent "inner 0 will be grateful an"resently "escribe it as the tye of its class These housesare often large an" are built of thic$ uright osts with



boughs interwo!en an" afterwar"s lastere" They sel"o&ha!e floors an" ne!er gla9e" win"owsS but are generallyretty well roofe" <ni!ersally the front art is oen for&inga $in" of !eran"ah in which tables an" benches arelace" The be"roo&s join on each si"e an" here the assenger &ay slee as co&fortably as he can on a woo"en

latfor& co!ere" by a thin straw &at The !en"a stan"sin a courtyar" where the horses are fe" :n first arri!ingit was our custo& to unsa""le the horses an" gi!e the&their 0n"ian cornS then with a low bow to as$ the senhor to "o us the fa!our to gi!e u so&ething to eat Nnythingyou choose sirN was his usual answer *or the few firstti&es !ainly 0 than$e" ro!i"ence for ha!ing gui"e" usto so goo" a &an The con!ersation rocee"ing the caseuni!ersally beca&e "elorable Nny fish can you "o us thefa!our of gi!ing QN N:h% no sirN Nny souQN N;osirN Nny brea"QN N:h% no sirN Nny "rie" &eatQN N:h% no sirN 0f we were luc$y by waiting a coule of

hours we obtaine" fowls rice an" farinha 0t not unfreLuentlyhaene" that we were oblige" to $ill with stonesthe oultry for our own suer (hen thoroughly exhauste"by fatigue an" hunger we ti&orously hinte" that we shoul"be gla" of our &eal the o&ous an" though true &ostunsatisfactory answer was N0t will be rea"y when it isrea"yN 0f we ha" "are" to re&onstrate any further weshoul" ha!e been tol" to rocee" on our journey as beingtoo i&ertinent The hosts are &ost ungracious an" "isagreeablein their &annersS their houses an" their ersonsare often filthily "irtyS the want of the acco&&o"ation of for$s $ni!es an" soons is co&&onS an" 0 a& sure no cottage

or ho!el in Englan" coul" be foun" in a state so utterly"estitute of e!ery co&fort t Ca&os ;o!os howe!er wefare" su&tuouslyS ha!ing rice an" fowls biscuit wine an"sirits for "innerS coffee in the e!ening an" fish with coffeefor brea$fast ll this with goo" foo" for the horses onlycost 6s H" er hea" Ret the host of this !en"a beingas$e" if he $new anything of a whi which one of the artyha" lost gruffly answere" N,ow shoul" 0 $nowQ why "i"you not ta$e care of itQ 0 suose the "ogs ha!e eaten itN

>ea!ing =an"etiba we continue" to ass through an intricatewil"erness of la$esS in so&e of which were fresh

in others salt water shells :f the for&er $in"s 0 foun"a >i&naea in great nu&bers in a la$e into which the inhabitantsassure" &e that the sea enters once a year an"so&eti&es oftener an" &a$es the water Luite salt 0 ha!eno "oubt &any interesting facts in relation to &arine an"fresh water ani&als &ight be obser!e" in this chain of lagoons which s$irt the coast of Bra9il = Gay 264 hasstate" that he foun" in the neighbourhoo" of +io shells of the &arine genera solen an" &ytilus an" fresh water a&ullariaeli!ing together in brac$ish water 0 also freLuentlyobser!e" in the lagoon near the Botanic Gar"en where thewater is only a little less salt than in the sea a secies of

hy"rohilus !ery si&ilar to a waterbeetle co&&on in the"itches of Englan"5 in the sa&e la$e the only shell belonge"to a genus generally foun" in estuaries



>ea!ing the coast for a ti&e we again entere" the forestThe trees were !ery lofty an" re&ar$able co&are" withthose of Euroe fro& the whiteness of their trun$s 0 seeby &y noteboo$ Nwon"erful an" beautiful flowering arasitesNin!ariably struc$ &e as the &ost no!el object in these

gran" scenes Tra!elling onwar"s we asse" through tractsof asturage &uch injure" by the enor&ous conical ants'nests which were nearly twel!e feet high They ga!e to thelain exactly the aearance of the &u" !olcanos at orulloas figure" by ,u&bol"t (e arri!e" at Engenho"o after itwas "ar$ ha!ing been ten hours on horsebac$ 0 ne!er cease" "uring the whole journey to be surrise" at thea&ount of labour which the horses were caable of en"uringSthey aeare" also to reco!er fro& any injury &uchsooner than those of our English bree" The Va&ire batis often the cause of &uch trouble by biting the horses ontheir withers The injury is generally not so &uch owing

to the loss of bloo" as to the infla&&ation which the ressureof the sa""le afterwar"s ro"uces The whole circu&stancehas lately been "oubte" in Englan"S 0 was thereforefortunate in being resent when one Des&o"us "'orbignyi(at was actually caught on a horse's bac$ (e werebi!ouac$ing late one e!ening near CoLui&bo in Chile when&y ser!ant noticing that one of the horses was !ery resti!ewent to see what was the &atter an" fancying he coul""istinguish so&ething su""enly ut his han" on the beast'swithers an" secure" the !a&ire 0n the &orning the sotwhere the bite ha" been inflicte" was easily "istinguishe"fro& being slightly swollen an" bloo"y The thir" "ay

afterwar"s we ro"e the horse without any ill effects

ril 18th fter three "ays' tra!elling we arri!e" at-ocego the estate of -enhor =anuel *iguire"a a relationof one of our arty The house was si&le an" though li$ea barn in for& was well suite" to the cli&ate 0n the sittingroo& gil"e" chairs an" sofas were o""ly contraste" with thewhitewashe" walls thatche" roof an" win"ows withoutglass The house together with the granaries the stablesan" wor$shos for the blac$s who ha" been taught !arioustra"es for&e" a ru"e $in" of Lua"rangleS in the centreof which a large ile of coffee was "rying These buil"ings

stan" on a little hill o!erloo$ing the culti!ate" groun" an"surroun"e" on e!ery si"e by a wall of "ar$ green luxuriantforest The chief ro"uce of this art of the country iscoffee Each tree is suose" to yiel" annually on an a!eragetwo oun"sS but so&e gi!e as &uch as eight =an"iocaor cassa"a is li$ewise culti!ate" in great Luantity E!eryart of this lant is usefulS the lea!es an" stal$s are eatenby the horses an" the roots are groun" into a ul whichwhen resse" "ry an" ba$e" for&s the farinha the rincialarticle of sustenance in the Bra9ils 0t is a curiousthough well$nown fact that the juice of this &ost nutritiouslant is highly oisonous few years ago a cow "ie" at

this *a9en"a in conseLuence of ha!ing "run$ so&e of it-enhor *iguire"a tol" &e that he ha" lante" the year beforeone bag of feijao or beans an" three of riceS the



for&er of which ro"uce" eighty an" the latter three hun"re"an" twenty fol" The asturage suorts a fine stoc$of cattle an" the woo"s are so full of ga&e that a "eer ha"been $ille" on each of the three re!ious "ays This rofusionof foo" showe" itself at "inner where if the tables "i"not groan the guests surely "i"S for each erson is execte"

to eat of e!ery "ish :ne "ay ha!ing as 0 thought nicelycalculate" so that nothing shoul" go away untaste" to &yutter "is&ay a roast tur$ey an" a ig aeare" in all their substantial reality During the &eals it was the e&loy&entof a &an to "ri!e out of the roo& sun"ry ol" houn"san" "o9ens of little blac$ chil"ren which crawle" in togetherat e!ery oortunity s long as the i"ea of sla!ery coul" bebanishe" there was so&ething excee"ingly fascinating inthis si&le an" atriarchal style of li!ing5 it was such aerfect retire&ent an" in"een"ence fro& the rest of theworl"

s soon as any stranger is seen arri!ing a large bell is settolling an" generally so&e s&all cannon are fire" Thee!ent is thus announce" to the roc$s an" woo"s but to nothingelse :ne &orning 0 wal$e" out an hour before "aylightto a"&ire the sole&n stillness of the sceneS at last thesilence was bro$en by the &orning hy&n raise" on high by thewhole bo"y of the blac$sS an" in this &anner their "ailywor$ is generally begun :n such fa9en"as as these 0 ha!eno "oubt the sla!es ass hay an" contente" li!es :n-atur"ay an" -un"ay they wor$ for the&sel!es an" in thisfertile cli&ate the labour of two "ays is sufficient to suorta &an an" his fa&ily for the whole wee$

ril 13th >ea!ing -ocego we ro"e to another estate onthe +io =acae which was the last atch of culti!ate" groun"in that "irection The estate was two an" a half &iles longan" the owner ha" forgotten how &any broa" :nly a !erys&all iece ha" been cleare" yet al&ost e!ery acre wascaable of yiel"ing all the !arious rich ro"uctions of a troicallan" Consi"ering the enor&ous area of Bra9il the roortionof culti!ate" groun" can scarcely be consi"ere" asanything co&are" to that which is left in the state of nature5 at so&e future age how !ast a oulation it willsuort% During the secon" "ay's journey we foun" the

roa" so shut u that it was necessary that a &an shoul" goahea" with a swor" to cut away the creeers The forestaboun"e" with beautiful objectsS a&ong which the tree fernsthough not large were fro& their bright green foliage an"the elegant cur!ature of their fron"s &ost worthy of a"&iration0n the e!ening it raine" !ery hea!ily an" although thether&o&eter stoo" at HM "egs 0 felt !ery col" s soon asthe rain cease" it was curious to obser!e the extraor"inarye!aoration which co&&ence" o!er the whole extent of theforest t the height of a hun"re" feet the hills were burie"in a "ense white !aour which rose li$e colu&ns of s&o$efro& the &ost thic$ly woo"e" arts an" esecially fro& the

!alleys 0 obser!e" this heno&enon on se!eral occasions0 suose it is owing to the large surface of foliage re!iouslyheate" by the sun's rays



(hile staying at this estate 0 was !ery nearly being aneyewitness to one of those atrocious acts which can onlyta$e lace in a sla!e country :wing to a Luarrel an" alawsuit the owner was on the oint of ta$ing all the wo&enan" chil"ren fro& the &ale sla!es an" selling the& searately

at the ublic auction at +io 0nterest an" not anyfeeling of co&assion re!ente" this act 0n"ee" 0 "o notbelie!e the inhu&anity of searating thirty fa&ilies whoha" li!e" together for &any years e!en occurre" to theowner Ret 0 will le"ge &yself that in hu&anity an"goo" feeling he was suerior to the co&&on run of &en0t &ay be sai" there exists no li&it to the blin"ness of interestan" selfish habit 0 &ay &ention one !ery trifling anec"otewhich at the ti&e struc$ &e &ore forcibly than anystory of cruelty 0 was crossing a ferry with a negro whowas unco&&only stui" 0n en"ea!ouring to &a$e hi&un"erstan" 0 tal$e" lou" an" &a"e signs in "oing which 0

asse" &y han" near his face ,e 0 suose thought 0 wasin a assion an" was going to stri$e hi&S for instantlywith a frightene" loo$ an" halfshut eyes he "roe" hishan"s 0 shall ne!er forget &y feelings of surrise "isgustan" sha&e at seeing a great owerful &an afrai" e!en towar" off a blow "irecte" as he thought at his face This&an ha" been traine" to a "egra"ation lower than thesla!ery of the &ost helless ani&al

ril 1Ith 0n returning we sent two "ays at -ocegoan" 0 e&loye" the& in collecting insects in the forest Thegreater nu&ber of trees although so lofty are not &ore

than three or four feet in circu&ference There are of course a few of &uch greater "i&ensions -enhor =anuelwas then &a$ing a canoe /7 feet in length fro& a soli" trun$which ha" originally been 117 feet long an" of great thic$nessThe contrast of al& trees growing a&i"st the co&&onbranching $in"s ne!er fails to gi!e the scene an intertroicalcharacter ,ere the woo"s were orna&ente" by theCabbage Pal& one of the &ost beautiful of its fa&ily (itha ste& so narrow that it &ight be clase" with the twohan"s it wa!es its elegant hea" at the height of forty or fifty feet abo!e the groun" The woo"y creeers the&sel!esco!ere" by other creeers were of great thic$ness5 so&e

which 0 &easure" were two feet in circu&ference =any of the ol"er trees resente" a !ery curious aearance fro&the tresses of a liana hanging fro& their boughs an" rese&blingbun"les of hay 0f the eye was turne" fro& the worl"of foliage abo!e to the groun" beneath it was attracte" bythe extre&e elegance of the lea!es of the ferns an" &i&osaeThe latter in so&e arts co!ere" the surface with a brushwoo"only a few inches high 0n wal$ing across these thic$be"s of &i&osae a broa" trac$ was &ar$e" by the changeof sha"e ro"uce" by the "rooing of their sensiti!e etioles0t is easy to secify the in"i!i"ual objects of a"&iration inthese gran" scenesS but it is not ossible to gi!e an a"eLuate

i"ea of the higher feelings of won"er astonish&ent an""e!otion which fill an" ele!ate the &in"



ril 1.th>ea!ing -ocego "uring the two first "ayswe retrace" our stes 0t was !ery weariso&e wor$ as theroa" generally ran across a glaring hot san"y lain notfar fro& the coast 0 notice" that each ti&e the horse utits foot on the fine siliceous san" a gentle chiring noisewas ro"uce" :n the thir" "ay we too$ a "ifferent line

an" asse" through the gay little !illage of =a"re "e DeosThis is one of the rincial lines of roa" in Bra9ilS yet itwas in so ba" a state that no wheele" !ehicle exceting theclu&sy bulloc$wagon coul" ass along 0n our whole journeywe "i" not cross a single bri"ge built of stoneS an"those &a"e of logs of woo" were freLuently so &uch out of reair that it was necessary to go on one si"e to a!oi" the& ll "istances are inaccurately $nown The roa" is often&ar$e" by crosses in the lace of &ilestones to signifywhere hu&an bloo" has been sille" :n the e!ening of the68r" we arri!e" at +io ha!ing finishe" our leasant littleexcursion

During the re&ain"er of &y stay at +io 0 resi"e" in acottage at Botofogo Bay 0t was i&ossible to wish for anything &ore "elightful than thus to sen" so&e wee$sin so &agnificent a country 0n Englan" any erson fon"of natural history enjoys in his wal$s a great a"!antage byalways ha!ing so&ething to attract his attentionS but inthese fertile cli&ates tee&ing with life the attractions areso nu&erous that he is scarcely able to wal$ at all

The few obser!ations which 0 was enable" to &a$e wereal&ost exclusi!ely confine" to the in!ertebrate ani&als The

existence of a "i!ision of the genus Planaria which inhabitsthe "ry lan" intereste" &e &uch These ani&als are of sosi&le a structure that Cu!ier has arrange" the& with theintestinal wor&s though ne!er foun" within the bo"ies of other ani&als ;u&erous secies inhabit both salt an" freshwaterS but those to which 0 allu"e were foun" e!en in the"rier arts of the forest beneath logs of rotten woo" onwhich 0 belie!e they fee" 0n general for& they rese&blelittle slugs but are !ery &uch narrower in roortion an"se!eral of the secies are beautifully coloure" withlongitu"inal stries Their structure is !ery si&le5 near the&i""le of the un"er or crawling surface there are two s&all

trans!erse slits fro& the anterior one of which a funnelshae" an" highly irritable &outh can be rotru"e" *or so&e ti&e after the rest of the ani&al was co&letely "ea"fro& the effects of salt water or any other cause this organstill retaine" its !itality

0 foun" no less than twel!e "ifferent secies of terrestrialPlanariae in "ifferent arts of the southern he&ishere 284-o&e seci&ens which 0 obtaine" at Van Die&an's >an"0 $et ali!e for nearly two &onths fee"ing the& on rottenwoo" ,a!ing cut one of the& trans!ersely into two nearlyeLual arts in the course of a fortnight both ha" the shae

of erfect ani&als 0 ha" howe!er so "i!i"e" the bo"ythat one of the hal!es containe" both the inferior orificesan" the other in conseLuence none 0n the course of twenty



fi!e "ays fro& the oeration the &ore erfect half coul"not ha!e been "istinguishe" fro& any other seci&en Theother ha" increase" &uch in si9eS an" towar"s its osterior en" a clear sace was for&e" in the arenchy&atous &assin which a ru"i&entary cushae" &outh coul" clearly be"istinguishe"S on the un"er surface howe!er no correson"ing

slit was yet oen 0f the increase" heat of the weatheras we aroache" the eLuator ha" not "estroye" all thein"i!i"uals there can be no "oubt that this last ste woul"ha!e co&lete" its structure lthough so well$nown anexeri&ent it was interesting to watch the gra"ual ro"uctionof e!ery essential organ out of the si&le extre&ityof another ani&al 0t is extre&ely "ifficult to reser!e thesePlanariaeS as soon as the cessation of life allows the or"inarylaws of change to act their entire bo"ies beco&e softan" flui" with a rai"ity which 0 ha!e ne!er seen eLualle"

0 first !isite" the forest in which these Planariae were

foun" in co&any with an ol" Portuguese riest who too$&e out to hunt with hi& The sort consiste" in turninginto the co!er a few "ogs an" then atiently waiting to fireat any ani&al which &ight aear (e were acco&anie"by the son of a neighbouring far&er a goo" seci&en of a wil" Bra9ilian youth ,e was "resse" in a tattere" ol"shirt an" trousers an" ha" his hea" unco!ere"5 he carrie"an ol"fashione" gun an" a large $nife The habit of carryingthe $nife is uni!ersalS an" in tra!ersing a thic$ woo"it is al&ost necessary on account of the creeing lantsThe freLuent occurrence of &ur"er &ay be artly attribute"to this habit The Bra9ilians are so "exterous with the

$nife that they can throw it to so&e "istance with recisionan" with sufficient force to cause a fatal woun" 0 ha!e seena nu&ber of little boys ractising this art as a ga&e of layan" fro& their s$ill in hitting an uright stic$ they ro&ise"well for &ore earnest atte&ts =y co&anion the "aybefore ha" shot two large bear"e" &on$eys These ani&alsha!e rehensile tails the extre&ity of which e!en after "eath can suort the whole weight of the bo"y :ne of the& thus re&aine" fast to a branch an" it was necessaryto cut "own a large tree to rocure it This was soon effecte"an" "own ca&e tree an" &on$ey with an awful crash :ur "ay's sort besi"es the &on$ey was confine" to sun"ry s&all

green arrots an" a few toucans 0 rofite" howe!er by &yacLuaintance with the Portuguese a"re for on another occasion he ga!e &e a fine seci&en of the Ragouaroun"icat

E!ery one has hear" of the beauty of the scenery near Botofogo The house in which 0 li!e" was seate" closebeneath the well$nown &ountain of the Corco!a"o 0t hasbeen re&ar$e" with &uch truth that abrutly conical hillsare characteristic of the for&ation which ,u&bol"t "esignatesas gneissgranite ;othing can be &ore stri$ing thanthe effect of these huge roun"e" &asses of na$e" roc$ rising

out of the &ost luxuriant !egetation

0 was often intereste" by watching the clou"s which



rolling in fro& seawar" for&e" a ban$ just beneath thehighest oint of the Corco!a"o This &ountain li$e &ostothers when thus artly !eile" aeare" to rise to a far rou"er ele!ation than its real height of 6877 feet =rDaniell has obser!e" in his &eteorological essays that aclou" so&eti&es aears fixe" on a &ountain su&&it while

the win" continues to blow o!er it The sa&e heno&enonhere resente" a slightly "ifferent aearance 0n this casethe clou" was clearly seen to curl o!er an" rai"ly assby the su&&it an" yet was neither "i&inishe" nor increase"in si9e The sun was setting an" a gentle southerly bree9estri$ing against the southern si"e of the roc$ &ingle" itscurrent with the col"er air abo!eS an" the !aour was thuscon"ense"S but as the light wreaths of clou" asse" o!er the ri"ge an" ca&e within the influence of the war&er at&oshere of the northern sloing ban$ they were i&&e"iatelyre"issol!e"

The cli&ate "uring the &onths of =ay an" une or thebeginning of winter was "elightful The &ean te&eraturefro& obser!ations ta$en at nine o'cloc$ both &orningan" e!ening was only /6 "egs 0t often raine" hea!ily butthe "rying southerly win"s soon again ren"ere" the wal$sleasant :ne &orning in the course of six hours 1H inchesof rain fell s this stor& asse" o!er the forests whichsurroun" the Corco!a"o the soun" ro"uce" by the "rosattering on the countless &ultitu"e of lea!es was !eryre&ar$able it coul" be hear" at the "istance of a Luarter of a &ile an" was li$e the rushing of a great bo"y of water fter the hotter "ays it was "elicious to sit Luietly in the

gar"en an" watch the e!ening ass into night ;ature inthese cli&es chooses her !ocalists fro& &ore hu&ble erfor&ersthan in Euroe s&all frog of the genus ,ylasits on a bla"e of grass about an inch abo!e the surface of the water an" sen"s forth a leasing chir5 when se!eralare together they sing in har&ony on "ifferent notes 0 ha"so&e "ifficulty in catching a seci&en of this frog Thegenus ,yla has its toes ter&inate" by s&all suc$ersS an" 0foun" this ani&al coul" crawl u a ane of glass whenlace" absolutely eren"icular Various cici"ae an" cric$etsat the sa&e ti&e $ee u a ceaseless shrill cry but whichsoftene" by the "istance is not unleasant E!ery e!ening

after "ar$ this great concert co&&ence"S an" often ha!e 0sat listening to it until &y attention has been "rawn awayby so&e curious assing insect

t these ti&es the fireflies are seen flitting about fro&he"ge to he"ge :n a "ar$ night the light can be seen atabout two hun"re" aces "istant 0t is re&ar$able that inall the "ifferent $in"s of glowwor&s shining elaters an"!arious &arine ani&als such as the crustacea &e"usaenerei"ae a coralline of the genus Clytia an" Pyros&awhich 0 ha!e obser!e" the light has been of a well&ar$e"green colour ll the fireflies which 0 caught here belonge"

to the >a&yri"ae in which fa&ily the English glowwor&is inclu"e" an" the greater nu&ber of seci&ens were of >a&yris occi"entalis 234 0 foun" that this insect e&itte"



the &ost brilliant flashes when irritate"5 in the inter!alsthe ab"o&inal rings were obscure" The flash was al&ostcoinstantaneous in the two rings but it was just ercetiblefirst in the anterior one The shining &atter was flui" an"!ery a"hesi!e5 little sots where the s$in ha" been torncontinue" bright with a slight scintillation whilst the

uninjure" arts were obscure" (hen the insect was "ecaitate"the rings re&aine" uninterrute"ly bright but not so brilliantas before5 local irritation with a nee"le always increase"the !i!i"ness of the light The rings in one instance retaine"their lu&inous roerty nearly twentyfour hours after the"eath of the insect *ro& these facts it woul" aear robablethat the ani&al has only the ower of concealing or extinguishing the light for short inter!als an" that at other ti&es the "islay is in!oluntary :n the &u""y an" wetgra!elwal$s 0 foun" the lar!ae of this la&yris in greatnu&bers5 they rese&ble" in general for& the fe&ale of theEnglish glowwor& These lar!ae ossesse" but feeble lu&inous

owersS !ery "ifferently fro& their arents on theslightest touch they feigne" "eath an" cease" to shineS nor "i" irritation excite any fresh "islay 0 $et se!eral of the& ali!e for so&e ti&e5 their tails are !ery singular organsfor they act by a wellfitte" contri!ance as suc$ers or organsof attach&ent an" li$ewise as reser!oirs for sali!a or so&esuch flui" 0 reeate"ly fe" the& on raw &eatS an" 0 in!ariablyobser!e" that e!ery now an" then the extre&ityof the tail was alie" to the &outh an" a "ro of flui"exu"e" on the &eat which was then in the act of being consu&e"The tail notwithstan"ing so &uch ractice "oes notsee& to be able to fin" its way to the &outhS at least the nec$

was always touche" first an" aarently as a gui"e

(hen we were at Bahia an elater or beetle Pyrohoruslu&inosus 0llig see&e" the &ost co&&on lu&inous insectThe light in this case was also ren"ere" &ore brilliant byirritation 0 a&use" &yself one "ay by obser!ing the sringingowers of this insect which ha!e not as it aears to&e been roerly "escribe" 2M4 The elater when lace" onits bac$ an" rearing to sring &o!e" its hea" an" thoraxbac$war"s so that the ectoral sine was "rawn out an"reste" on the e"ge of its sheath The sa&e bac$war" &o!e&entbeing continue" the sine by the full action of the

&uscles was bent li$e a sringS an" the insect at this &o&entreste" on the extre&ity of its hea" an" wingcasesThe effort being su""enly relaxe" the hea" an" thorax flewu an" in conseLuence the base of the wingcases struc$the suorting surface with such force that the insect bythe reaction was jer$e" uwar"s to the height of one or two inches The rojecting oints of the thorax an" thesheath of the sine ser!e" to stea"y the whole bo"y "uringthe sring 0n the "escritions which 0 ha!e rea" sufficientstress "oes not aear to ha!e been lai" on the elasticity of the sine5 so su""en a sring coul" not be the result of si&le&uscular contraction without the ai" of so&e &echanical

contri!ance

:n se!eral occasions 0 enjoye" so&e short but &ost leasant



excursions in the neighbouring country :ne "ay 0 wentto the Botanic Gar"en where &any lants well $nown for their great utility &ight be seen growing The lea!es of theca&hor eer cinna&on an" clo!e trees were "elightfullyaro&aticS an" the brea"fruit the jaca an" the &ango!ie" with each other in the &agnificence of their foliage

The lan"scae in the neighbourhoo" of Bahia al&ost ta$esits character fro& the two latter trees Before seeing the&0 ha" no i"ea that any trees coul" cast so blac$ a sha"e onthe groun" Both of the& bear to the e!ergreen !egetationof these cli&ates the sa&e $in" of relation which laurelsan" hollies in Englan" "o to the lighter green of the "eci"uoustrees 0t &ay be obser!e" that the houses within thetroics are surroun"e" by the &ost beautiful for&s of !egetation because &any of the& are at the sa&e ti&e &ostuseful to &an (ho can "oubt that these Lualities are unite"in the banana the cocoanut the &any $in"s of al& theorange an" the brea"fruit treeQ

During this "ay 0 was articularly struc$ with a re&ar$of ,u&bol"t's who often allu"es to Nthe thin !aour whichwithout changing the transarency of the air ren"ers itstints &ore har&onious an" softens its effectsN This is anaearance which 0 ha!e ne!er obser!e" in the te&erate9ones The at&oshere seen through a short sace of half or threeLuarters of a &ile was erfectly luci" but at agreater "istance all colours were blen"e" into a &ost beautifulha9e of a ale *rench grey &ingle" with a little blueThe con"ition of the at&oshere between the &orning an"about noon when the effect was &ost e!i"ent ha" un"ergone

little change exceting in its "ryness 0n the inter!althe "ifference between the "ew oint an" te&erature ha"increase" fro& /M to 1/ "egs

:n another occasion 0 starte" early an" wal$e" to theGa!ia or tosail &ountain The air was "elightfully coolan" fragrantS an" the "ros of "ew still glittere" on thelea!es of the large liliaceous lants which sha"e" thestrea&lets of clear water -itting "own on a bloc$ of graniteit was "elightful to watch the !arious insects an" bir"s asthey flew ast The hu&&ingbir" see&s articularly fon" of such sha"y retire" sots (hene!er 0 saw these little creatures

bu99ing roun" a flower with their wings !ibrating sorai"ly as to be scarcely !isible 0 was re&in"e" of theshinx &oths5 their &o!e&ents an" habits are in"ee" in&any resects !ery si&ilar

*ollowing a athway 0 entere" a noble forest an" fro&a height of fi!e or six hun"re" feet one of those slen"i"!iews was resente" which are so co&&on on e!ery si"eof +io t this ele!ation the lan"scae attains its &ostbrilliant tintS an" e!ery for& e!ery sha"e so co&letelysurasses in &agnificence all that the Euroean has e!er behel" in his own country that he $nows not how to exress

his feelings The general effect freLuently recalle"to &y &in" the gayest scenery of the :erahouse or thegreat theatres 0 ne!er returne" fro& these excursions



e&tyhan"e" This "ay 0 foun" a seci&en of a curiousfungus calle" ,y&enohallus =ost eole $now the EnglishPhallus which in autu&n taints the air with its o"iouss&ell5 this howe!er as the ento&ologist is aware is toso&e of our beetles a "elightful fragrance -o was it hereSfor a -trongylus attracte" by the o"our alighte" on the

fungus as 0 carrie" it in &y han" (e here see in two "istantcountries a si&ilar relation between lants an" insects of thesa&e fa&ilies though the secies of both are "ifferent (hen&an is the agent in intro"ucing into a country a new seciesthis relation is often bro$en5 as one instance of this 0 &ay&ention that the lea!es of the cabbages an" lettuces whichin Englan" affor" foo" to such a &ultitu"e of slugs an"caterillars in the gar"ens near +io are untouche"

During our stay at Bra9il 0 &a"e a large collection of insects few general obser!ations on the co&arati!ei&ortance of the "ifferent or"ers &ay be interesting to the

English ento&ologist The large an" brilliantly coloure">ei"otera besea$ the 9one they inhabit far &ore lainlythan any other race of ani&als 0 allu"e only to thebutterfliesS for the &oths contrary to what &ight ha!e beenexecte" fro& the ran$ness of the !egetation certainlyaeare" in &uch fewer nu&bers than in our own te&erateregions 0 was &uch surrise" at the habits of Pailioferonia This butterfly is not unco&&on an" generallyfreLuents the orangegro!es lthough a high flier yetit !ery freLuently alights on the trun$s of trees :n theseoccasions its hea" is in!ariably lace" "ownwar"sS an" itswings are exan"e" in a hori9ontal lane instea" of being

fol"e" !ertically as is co&&only the case This is the onlybutterfly which 0 ha!e e!er seen that uses its legs for running;ot being aware of this fact the insect &ore than once as 0cautiously aroache" with &y forces shuffle" on one si"e just as the instru&ent was on the oint of closing an" thusescae" But a far &ore singular fact is the ower whichthis secies ossesses of &a$ing a noise 2H4 -e!eral ti&es whena air robably &ale an" fe&ale were chasing each other in an irregular course they asse" within a few yar"s of &eSan" 0 "istinctly hear" a clic$ing noise si&ilar to thatro"uce" by a toothe" wheel assing un"er a sring catch Thenoise was continue" at short inter!als an" coul" be

"istinguishe" at about twenty yar"s' "istance5 0 a& certainthere is no error in the obser!ation

0 was "isaointe" in the general asect of the ColeoteraThe nu&ber of &inute an" obscurely coloure" beetlesis excee"ingly great 2/4 The cabinets of Euroe can as yetboast only of the larger secies fro& troical cli&ates 0tis sufficient to "isturb the co&osure of an ento&ologist's&in" to loo$ forwar" to the future "i&ensions of a co&letecatalogue The carni!orous beetles or Carabi"ae aear in extre&ely few nu&bers within the troics5 this isthe &ore re&ar$able when co&are" to the case of the

carni!orous Lua"rue"s which are so abun"ant in hotcountries 0 was struc$ with this obser!ation both on enteringBra9il an" when 0 saw the &any elegant an" acti!e for&s



of the ,arali"ae reaearing on the te&erate lains of >a Plata Do the !ery nu&erous si"ers an" raacious,y&enotera suly the lace of the carni!orous beetlesQThe carrionfee"ers an" Brachelytra are !ery unco&&onSon the other han" the +hyncohora an" Chryso&eli"ae allof which "een" on the !egetable worl" for subsistence are

resent in astonishing nu&bers 0 "o not here refer to thenu&ber of "ifferent secies but to that of the in"i!i"ualinsectsS for on this it is that the &ost stri$ing character inthe ento&ology of "ifferent countries "een"s The or"ers:rthotera an" ,e&itera are articularly nu&erousS asli$ewise is the stinging "i!ision of the ,y&enotera the beeserhas being excete" erson on first entering a troicalforest is astonishe" at the labours of the ants5 wellbeatenaths branch off in e!ery "irection on which an ar&yof ne!erfailing foragers &ay be seen so&e going forth an"others returning bur"ene" with ieces of green leaf oftenlarger than their own bo"ies

s&all "ar$coloure" ant so&eti&es &igrates in countlessnu&bers :ne "ay at Bahia &y attention was "rawnby obser!ing &any si"ers coc$roaches an" other insectsan" so&e li9ar"s rushing in the greatest agitation acrossa bare iece of groun" little way behin" e!ery stal$ an"leaf was blac$ene" by a s&all ant The swar& ha!ingcrosse" the bare sace "i!i"e" itself an" "escen"e" an ol"wall By this &eans &any insects were fairly enclose"S an"the efforts which the oor little creatures &a"e to extricatethe&sel!es fro& such a "eath were won"erful (hen theants ca&e to the roa" they change" their course an" in

narrow files reascen"e" the wall ,a!ing lace" a s&allstone so as to intercet one of the lines the whole bo"yattac$e" it an" then i&&e"iately retire" -hortly afterwar"sanother bo"y ca&e to the charge an" again ha!ing faile"to &a$e any i&ression this line of &arch was entirelygi!en u By going an inch roun" the file &ight ha!ea!oi"e" the stone an" this "oubtless woul" ha!e haene"if it ha" been originally there5 but ha!ing been attac$e" thelionhearte" little warriors scorne" the i"ea of yiel"ing

Certain wasli$e insects which construct in the cornersof the !eran"ahs clay cells for their lar!ae are !ery nu&erous

in the neighbourhoo" of +io These cells they stuff fullof half"ea" si"ers an" caterillars which they see&won"erfully to $now how to sting to that "egree as to lea!ethe& aralyse" but ali!e until their eggs are hatche"S an"the lar!ae fee" on the horri" &ass of owerless half$ille"!icti&s a sight which has been "escribe" by an enthusiasticnaturalist 2I4 as curious an" leasing% 0 was &uch intereste"one "ay by watching a "ea"ly contest between a Pesis an"a large si"er of the genus >ycosa The was &a"e a su""en"ash at its rey an" then flew away5 the si"er was e!i"entlywoun"e" for trying to escae it rolle" "own a littlesloe but ha" still strength sufficient to crawl into a thic$

tuft of grass The was soon returne" an" see&e" surrise"at not i&&e"iately fin"ing its !icti& 0t then co&&ence"as regular a hunt as e!er houn" "i" after foxS



&a$ing short se&icircular casts an" all the ti&e rai"ly !ibratingits wings an" antennae The si"er though wellconceale" was soon "isco!ere" an" the was e!i"ently stillafrai" of its a"!ersary's jaws after &uch &anoeu!ring inflicte"two stings on the un"er si"e of its thorax t lastcarefully exa&ining with its antennae the now &otionless

si"er it rocee"e" to "rag away the bo"y But 0 stoe"both tyrant an" rey 2.4

The nu&ber of si"ers in roortion to other insects ishere co&are" with Englan" !ery &uch largerS erhas&ore so than with any other "i!ision of the articulate ani&alsThe !ariety of secies a&ong the ju&ing si"ersaears al&ost infinite The genus or rather fa&ily of Eeira is here characteri9e" by &any singular for&sS so&esecies ha!e ointe" coriaceous shells others enlarge" an"siny tibiae E!ery ath in the forest is barrica"e" with thestrong yellow web of a secies belonging to the sa&e "i!ision

with the Eeira cla!ies of *abricius which was for&erlysai" by -loane to &a$e in the (est 0n"ies webs sostrong as to catch bir"s s&all an" retty $in" of si"erwith !ery long forelegs an" which aears to belong to anun"escribe" genus li!es as a arasite on al&ost e!ery oneof these webs 0 suose it is too insignificant to be notice"by the great Eeira an" is therefore allowe" to rey on the&inute insects which a"hering to the lines woul" otherwisebe waste" (hen frightene" this little si"er either feigns "eath by exten"ing its front legs or su""enly "rosfro& the web large Eeira of the sa&e "i!ision withEeira tuberculata an" conica is extre&ely co&&on esecially

in "ry situations 0ts web which is generally lace"a&ong the great lea!es of the co&&on aga!e is so&eti&esstrengthene" near the centre by a air or e!en four 9ig9agribbons which connect two a"joining rays (hen any largeinsect as a grasshoer or was is caught the si"er bya "exterous &o!e&ent &a$es it re!ol!e !ery rai"ly an" atthe sa&e ti&e e&itting a ban" of threa"s fro& its sinnerssoon en!elos its rey in a case li$e the cocoon of a sil$wor&The si"er now exa&ines the owerless !icti& an"gi!es the fatal bite on the hin"er art of its thoraxS thenretreating atiently waits till the oison has ta$en effectThe !irulence of this oison &ay be ju"ge" of fro& the fact

that in half a &inute 0 oene" the &esh an" foun" a largewas Luite lifeless This Eeira always stan"s with its hea""ownwar"s near the centre of the web (hen "isturbe" itacts "ifferently accor"ing to circu&stances5 if there is athic$et below it su""enly falls "ownS an" 0 ha!e "istinctlyseen the threa" fro& the sinners lengthene" by the ani&alwhile yet stationary as rearatory to its fall 0f the groun"is clear beneath the Eeira sel"o& falls but &o!es Luic$lythrough a central assage fro& one to the other si"e (henstill further "isturbe" it ractises a &ost curious &anoeu!re5stan"ing in the &i""le it !iolently jer$s the web which itattache" to elastic twigs till at last the whole acLuires such

a rai" !ibratory &o!e&ent that e!en the outline of thesi"er's bo"y beco&es in"istinct



0t is well $nown that &ost of the British si"ers whena large insect is caught in their webs en"ea!our to cut thelines an" liberate their rey to sa!e their nets fro& beingentirely soile" 0 once howe!er saw in a hothouse in-hroshire a large fe&ale was caught in the irregular webof a Luite s&all si"erS an" this si"er instea" of cutting

the web &ost erse!eringly continue" to entangle the bo"yan" esecially the wings of its rey The was at first ai&e"in !ain reeate" thrusts with its sting at its little antagonistPitying the was after allowing it to struggle for &ore thanan hour 0 $ille" it an" ut it bac$ into the web The si"er soon returne"S an" an hour afterwar"s 0 was &uch surrise" tofin" it with its jaws burie" in the orifice through which thesting is rotru"e" by the li!ing was 0 "ro!e the si"er awaytwo or three ti&es but for the next twentyfour hours 0always foun" it again suc$ing at the sa&e lace The si"er beca&e &uch "isten"e" by the juices of its rey which was&any ti&es larger than itself

0 &ay here just &ention that 0 foun" near -t *e Baja"a&any large blac$ si"ers with rubycoloure" &ar$s on their bac$s ha!ing gregarious habits The webs were lace"!ertically as is in!ariably the case with the genus Eeira5they were searate" fro& each other by a sace of abouttwo feet but were all attache" to certain co&&on lineswhich were of great length an" exten"e" to all arts of the co&&unity 0n this &anner the tos of so&e large busheswere enco&asse" by the unite" nets 9ara 2174 has "escribe"a gregarious si"er in Paraguay which (alc$anaer thin$s&ust be a Theri"ion but robably it is an Eeira an"

erhas e!en the sa&e secies with &ine 0 cannot howe!errecollect seeing a central nest as large as a hat in which"uring autu&n when the si"ers "ie 9ara says the eggs are"eosite" s all the si"ers which 0 saw were of the sa&esi9e they &ust ha!e been nearly of the sa&e age Thisgregarious habit in so tyical a genus as Eeira a&onginsects which are so bloo"thirsty an" solitary that e!enthe two sexes attac$ each other is a !ery singular fact

0n a lofty !alley of the Cor"illera near =en"o9a 0 foun"another si"er with a singularlyfor&e" web -trong linesra"iate" in a !ertical lane fro& a co&&on centre where the

insect ha" its stationS but only two of the rays were connecte"by a sy&&etrical &eshwor$S so that the net instea" of beingas is generally the case circular consiste" of a we"geshae"seg&ent ll the webs were si&ilarly constructe"

214 Ven"a the Portuguese na&e for an inn

264 nnales "es -ciences ;aturelles for 1I88

284 0 ha!e "escribe" an" na&e" these secies in the nnals of ;at ,ist !ol xi! 631

234 0 a& greatly in"ebte" to =r (aterhouse for his $in"nessin na&ing for &e this an" &any other insects an" gi!ing &e&uch !aluable assistance



2M4 Uirby's Ento&ology !ol ii 81/

2H4 =r Double"ay has lately "escribe" before the Ento&ological-ociety =arch 8r" 1I3M a eculiar structure in the wingsof this butterfly which see&s to be the &eans of its &a$ing

its noise ,e says N0t is re&ar$able for ha!ing a sort of "ru& at the base of the fore wings between the costal ner!urean" the subcostal These two ner!ures &oreo!er ha!e a eculiar screwli$e "iahrag& or !essel in the interiorN 0 fin" in>angs"orff's tra!els in the years 1I78/ /3 it is sai"that in the islan" of -t Catherine's on the coast of Bra9ila butterfly calle" *ebrua ,off&anseggi &a$es a noise whenflying away li$e a rattle

2/4 0 &ay &ention as a co&&on instance of one "ay's une 68r"collecting when 0 was not atten"ing articularly to theColeotera that 0 caught sixtyeight secies of that or"er

&ong these there were only two of the Carabi"ae four Brachelytra fifteen +hyncohora an" fourteen of theChryso&eli"ae Thirtyse!en secies of rachni"ae which 0brought ho&e will be sufficient to ro!e that 0 was notaying o!er&uch attention to the generally fa!oure" or"er of Coleotera

2I4 0n a =- in the British =useu& by =r bbott who &a"ehis obser!ations in GeorgiaS see =r (hite's aer in theNnnals of ;at ,istN !ol !ii 3/6 >ieut ,utton has"escribe" a shex with si&ilar habits in 0n"ia in the Nournalof the siatic -ocietyN !ol i MMM

2.4 Don *elix 9ara !ol i 1/M &entioning a hy&enoterousinsect robably of the sa&e genus says he saw it "ragginga "ea" si"er through tall grass in a straight line to itsnest which was one hun"re" an" sixtythree aces "istant ,ea""s that the was in or"er to fin" the roa" e!ery now an"then &a"e N"e&itours "'en!iron trois al&esN

2174 9ara's Voyage !ol i 618

C,PTE+ 000

=>D:;D:

=onte Vi"eo Excursion to + Polanco >a9o an" Bolas Partri"ges bsence of Trees Deer Caybara or +i!er ,og Tucutuco =olothrus cuc$ooli$e habits Tyrantflycatcher =oc$ingbir" Carrion ,aw$s Tubes for&e"by >ightning ,ouse struc$

uly Mth 1I86 0n the &orning we got un"er way an" stoo"

out of the slen"i" harbour of +io "e aneiro 0n our assageto the Plata we saw nothing articular exceting on one "aya great shoal of oroises &any hun"re"s in nu&ber The whole



sea was in laces furrowe" by the&S an" a &ost extraor"inarysectacle was resente" as hun"re"s rocee"ing together by ju&s in which their whole bo"ies were exose" thus cut thewater (hen the shi was running nine $nots an hour theseani&als coul" cross an" recross the bows with the greatest of ease an" then "ash away right ahea" s soon as we entere"

the estuary of the Plata the weather was !ery unsettle" :ne"ar$ night we were surroun"e" by nu&erous seals an" enguinswhich &a"e such strange noises that the officer on watchreorte" he coul" hear the cattle bellowing on shore :n asecon" night we witnesse" a slen"i" scene of natural firewor$sSthe &asthea" an" yar"ar&en"s shone with -t El&o's lightSan" the for& of the !ane coul" al&ost be trace" as if it ha"been rubbe" with hoshorus The sea was so highly lu&inousthat the trac$s of the enguins were &ar$e" by a fiery wa$ean" the "ar$ness of the s$y was &o&entarily illu&inate" bythe &ost !i!i" lightning

(hen within the &outh of the ri!er 0 was intereste" byobser!ing how slowly the waters of the sea an" ri!er &ixe"The latter &u""y an" "iscoloure" fro& its less secificgra!ity floate" on the surface of the salt water This wascuriously exhibite" in the wa$e of the !essel where a lineof blue water was seen &ingling in little e""ies with thea"joining flui"

uly 6Hth (e anchore" at =onte Vi"eo The Beaglewas e&loye" in sur!eying the extre&e southern an" easterncoasts of &erica south of the Plata "uring the two succee"ingyears To re!ent useless reetitions 0 will extract

those arts of &y journal which refer to the sa&e "istrictswithout always atten"ing to the or"er in which we !isite"the&

=>D:;D: is situate" on the northern ban$ of the Plataan" not !ery far fro& the &outh of the estuary 0t is a&ost Luiet forlorn little townS built as is uni!ersally thecase in these countries with the streets running at rightangles to each other an" ha!ing in the &i""le a large la9aor sLuare which fro& its si9e ren"ers the scantiness of theoulation &ore e!i"ent 0t ossesses scarcely any tra"eSthe exorts being confine" to a few hi"es an" li!ing cattle

The inhabitants are chiefly lan"owners together with a fewsho$eeers an" the necessary tra"es&en such as blac$s&ithsan" carenters who "o nearly all the business for acircuit of fifty &iles roun" The town is searate" fro& theri!er by a ban" of san"hilloc$s about a &ile broa"5 it issurroun"e" on all other si"es by an oen slightlyun"ulatingcountry co!ere" by one unifor& layer of fine green turfon which countless her"s of cattle shee an" horses gra9eThere is !ery little lan" culti!ate" e!en close to the town few he"ges &a"e of cacti an" aga!e &ar$ out whereso&e wheat or 0n"ian corn has been lante" The featuresof the country are !ery si&ilar along the whole northern

ban$ of the Plata The only "ifference is that here thegranitic hills are a little bol"er The scenery is !eryuninterestingS there is scarcely a house an enclose" iece of



groun" or e!en a tree to gi!e it an air of cheerfulnessRet after being i&risone" for so&e ti&e in a shi there isa char& in the unconfine" feeling of wal$ing o!er boun"lesslains of turf =oreo!er if your !iew is li&ite" to a s&allsace &any objects ossess beauty -o&e of the s&aller bir"s are brilliantly coloure"S an" the bright green swar"

browse" short by the cattle is orna&ente" by "warf flowersa&ong which a lant loo$ing li$e the "aisy clai&e" thelace of an ol" frien" (hat woul" a florist say to wholetracts so thic$ly co!ere" by the Verbena &elin"res as e!enat a "istance to aear of the &ost gau"y scarletQ

0 staye" ten wee$s at =al"ona"o in which ti&e a nearlyerfect collection of the ani&als bir"s an" retiles wasrocure" Before &a$ing any obser!ations resecting the&0 will gi!e an account of a little excursion 0 &a"e as far as the ri!er Polanco which is about se!enty &iles "istantin a northerly "irection 0 &ay &ention as a roof how

chea e!erything is in this country that 0 ai" only two"ollars a "ay or eight shillings for two &en together witha troo of about a "o9en ri"inghorses =y co&anionswere well ar&e" with istols an" sabresS a recaution which0 thought rather unnecessary but the first iece of newswe hear" was that the "ay before a tra!eller fro& =onteVi"eo ha" been foun" "ea" on the roa" with his throatcut This haene" close to a cross the recor" of a for&er &ur"er

:n the first night we slet at a retire" little countryhouseSan" there 0 soon foun" out that 0 ossesse" two or

three articles esecially a oc$et co&ass which create"unboun"e" astonish&ent 0n e!ery house 0 was as$e" toshow the co&ass an" by its ai" together with a &a tooint out the "irection of !arious laces 0t excite" theli!eliest a"&iration that 0 a erfect stranger shoul" $nowthe roa" for "irection an" roa" are synony&ous in this oencountry to laces where 0 ha" ne!er been t one housea young wo&an who was ill in be" sent to entreat &e toco&e an" show her the co&ass 0f their surrise was great&ine was greater to fin" such ignorance a&ong eole whoossesse" their thousan"s of cattle an" NestanciasN of greatextent 0t can only be accounte" for by the circu&stance

that this retire" art of the country is sel"o& !isite" byforeigners 0 was as$e" whether the earth or sun &o!e"Swhether it was hotter or col"er to the northS where -ainwas an" &any other such Luestions The greater nu&ber of the inhabitants ha" an in"istinct i"ea that Englan" >on"onan" ;orth &erica were "ifferent na&es for the sa&elaceS but the better infor&e" well $new that >on"on an";orth &erica were searate countries close together an"that Englan" was a large town in >on"on% 0 carrie" with&e so&e ro&ethean &atches which 0 ignite" by bitingS itwas thought so won"erful that a &an shoul" stri$e fire withhis teeth that it was usual to collect the whole fa&ily to

see it5 0 was once offere" a "ollar for a single one (ashing&y face in the &orning cause" &uch seculation at the !illageof >as =inasS a suerior tra"es&an closely crossLuestione"



&e about so singular a racticeS an" li$ewise why onboar" we wore our bear"sS for he ha" hear" fro& &y gui"ethat we "i" so ,e eye" &e with &uch susicionS erhashe ha" hear" of ablutions in the =aho&e"an religion an"$nowing &e to be a heretic$ robably he ca&e to the conclusionthat all heretic$s were Tur$s 0t is the general custo&

in this country to as$ for a night's lo"ging at the firstcon!enient house The astonish&ent at the co&ass an"&y other feats of jugglery was to a certain "egreea"!antageous as with that an" the long stories &y gui"estol" of &y brea$ing stones $nowing !eno&ous fro& har&lesssna$es collecting insects etc 0 reai" the& for their hositality 0 a& writing as if 0 ha" been a&ong the inhabitantsof central frica5 Ban"a :riental woul" not be flattere" bythe co&arisonS but such were &y feelings at the ti&e

The next "ay we ro"e to the !illage of >as =inas Thecountry was rather &ore hilly but otherwise continue" the

sa&eS an inhabitant of the Pa&as no "oubt woul" ha!econsi"ere" it as truly line The country is so thinlyinhabite" that "uring the whole "ay we scarcely &et a singleerson >as =inas is &uch s&aller e!en than =al"ona"o0t is seate" on a little lain an" is surroun"e" by low roc$y&ountains 0t is of the usual sy&&etrical for& an" withits whitewashe" church stan"ing in the centre ha" rather a retty aearance The outs$irting houses rose out of thelain li$e isolate" beings without the acco&ani&ent of gar"ens or courtyar"s This is generally the case in thecountry an" all the houses ha!e in conseLuence anunco&fortable asect t night we stoe" at a uleria

or "rin$ingsho During the e!ening a great nu&ber of Gauchosca&e in to "rin$ sirits an" s&o$e cigars5 their aearanceis !ery stri$ingS they are generally tall an" han"so&e butwith a rou" an" "issolute exression of countenance TheyfreLuently wear their &oustaches an" long blac$ hair curling"own their bac$s (ith their brightly coloure" gar&entsgreat surs clan$ing about their heels an" $ni!esstuc$ as "aggers an" often so use" at their waists theyloo$ a !ery "ifferent race of &en fro& what &ight be execte"fro& their na&e of Gauchos or si&le country&enTheir oliteness is excessi!eS they ne!er "rin$ their siritswithout execting you to taste itS but whilst &a$ing their

excee"ingly graceful bow they see& Luite as rea"y if occasionoffere" to cut your throat

:n the thir" "ay we ursue" rather an irregular courseas 0 was e&loye" in exa&ining so&e be"s of &arble :nthe fine lains of turf we saw &any ostriches -truthiorhea -o&e of the floc$s containe" as &any as twenty or thirty bir"s These when stan"ing on any little e&inencean" seen against the clear s$y resente" a !ery nobleaearance 0 ne!er &et with such ta&e ostriches in any other art of the country5 it was easy to gallo u within a short"istance of the&S but then exan"ing their wings they

&a"e all sail right before the win" an" soon left the horseastern



t night we ca&e to the house of Don uan *uentes arich lan"e" rorietor but not ersonally $nown to either of &y co&anions :n aroaching the house of a strangerit is usual to follow se!eral little oints of etiLuette5 ri"ingu slowly to the "oor the salutation of !e =aria is gi!enan" until so&ebo"y co&es out an" as$s you to alight it is

not custo&ary e!en to get off your horse5 the for&al answer of the owner is Nsin eca"o concebi"aN that is concei!e"without sin ,a!ing entere" the house so&e general con!ersationis $et u for a few &inutes till er&ission isas$e" to ass the night there This is grante" as a &atter of course The stranger then ta$es his &eals with the fa&ilyan" a roo& is assigne" hi& where with the horseclothsbelonging to his reca"o or sa""le of the Pa&as he &a$eshis be" 0t is curious how si&ilar circu&stances ro"ucesuch si&ilar results in &anners t the Cae of Goo" ,oethe sa&e hositality an" !ery nearly the sa&e oints of etiLuette are uni!ersally obser!e" The "ifference howe!er

between the character of the -aniar" an" that of the Dutchboer is shown by the for&er ne!er as$ing his guest a singleLuestion beyon" the strictest rule of oliteness whilst thehonest Dutch&an "e&an"s where he has been where he isgoing what is his business an" e!en how &any brotherssisters or chil"ren he &ay haen to ha!e

-hortly after our arri!al at Don uan's one of the largesther"s of cattle was "ri!en in towar"s the house an" threebeasts were ic$e" out to be slaughtere" for the suly of the establish&ent These halfwil" cattle are !ery acti!eSan" $nowing full well the fatal la9o they le" the horses a

long an" laborious chase fter witnessing the ru"e wealth"islaye" in the nu&ber of cattle &en an" horses Donuan's &iserable house was Luite curious The floor consiste"of har"ene" &u" an" the win"ows were withoutglassS the sittingroo& boaste" only of a few of the roughestchairs an" stools with a coule of tables The suer althoughse!eral strangers were resent consiste" of two hugeiles one of roast beef the other of boile" with so&e iecesof u&$in5 besi"es this latter there was no other !egetablean" not e!en a &orsel of brea" *or "rin$ing a largeearthenware jug of water ser!e" the whole arty Ret this&an was the owner of se!eral sLuare &iles of lan" of which

nearly e!ery acre woul" ro"uce corn an" with a littletrouble all the co&&on !egetables The e!ening was sent ins&o$ing with a little i&ro&tu singing acco&anie" bythe guitar The signoritas all sat together in one corner of the roo& an" "i" not su with the &en

-o &any wor$s ha!e been written about these countriesthat it is al&ost suerfluous to "escribe either the la9o or the bolas The la9o consists of a !ery strong but thinwelllaite" roe &a"e of raw hi"e :ne en" is attache" to thebroa" surcingle which fastens together the co&licate" gear of the reca"o or sa""le use" in the Pa&asS the other is

ter&inate" by a s&all ring of iron or brass by which a noosecan be for&e" The Gaucho when he is going to use thela9o $ees a s&all coil in his bri"lehan" an" in the other



hol"s the running noose which is &a"e !ery large generallyha!ing a "ia&eter of about eight feet This he whirlsroun" his hea" an" by the "exterous &o!e&ent of his wrist$ees the noose oenS then throwing it he causes it to fallon any articular sot he chooses The la9o when not use"is tie" u in a s&all coil to the after art of the reca"o

The bolas or balls are of two $in"s5 the si&lest whichis chiefly use" for catching ostriches consists of two roun"stones co!ere" with leather an" unite" by a thin laite"thong about eight feet long The other $in" "iffers onlyin ha!ing three balls unite" by the thongs to a co&&oncentre The Gaucho hol"s the s&allest of the three in hishan" an" whirls the other two roun" an" roun" his hea"Sthen ta$ing ai& sen"s the& li$e chain shot re!ol!ingthrough the air The balls no sooner stri$e any object thanwin"ing roun" it they cross each other an" beco&e fir&lyhitche" The si9e an" weight of the balls !ary accor"ingto the urose for which they are &a"e5 when of stone

although not larger than an ale they are sent with suchforce as so&eti&es to brea$ the leg e!en of a horse 0 ha!eseen the balls &a"e of woo" an" as large as a turni for the sa$e of catching these ani&als without injuring the&The balls are so&eti&es &a"e of iron an" these can behurle" to the greatest "istance The &ain "ifficulty in usingeither la9o or bolas is to ri"e so well as to be able at fullsee" an" while su""enly turning about to whirl the& sostea"ily roun" the hea" as to ta$e ai&5 on foot any ersonwoul" soon learn the art :ne "ay as 0 was a&using &yself by galloing an" whirling the balls roun" &y hea" by acci"entthe free one struc$ a bush an" its re!ol!ing &otion

being thus "estroye" it i&&e"iately fell to the groun" an"li$e &agic caught one hin" leg of &y horseS the other ballwas then jer$e" out of &y han" an" the horse fairly secure">uc$ily he was an ol" ractise" ani&al an" $newwhat it &eantS otherwise he woul" robably ha!e $ic$e"till he ha" thrown hi&self "own The Gauchos roare" withlaughterS they crie" out that they ha" seen e!ery sort of ani&al caught but ha" ne!er before seen a &an caught byhi&self

During the two succee"ing "ays 0 reache" the furthestoint which 0 was anxious to exa&ine The country wore

the sa&e asect till at last the fine green turf beca&e &oreweariso&e than a "usty turni$e roa" (e e!erywhere sawgreat nu&bers of artri"ges ;othura &ajor These bir"s"o not go in co!eys nor "o they conceal the&sel!es li$ethe English $in" 0t aears a !ery silly bir" &an onhorsebac$ by ri"ing roun" an" roun" in a circle or rather in a sire so as to aroach closer each ti&e &ay $noc$on the hea" as &any as he leases The &ore co&&on&etho" is to catch the& with a running noose or little la9o&a"e of the ste& of an ostrich's feather fastene" to theen" of a long stic$ boy on a Luiet ol" horse will freLuentlythus catch thirty or forty in a "ay 0n rctic ;orth

&erica 214 the 0n"ians catch the Varying ,are by wal$ingsirally roun" an" roun" it when on its for&5 the &i""leof the "ay is rec$one" the best ti&e when the sun is high



an" the sha"ow of the hunter not !ery long

:n our return to =al"ona"o we followe" rather a "ifferentline of roa" ;ear Pan "e 9ucar a lan"&ar$ well$nown to all those who ha!e saile" u the Plata 0 staye"a "ay at the house of a &ost hositable ol" -aniar" Early

in the &orning we ascen"e" the -ierra "e las ni&as Bythe ai" of the rising sun the scenery was al&ost icturesLueTo the westwar" the !iew exten"e" o!er an i&&ense le!ellain as far as the =ount at =onte Vi"eo an" to the eastwar"o!er the &a&&illate" country of =al"ona"o :nthe su&&it of the &ountain there were se!eral s&all heasof stones which e!i"ently ha" lain there for &any years=y co&anion assure" &e that they were the wor$ of the0n"ians in the ol" ti&e The heas were si&ilar but ona &uch s&aller scale to those so co&&only foun" on the&ountains of (ales The "esire to signali9e any e!ent onthe highest oint of the neighbouring lan" see&s an uni!ersal

assion with &an$in" t the resent "ay not asingle 0n"ian either ci!ili9e" or wil" exists in this artof the ro!inceS nor a& 0 aware that the for&er inhabitantsha!e left behin" the& any &ore er&anent recor"s thanthese insignificant iles on the su&&it of the -ierra "e las ni&as

The general an" al&ost entire absence of trees in Ban"a:riental is re&ar$able -o&e of the roc$y hills are artlyco!ere" by thic$ets an" on the ban$s of the larger strea&sesecially to the north of >as =inas willowtrees are not

unco&&on ;ear the rroyo Taes 0 hear" of a woo" of al&sS an" one of these trees of consi"erable si9e 0 sawnear the Pan "e 9ucar in lat 8M "egs These an" the treeslante" by the -aniar"s offer the only excetions to thegeneral scarcity of woo" &ong the intro"uce" $in"s &aybe enu&erate" olars oli!es each an" other fruit trees5the eaches succee" so well that they affor" the &ain sulyof firewoo" to the city of Buenos yres Extre&ely le!elcountries such as the Pa&as sel"o& aear fa!ourable tothe growth of trees This &ay ossibly be attribute" either to the force of the win"s or the $in" of "rainage 0n thenature of the lan" howe!er aroun" =al"ona"o no such

reason is aarentS the roc$y &ountains affor" rotecte"situationsS enjoying !arious $in"s of soilS strea&lets of water are co&&on at the botto&s of nearly e!ery !alleySan" the clayey nature of the earth see&s a"ate" to retain&oisture 0t has been inferre" with &uch robability thatthe resence of woo"lan" is generally "eter&ine" 264 by theannual a&ount of &oistureS yet in this ro!ince abun"antan" hea!y rain falls "uring the winterS an" the su&&erthough "ry is not so in any excessi!e "egree 284 (e see nearlythe whole of ustralia co!ere" by lofty trees yet that countryossesses a far &ore ari" cli&ate ,ence we &ust loo$to so&e other an" un$nown cause

Confining our !iew to -outh &erica we shoul" certainlybe te&te" to belie!e that trees flourishe" only un"er a !ery



hu&i" cli&ateS for the li&it of the forestlan" follows in a&ost re&ar$able &anner that of the "a& win"s 0n thesouthern art of the continent where the western galescharge" with &oisture fro& the Pacific re!ail e!ery islan"on the bro$en west coast fro& lat 8I "egs to the extre&eoint of Tierra "el *uego is "ensely co!ere" by i&enetrable

forests :n the eastern si"e of the Cor"illera o!er the sa&eextent of latitu"e where a blue s$y an" a fine cli&ate ro!ethat the at&oshere has been "eri!e" of its &oisture byassing o!er the &ountains the ari" lains of Patagoniasuort a &ost scanty !egetation 0n the &ore northernarts of the continent within the li&its of the constantsoutheastern tra"ewin" the eastern si"e is orna&ente" by&agnificent forestsS whilst the western coast fro& lat3 "egs - to lat 86 "egs - &ay be "escribe" as a"esertS on this western coast northwar" of lat 3 "egs- where the tra"ewin" loses its regularity an" hea!ytorrents of rain fall erio"ically the shores of the

Pacific so utterly "esert in Peru assu&e near CaeBlanco the character of luxuriance so celebrate" atGuyaLuil an" Pana&a ,ence in the southern an" northernarts of the continent the forest an" "esert lan"s occuyre!erse" ositions with resect to the Cor"illera an" theseositions are aarently "eter&ine" by the "irection of there!alent win"s 0n the &i""le of the continent there is abroa" inter&e"iate ban" inclu"ing central Chile an" thero!inces of >a Plata where the rainbringing win"s ha!enot to ass o!er lofty &ountains an" where the lan" is neither a "esert nor co!ere" by forests But e!en the rule if confine" to -outh &erica of trees flourishing only in a

cli&ate ren"ere" hu&i" by rainbearing win"s has a strongly&ar$e" excetion in the case of the *al$lan" 0slan"s Theseislan"s situate" in the sa&e latitu"e with Tierra "el *uegoan" only between two an" three hun"re" &iles "istant fro&it ha!ing a nearly si&ilar cli&ate with a geologicalfor&ation al&ost i"entical with fa!ourable situations an" thesa&e $in" of eaty soil yet can boast of few lants "eser!inge!en the title of bushesS whilst in Tierra "el *uego it isi&ossible to fin" an acre of lan" not co!ere" by the "ensestforest 0n this case both the "irection of the hea!y galesof win" an" of the currents of the sea are fa!ourable tothe transort of see"s fro& Tierra "el *uego as is shown

by the canoes an" trun$s of trees "rifte" fro& that countryan" freLuently thrown on the shores of the (estern *al$lan",ence erhas it is that there are &any lants inco&&on to the two countries but with resect to the treesof Tierra "el *uego e!en atte&ts &a"e to translant the&ha!e faile"

During our stay at =al"ona"o 0 collecte" se!eral Lua"rue"seighty $in"s of bir"s an" &any retiles inclu"ingnine secies of sna$es :f the in"igenous &a&&alia theonly one now left of any si9e which is co&&on is the Cer!usca&estris This "eer is excee"ingly abun"ant often in

s&all her"s throughout the countries bor"ering the Plataan" in ;orthern Patagonia 0f a erson crawling close alongthe groun" slowly a"!ances towar"s a her" the "eer freLuently



out of curiosity aroach to reconnoitre hi& 0ha!e by this &eans $ille" fro& one sot three out of thesa&e her" lthough so ta&e an" inLuisiti!e yet whenaroache" on horsebac$ they are excee"ingly wary 0n thiscountry nobo"y goes on foot an" the "eer $nows &an as itsene&y only when he is &ounte" an" ar&e" with the bolas

t Bahia Blanca a recent establish&ent in ;orthern Patagonia0 was surrise" to fin" how little the "eer care" for the noise of a gun5 one "ay 0 fire" ten ti&es fro& withineighty yar"s at one ani&alS an" it was &uch &ore startle"at the ball cutting u the groun" than at the reort of the rifle =y ow"er being exhauste" 0 was oblige" toget u to &y sha&e as a sorts&an be it so$en thoughwell able to $ill bir"s on the wing an" halloo till the "eer ran away

The &ost curious fact with resect to this ani&al is theo!eroweringly strong an" offensi!e o"our which rocee"s

fro& the buc$ 0t is Luite in"escribable5 se!eral ti&eswhilst s$inning the seci&en which is now &ounte" at theWoological =useu& 0 was al&ost o!erco&e by nausea 0tie" u the s$in in a sil$ oc$ethan"$erchief an" so carrie"it ho&e5 this han"$erchief after being well washe" 0continually use" an" it was of course as reeate"ly washe"Syet e!ery ti&e for a sace of one year an" se!en &onths whenfirst unfol"e" 0 "istinctly ercei!e" the o"our This aearsan astonishing instance of the er&anence of so&e&atter which ne!ertheless in its nature &ust be &ost subtilean" !olatile *reLuently when assing at the "istance of half a &ile to leewar" of a her" 0 ha!e ercei!e" the whole

air tainte" with the efflu!iu& 0 belie!e the s&ell fro& thebuc$ is &ost owerful at the erio" when its horns are erfector free fro& the hairy s$in (hen in this state the&eat is of course Luite uneatableS but the Gauchos assertthat if burie" for so&e ti&e in fresh earth the taint isre&o!e" 0 ha!e so&ewhere rea" that the islan"ers in thenorth of -cotlan" treat the ran$ carcasses of the fisheatingbir"s in the sa&e &anner

The or"er +o"entia is here !ery nu&erous in secies5of &ice alone 0 obtaine" no less than eight $in"s 234 Thelargest gnawing ani&al in the worl" the ,y"rochaerus caybara

the waterhog is here also co&&on :ne which 0shot at =onte Vi"eo weighe" ninetyeight oun"s5 itslength fro& the en" of the snout to the stu&li$e tail wasthree feet two inchesS an" its girth three feet eight Thesegreat +o"ents occasionally freLuent the islan"s in the &outhof the Plata where the water is Luite salt but are far &oreabun"ant on the bor"ers of freshwater la$es an" ri!ers;ear =al"ona"o three or four generally li!e together 0nthe "ayti&e they either lie a&ong the aLuatic lants or oenly fee" on the turf lain 2M4 (hen !iewe" at a "istancefro& their &anner of wal$ing an" colour they rese&ble igs5but when seate" on their haunches an" attenti!ely watching

any object with one eye they reassu&e the aearanceof their congeners ca!ies an" rabbits Both the front an"si"e !iew of their hea" has Luite a lu"icrous asect fro&



the great "eth of their jaw These ani&als at =al"ona"owere !ery ta&eS by cautiously wal$ing 0 aroache" withinthree yar"s of four ol" ones This ta&eness &ay robablybe accounte" for by the aguar ha!ing been banishe" for so&e years an" by the Gaucho not thin$ing it worth hiswhile to hunt the& s 0 aroache" nearer an" nearer

they freLuently &a"e their eculiar noise which is a lowabrut grunt not ha!ing &uch actual soun" but rather arisingfro& the su""en exulsion of air5 the only noise 0 $nowat all li$e it is the first hoarse bar$ of a large "og ,a!ingwatche" the four fro& al&ost within ar&'s length an" they&e for se!eral &inutes they rushe" into the water at fullgallo with the greatest i&etuosity an" e&itte" at thesa&e ti&e their bar$ fter "i!ing a short "istance theyca&e again to the surface but only just showe" the uer art of their hea"s (hen the fe&ale is swi&&ing in thewater an" has young ones they are sai" to sit on her bac$These ani&als are easily $ille" in nu&bersS but their s$ins

are of trifling !alue an" the &eat is !ery in"ifferent :nthe islan"s in the +io Parana they are excee"ingly abun"antan" affor" the or"inary rey to the aguar

The Tucutuco Cteno&ys Brasiliensis is a curious s&allani&al which &ay be briefly "escribe" as a Gnawer withthe habits of a &ole 0t is extre&ely nu&erous in so&earts of the country but it is "ifficult to be rocure" an"ne!er 0 belie!e co&es out of the groun" 0t throws u atthe &outh of its burrows hilloc$s of earth li$e those of the&ole but s&aller Consi"erable tracts of country are soco&letely un"er&ine" by these ani&als that horses in assing

o!er sin$ abo!e their fetloc$s The tucutucos aearto a certain "egree to be gregarious5 the &an who rocure"the seci&ens for &e ha" caught six together an" hesai" this was a co&&on occurrence They are nocturnal intheir habitsS an" their rincial foo" is the roots of lantswhich are the object of their extensi!e an" suerficial burrowsThis ani&al is uni!ersally $nown by a !ery eculiar noise which it &a$es when beneath the groun" ersonthe first ti&e he hears it is &uch surrise"S for it is noteasy to tell whence it co&es nor is it ossible to guess what$in" of creature utters it The noise consists in a short butnot rough nasal grunt which is &onotonously reeate"

about four ti&es in Luic$ succession5 2H4 the na&e Tucutuco isgi!en in i&itation of the soun" (here this ani&al isabun"ant it &ay be hear" at all ti&es of the "ay an" so&eti&es"irectly beneath one's feet (hen $et in a roo& thetucutucos &o!e both slowly an" clu&sily which aearsowing to the outwar" action of their hin" legsS an" they areLuite incaable fro& the soc$et of the thighbone not ha!inga certain liga&ent of ju&ing e!en the s&allest !erticalheight They are !ery stui" in &a$ing any atte&t toescaeS when angry or frightene" they utter the tucutuco:f those 0 $et ali!e se!eral e!en the first "ay beca&eLuite ta&e not atte&ting to bite or to run awayS others

were a little wil"er

The &an who caught the& asserte" that !ery &any are



in!ariably foun" blin" seci&en which 0 reser!e" insirits was in this stateS =r +ei" consi"ers it to be theeffect of infla&&ation in the nictitating &e&brane (hen theani&al was ali!e 0 lace" &y finger within half an inch of its hea" an" not the slightest notice was ta$en5 it &a"e itsway howe!er about the roo& nearly as well as the others

Consi"ering the strictly subterranean habits of the tucutucothe blin"ness though so co&&on cannot be a !ery seriouse!ilS yet it aears strange that any ani&al shoul" ossessan organ freLuently subject to be injure" >a&arc$ woul"ha!e been "elighte" with this fact ha" he $nown it whenseculating 2/4 robably with &ore truth than usual with hi&on the gra"ually @acLuire"@ blin"ness of the shalax aGnawer li!ing un"er groun" an" of the Proteus a retileli!ing in "ar$ ca!erns fille" with waterS in both of whichani&als the eye is in an al&ost ru"i&entary state an" isco!ere" by a ten"inous &e&brane an" s$in 0n the co&&on&ole the eye is extraor"inarily s&all but erfect though

&any anato&ists "oubt whether it is connecte" with the trueotic ner!eS its !ision &ust certainly be i&erfect thoughrobably useful to the ani&al when it lea!es its burrow 0nthe tucutuco which 0 belie!e ne!er co&es to the surface of the groun" the eye is rather larger but often ren"ere" blin"an" useless though without aarently causing any incon!enienceto the ani&alS no "oubt >a&arc$ woul" ha!e sai"that the tucutuco is now assing into the state of the shalax an" Proteus

Bir"s of &any $in"s are extre&ely abun"ant on the un"ulatinggrassy lains aroun" =al"ona"o There are se!eral

secies of a fa&ily allie" in structure an" &anners to our -tarling5 one of these =olothrus niger is re&ar$able fro&its habits -e!eral &ay often be seen stan"ing together onthe bac$ of a cow or horseS an" while erche" on a he"gelu&ing the&sel!es in the sun they so&eti&es atte&t tosing or rather to hissS the noise being !ery eculiarrese&bling that of bubbles of air assing rai"ly fro& a s&allorifice un"er water so as to ro"uce an acute soun" ccor"ingto 9ara this bir" li$e the cuc$oo "eosits its eggsin other bir"s' nests 0 was se!eral ti&es tol" by the countryeole that there certainly is so&e bir" ha!ing thishabitS an" &y assistant in collecting who is a !ery accurate

erson foun" a nest of the sarrow of this country Wonotrichia&atutina with one egg in it larger than the othersan" of a "ifferent colour an" shae 0n ;orth &ericathere is another secies of =olothrus = ecoris whichhas a si&ilar cuc$ooli$e habit an" which is &ost closelyallie" in e!ery resect to the secies fro& the Plata e!en insuch trifling eculiarities as stan"ing on the bac$s of cattleSit "iffers only in being a little s&aller an" in its lu&agean" eggs being of a slightly "ifferent sha"e of colour Thisclose agree&ent in structure an" habits in reresentati!esecies co&ing fro& oosite Luarters of a great continentalways stri$es one as interesting though of co&&on

occurrence

=r -wainson has well re&ar$e" 2I4 that with the excetion



of the =olothrus ecoris to which &ust be a""e" the= niger the cuc$oos are the only bir"s which can be calle"truly arasiticalS na&ely such as Nfasten the&sel!es as itwere on another li!ing ani&al whose ani&al heat bringstheir young into life whose foo" they li!e uon an" whose"eath woul" cause theirs "uring the erio" of infancyN 0t

is re&ar$able that so&e of the secies but not all both of the Cuc$oo an" =olothrus shoul" agree in this one strangehabit of their arasitical roagation whilst oose" to eachother in al&ost e!ery other habit5 the &olothrus li$e our starling is e&inently sociable an" li!es on the oen lainswithout art or "isguise5 the cuc$oo as e!ery one $nowsis a singularly shy bir"S it freLuents the &ost retire" thic$etsan" fee"s on fruit an" caterillars 0n structure alsothese two genera are wi"ely re&o!e" fro& each other=any theories e!en hrenological theories ha!e been a"!ance"to exlain the origin of the cuc$oo laying its eggs inother bir"s' nests = Pre!ost alone 0 thin$ has thrown

light by his obser!ations 2.4 on this u99le5 he fin"s that thefe&ale cuc$oo which accor"ing to &ost obser!ers lays atleast fro& four to six eggs &ust air with the &ale each ti&eafter laying only one or two eggs ;ow if the cuc$oo wasoblige" to sit on her own eggs she woul" either ha!e to siton all together an" therefore lea!e those first lai" so longthat they robably woul" beco&e a""le"S or she woul" ha!eto hatch searately each egg or two eggs as soon as lai"5but as the cuc$oo stays a shorter ti&e in this country thanany other &igratory bir" she certainly woul" not ha!e ti&eenough for the successi!e hatchings ,ence we can ercei!ein the fact of the cuc$oo airing se!eral ti&es an" laying

her eggs at inter!als the cause of her "eositing her eggsin other bir"s' nests an" lea!ing the& to the care of fosterarents 0 a& strongly incline" to belie!e that this!iew is correct fro& ha!ing been in"een"ently le" as weshall hereafter see to an analogous conclusion with regar"to the -outh &erican ostrich the fe&ales of which arearasitical if 0 &ay so exress it on each otherS eachfe&ale laying se!eral eggs in the nests of se!eral other fe&ales an" the &ale ostrich un"erta$ing all the caresof incubation li$e the strange fosterarents with thecuc$oo

0 will &ention only two other bir"s which are !ery co&&onan" ren"er the&sel!es ro&inent fro& their habitsThe -aurohagus sulhuratus is tyical of the great &ericantribe of tyrantflycatchers 0n its structure it closelyaroaches the true shri$es but in its habits &ay be co&are"to &any bir"s 0 ha!e freLuently obser!e" it huntinga fiel" ho!ering o!er one sot li$e a haw$ an" then rocee"ingon to another (hen seen thus susen"e" in the airit &ight !ery rea"ily at a short "istance be &ista$en for oneof the +aacious or"erS its stoo howe!er is !ery inferior in force an" rai"ity to that of a haw$ t other ti&esthe -aurohagus haunts the neighbourhoo" of water an"

there li$e a $ingfisher re&aining stationary it catches anys&all fish which &ay co&e near the &argin These bir"s arenot unfreLuently $et either in cages or in courtyar"s with



their wings cut They soon beco&e ta&e an" are !erya&using fro& their cunning o"" &anners which were"escribe" to &e as being si&ilar to those of the co&&on&agie Their flight is un"ulatory for the weight of thehea" an" bill aears too great for the bo"y 0n thee!ening the -aurohagus ta$es its stan" on a bush often

by the roa"si"e an" continually reeats without a changea shrill an" rather agreeable cry which so&ewhat rese&blesarticulate wor"s5 the -aniar"s say it is li$e the wor"sNBien te !eoN 0 see you well an" accor"ingly ha!e gi!enit this na&e

&oc$ingbir" =i&us orheus calle" by the inhabitantsCalan"ria is re&ar$able fro& ossessing a song far suerior to that of any other bir" in the country5 in"ee" itis nearly the only bir" in -outh &erica which 0 ha!eobser!e" to ta$e its stan" for the urose of singing Thesong &ay be co&are" to that of the -e"ge warbler but

is &ore owerfulS so&e harsh notes an" so&e !ery highones being &ingle" with a leasant warbling 0t is hear"only "uring the sring t other ti&es its cry is harsh an"far fro& har&onious ;ear =al"ona"o these bir"s wereta&e an" bol"S they constantly atten"e" the country housesin nu&bers to ic$ the &eat which was hung u on the ostsor walls5 if any other s&all bir" joine" the feast theCalan"ria soon chase" it away :n the wi"e uninhabite" lainsof Patagonia another closely allie" secies : Patagonicaof "':rbigny which freLuents the !alleys clothe" withsiny bushes is a wil"er bir" an" has a slightly "ifferenttone of !oice 0t aears to &e a curious circu&stance as

showing the fine sha"es of "ifference in habits that ju"gingfro& this latter resect alone when 0 first saw this secon"secies 0 thought it was "ifferent fro& the =al"ona"o $in",a!ing afterwar"s rocure" a seci&en an" co&aring thetwo without articular care they aeare" so !ery si&ilarthat 0 change" &y oinionS but now =r Goul" says that theyare certainly "istinctS a conclusion in confor&ity with thetrifling "ifference of habit of which of course he was notaware

The nu&ber ta&eness an" "isgusting habits of thecarrionfee"ing haw$s of -outh &erica &a$e the&

ree&inently stri$ing to any one accusto&e" only to the bir"sof ;orthern Euroe 0n this list &ay be inclu"e" four seciesof the Caracara or Polyborus the Tur$ey bu99ar" the Gallina9oan" the Con"or The Caracaras are fro& their structure lace" a&ong the eagles5 we shall soon see howill they beco&e so high a ran$ 0n their habits they wellsuly the lace of our carrioncrows &agies an" ra!ensSa tribe of bir"s wi"ely "istribute" o!er the rest of the worl"but entirely absent in -outh &erica To begin with thePolyborus Brasiliensis5 this is a co&&on bir" an" has a wi"egeograhical rangeS it is &ost nu&erous on the grassy sa!annahsof >a Plata where it goes by the na&e of Carrancha

an" is far fro& unfreLuent throughout the sterile lains of Patagonia 0n the "esert between the ri!ers ;egro an" Colora"onu&bers constantly atten" the line of roa" to "e!our



the carcasses of the exhauste" ani&als which chance toerish fro& fatigue an" thirst lthough thus co&&on inthese "ry an" oen countries an" li$ewise on the ari" shoresof the Pacific it is ne!ertheless foun" inhabiting the "a&i&er!ious forests of (est Patagonia an" Tierra "el *uegoThe Carranchas together with the Chi&ango constantly

atten" in nu&bers the estancias an" slaughteringhouses 0f an ani&al "ies on the lain the Gallina9o co&&ences thefeast an" then the two secies of Polyborus ic$ the bonesclean These bir"s although thus co&&only fee"ing togetherare far fro& being frien"s (hen the Carrancha isLuietly seate" on the branch of a tree or on the groun" theChi&ango often continues for a long ti&e flying bac$war"san" forwar"s u an" "own in a se&icircle trying each ti&eat the botto& of the cur!e to stri$e its larger relati!e TheCarrancha ta$es little notice excet by bobbing its hea" lthough the Carranchas freLuently asse&ble in nu&bersthey are not gregariousS for in "esert laces they &ay be

seen solitary or &ore co&&only by airs

The Carranchas are sai" to be !ery crafty an" to stealgreat nu&bers of eggs They atte&t also together withthe Chi&ango to ic$ off the scabs fro& the sore bac$s of horses an" &ules The oor ani&al on the one han" withits ears "own an" its bac$ arche"S an" on the other theho!ering bir" eyeing at the "istance of a yar" the "isgusting&orsel for& a icture which has been "escribe" by Catain,ea" with his own eculiar sirit an" accuracy Thesefalse eagles &ost rarely $ill any li!ing bir" or ani&alS an"their !ultureli$e necrohagous habits are !ery e!i"ent to

any one who has fallen aslee on the "esolate lains of Patagonia for when he wa$es he will see on each surroun"inghilloc$ one of these bir"s atiently watching hi& with ane!il eye5 it is a feature in the lan"scae of these countrieswhich will be recognise" by e!ery one who has wan"ere"o!er the& 0f a arty of &en go out hunting with "ogsan" horses they will be acco&anie" "uring the "ay byse!eral of these atten"ants fter fee"ing the unco!ere"craw rotru"esS at such ti&es an" in"ee" generally theCarrancha is an inacti!e ta&e an" cowar"ly bir" 0tsflight is hea!y an" slow li$e that of an English roo$ 0tsel"o& soarsS but 0 ha!e twice seen one at a great height

gli"ing through the air with &uch ease 0t runs incontra"istinction to hoing but not Luite so Luic$ly as so&eof its congeners t ti&es the Carrancha is noisy but isnot generally so5 its cry is lou" !ery harsh an" eculiar an"&ay be li$ene" to the soun" of the -anish guttural g followe"by a rough "ouble r rS when uttering this cry itele!ates its hea" higher an" higher till at last with itsbea$ wi"e oen the crown al&ost touches the lower art of the bac$ This fact which has been "oubte" is Luite trueS0 ha!e seen the& se!eral ti&es with their hea"s bac$war"sin a co&letely in!erte" osition To these obser!ations 0&ay a"" on the high authority of 9ara that the Carrancha

fee"s on wor&s shells slugs grasshoers an" frogsS thatit "estroys young la&bs by tearing the u&bilical cor"S an"that it ursues the Gallina9o till that bir" is co&elle" to



!o&it u the carrion it &ay ha!e recently gorge" >astly 9ara states that se!eral Carranchas fi!e or six togetherwill unite in chase of large bir"s e!en such as herons llthese facts show that it is a bir" of !ery !ersatile habits an"consi"erable ingenuity

The Polyborus Chi&ango is consi"erably s&aller than thelast secies 0t is truly o&ni!orous an" will eat e!en brea"San" 0 was assure" that it &aterially injures the otato crosin Chiloe by stoc$ing u the roots when first lante" :f all the carrionfee"ers it is generally the last which lea!esthe s$eleton of a "ea" ani&al an" &ay often be seen withinthe ribs of a cow or horse li$e a bir" in a cage nother secies is the Polyborus ;o!ae Welan"iae which is excee"inglyco&&on in the *al$lan" 0slan"s These bir"s in &anyresects rese&ble in their habits the Carranchas They li!eon the flesh of "ea" ani&als an" on &arine ro"uctionsS an"on the +a&ire9 roc$s their whole sustenance &ust "een"

on the sea They are extraor"inarily ta&e an" fearless an"haunt the neighborhoo" of houses for offal 0f a huntingarty $ills an ani&al a nu&ber soon collect an" atientlyawait stan"ing on the groun" on all si"es fter eatingtheir unco!ere" craws are largely rotru"e" gi!ing the& a"isgusting aearance They rea"ily attac$ woun"e" bir"s5a cor&orant in this state ha!ing ta$en to the shore wasi&&e"iately sei9e" on by se!eral an" its "eath hastene"by their blows The Beagle was at the *al$lan"s only"uring the su&&er but the officers of the "!enture whowere there in the winter &ention &any extraor"inary instancesof the bol"ness an" raacity of these bir"s They

actually ounce" on a "og that was lying fast aslee closeby one of the artyS an" the sorts&en ha" "ifficulty inre!enting the woun"e" geese fro& being sei9e" before their eyes 0t is sai" that se!eral together in this resectrese&bling the Carranchas wait at the &outh of a rabbitholean" together sei9e on the ani&al when it co&es out Theywere constantly flying on boar" the !essel when in the harbourSan" it was necessary to $ee a goo" loo$ out to re!entthe leather being torn fro& the rigging an" the &eat or ga&e fro& the stern These bir"s are !ery &ischie!ous an"inLuisiti!eS they will ic$ u al&ost anything fro& thegroun"S a large blac$ gla9e" hat was carrie" nearly a &ile

as was a air of the hea!y balls use" in catching cattle =r<sborne exerience" "uring the sur!ey a &ore se!ere lossin their stealing a s&all Uater's co&ass in a re" &oroccoleather case which was ne!er reco!ere" These bir"s are&oreo!er Luarrelso&e an" !ery assionateS tearing u thegrass with their bills fro& rage They are not truly gregariousSthey "o not soar an" their flight is hea!y an" clu&sySon the groun" they run extre&ely fast !ery &uch li$eheasants They are noisy uttering se!eral harsh cries oneof which is li$e that of the English roo$ hence the sealersalways call the& roo$s 0t is a curious circu&stance thatwhen crying out they throw their hea"s uwar"s an" bac$war"s

after the sa&e &anner as the Carrancha They buil"in the roc$y cliffs of the seacoast but only on the s&alla"joining islets an" not on the two &ain islan"s5 this is a



singular recaution in so ta&e an" fearless a bir" The sealerssay that the flesh of these bir"s when coo$e" is Luitewhite an" !ery goo" eatingS but bol" &ust the &an be whoatte&ts such a &eal

(e ha!e now only to &ention the tur$eybu99ar" Vultur

aura an" the Gallina9o The for&er is foun" where!er the country is &o"erately "a& fro& Cae ,orn to ;orth &erica Differently fro& the Polyborus Brasiliensis an"Chi&ango it has foun" its way to the *al$lan" 0slan"s Thetur$eybu99ar" is a solitary bir" or at &ost goes in airs 0t&ay at once be recognise" fro& a long "istance by its loftysoaring an" &ost elegant flight 0t is well $nown to be atrue carrionfee"er :n the west coast of Patagonia a&ongthe thic$lywoo"e" islets an" bro$en lan" it li!es exclusi!elyon what the sea throws u an" on the carcasses of "ea"seals (here!er these ani&als are congregate" on the roc$sthere the !ultures &ay be seen The Gallina9o Cathartes

atratus has a "ifferent range fro& the last secies as itne!er occurs southwar" of lat 31 "egs 9ara states thatthere exists a tra"ition that these bir"s at the ti&e of theconLuest were not foun" near =onte Vi"eo but that theysubseLuently followe" the inhabitants fro& &ore northern"istricts t the resent "ay they are nu&erous in the !alleyof the Colora"o which is three hun"re" &iles "ue south of =onteVi"eo 0t see&s robable that this a""itional &igration hashaene" since the ti&e of 9ara The Gallina9o generallyrefers a hu&i" cli&ate or rather the neighbourhoo" of fresh waterS hence it is extre&ely abun"ant in Bra9il an">a Plata while it is ne!er foun" on the "esert an" ari"

lains of ;orthern Patagonia exceting near so&e strea&These bir"s freLuent the whole Pa&as to the foot of theCor"illera but 0 ne!er saw or hear" of one in ChileS in Peruthey are reser!e" as sca!engers These !ultures certainly&ay be calle" gregarious for they see& to ha!e leasure insociety an" are not solely brought together by the attractionof a co&&on rey :n a fine "ay a floc$ &ay often beobser!e" at a great height each bir" wheeling roun" an"roun" without closing its wings in the &ost gracefule!olutions This is clearly erfor&e" for the &ere leasure of the exercise or erhas is connecte" with their &atri&onialalliances

0 ha!e now &entione" all the carrionfee"ers excetingthe con"or an account of which will be &ore aroriatelyintro"uce" when we !isit a country &ore congenial to itshabits than the lains of >a Plata

0n a broa" ban" of san"hilloc$s which searate the>aguna "el Potrero fro& the shores of the Plata at the"istance of a few &iles fro& =al"ona"o 0 foun" a grou of those !itrifie" siliceous tubes which are for&e" by lightningentering loose san" These tubes rese&ble in e!ery articular

those fro& Drigg in Cu&berlan" "escribe" in theGeological Transactions 2174 The san"hilloc$s of =al"ona"onot being rotecte" by !egetation are constantly changing



their osition *ro& this cause the tubes rojecte" abo!ethe surface an" nu&erous frag&ents lying near showe"that they ha" for&erly been burie" to a greater "eth *our sets entere" the san" eren"icularly5 by wor$ing with&y han"s 0 trace" one of the& two feet "eeS an" so&efrag&ents which e!i"ently ha" belonge" to the sa&e tube

when a""e" to the other art &easure" fi!e feet threeinches The "ia&eter of the whole tube was nearly eLualan" therefore we &ust suose that originally it exten"e" toa &uch greater "eth These "i&ensions are howe!er s&allco&are" to those of the tubes fro& Drigg one of whichwas trace" to a "eth of not less than thirty feet

The internal surface is co&letely !itrifie" glossy an"s&ooth s&all frag&ent exa&ine" un"er the &icroscoeaeare" fro& the nu&ber of &inute entangle" air or erhasstea& bubbles li$e an assay fuse" before the blowieThe san" is entirely or in greater art siliceousS but so&e

oints are of a blac$ colour an" fro& their glossy surfaceossess a &etallic lustre The thic$ness of the wall of thetube !aries fro& a thirtieth to a twentieth of an inch an"occasionally e!en eLuals a tenth :n the outsi"e the grainsof san" are roun"e" an" ha!e a slightly gla9e" aearance50 coul" not "istinguish any signs of crystalli9ation 0n asi&ilar &anner to that "escribe" in the Geological Transactionsthe tubes are generally co&resse" an" ha!e "eelongitu"inal furrows so as closely to rese&ble a shri!elle"!egetable stal$ or the bar$ of the el& or cor$ tree Their circu&ference is about two inches but in so&e frag&entswhich are cylin"rical an" without any furrows it is as &uch

as four inches The co&ression fro& the surroun"ing loosesan" acting while the tube was still softene" fro& theeffects of the intense heat has e!i"ently cause" the creasesor furrows u"ging fro& the unco&resse" frag&ents the&easure or bore of the lightning if such a ter& &ay be use"&ust ha!e been about one inch an" a Luarter t Paris =,achette an" = Beu"ant 2114 succee"e" in &a$ing tubes in&ost resects si&ilar to these fulgurites by assing !erystrong shoc$s of gal!anis& through finelyow"ere" glass5when salt was a""e" so as to increase its fusibility the tubeswere larger in e!ery "i&ension They faile" both withow"ere" felsar an" Luart9 :ne tube for&e" with

oun"e" glass was !ery nearly an inch long na&ely .I6an" ha" an internal "ia&eter of 71. of an inch (hen wehear that the strongest battery in Paris was use" an" thatits ower on a substance of such easy fusibility as glass wasto for& tubes so "i&inuti!e we &ust feel greatly astonishe"at the force of a shoc$ of lightning which stri$ing the san"in se!eral laces has for&e" cylin"ers in one instance of atleast thirty feet long an" ha!ing an internal bore where notco&resse" of full an inch an" a halfS an" this in a &aterialso extraor"inarily refractory as Luart9%

The tubes as 0 ha!e alrea"y re&ar$e" enter the san"

nearly in a !ertical "irection :ne howe!er which was lessregular than the others "e!iate" fro& a right line at the&ost consi"erable ben" to the a&ount of thirtythree "egrees



*ro& this sa&e tube two s&all branches about afoot aart were sent offS one ointe" "ownwar"s an" theother uwar"s This latter case is re&ar$able as the electricflui" &ust ha!e turne" bac$ at the acute angle of 6H "egsto the line of its &ain course Besi"es the four tubes which0 foun" !ertical an" trace" beneath the surface there were

se!eral other grous of frag&ents the original sites of whichwithout "oubt were near ll occurre" in a le!el area of shifting san" sixty yar"s by twenty situate" a&ong so&ehigh san"hilloc$s an" at the "istance of about half a &ilefro& a chain of hills four or fi!e hun"re" feet in height The&ost re&ar$able circu&stance as it aears to &e in thiscase as well as in that of Drigg an" in one "escribe" by= +ibbentro in Ger&any is the nu&ber of tubes foun"within such li&ite" saces t Drigg within an area of fifteen yar"s three were obser!e" an" the sa&e nu&ber occurre" in Ger&any 0n the case which 0 ha!e "escribe"certainly &ore than four existe" within the sace of the

sixty by twenty yar"s s it "oes not aear robable thatthe tubes are ro"uce" by successi!e "istinct shoc$s we &ustbelie!e that the lightning shortly before entering the groun""i!i"es itself into searate branches

The neighbourhoo" of the +io Plata see&s eculiarly subjectto electric heno&ena 0n the year 1/.8 2164 one of the&ost "estructi!e thun"erstor&s erhas on recor" haene"at Buenos yres5 thirtyse!en laces within the city werestruc$ by lightning an" nineteen eole $ille" *ro& factsstate" in se!eral boo$s of tra!els 0 a& incline" to susectthat thun"erstor&s are !ery co&&on near the &ouths of

great ri!ers 0s it not ossible that the &ixture of largebo"ies of fresh an" salt water &ay "isturb the electricaleLuilibriu&Q E!en "uring our occasional !isits to this artof -outh &erica we hear" of a shi two churches an" ahouse ha!ing been struc$ Both the church an" the house0 saw shortly afterwar"s5 the house belonge" to =r ,oo"the consulgeneral at =onte Vi"eo -o&e of the effects werecurious5 the aer for nearly a foot on each si"e of the linewhere the bellwires ha" run was blac$ene" The &etal ha"been fuse" an" although the roo& was about fifteen feethigh the globules "roing on the chairs an" furniture ha""rille" in the& a chain of &inute holes art of the wall

was shattere" as if by gunow"er an" the frag&ents ha"been blown off with force sufficient to "ent the wall on theoosite si"e of the roo& The fra&e of a loo$ingglass wasblac$ene" an" the gil"ing &ust ha!e been !olatili9e" for as&ellingbottle which stoo" on the chi&neyiece was coate"with bright &etallic articles which a"here" as fir&ly asif they ha" been ena&elle"

214 ,earne's ourney 8I8

264 =aclaren art N&ericaN Encyclo Brittann

284 9ara says Ne crois Lue la Luantite annuelle "es luiesest "ans toutes ces contrees lus consi"erable Lu'en EsagneN Vol i 8H



234 0n -outh &erica 0 collecte" altogether twentyse!ensecies of &ice an" thirteen &ore are $nown fro& the wor$sof 9ara an" other authors Those collecte" by &yself ha!ebeen na&e" an" "escribe" by =r (aterhouse at the &eetingsof the Woological -ociety 0 &ust be allowe" to ta$e this

oortunity of returning &y cor"ial than$s to =r (aterhousean" to the other gentle&an attache" to that -ociety for their $in" an" &ost liberal assistance on all occasions

2M4 0n the sto&ach an" "uo"enu& of a caybara which 0 oene"0 foun" a !ery large Luantity of a thin yellowish flui"in which scarcely a fibre coul" be "istinguishe" =r :weninfor&s &e that a art of the oesohagus is so constructe"that nothing &uch larger than a crowLuill can be asse" "ownCertainly the broa" teeth an" strong jaws of this ani&al arewell fitte" to grin" into ul the aLuatic lants on which itfee"s

2H4 t the + ;egro in ;orthern Patagonia there is an ani&alof the sa&e habits an" robably a closely allie" secies butwhich 0 ne!er saw 0ts noise is "ifferent fro& that of the=al"ona"o $in"S it is reeate" only twice instea" of three or four ti&es an" is &ore "istinct an" sonorousS when hear" fro&a "istance it so closely rese&bles the soun" &a"e in cutting"own a s&all tree with an axe that 0 ha!e so&eti&es re&aine"in "oubt concerning it

2/4 Philosoh Woolog to& i 636

2I4 =aga9ine of Woology an" Botany !ol i 61/

2.4 +ea" before the ca"e&y of -ciences in Paris >'0nstitut1I83 31I

2174 Geolog Transact !ol ii M6I 0n the PhilosohTransact 1/.7 6.3 Dr Priestly has "escribe" so&ei&erfect siliceous tubes an" a &elte" ebble of Luart9foun" in "igging into the groun" un"er a tree where a &anha" been $ille" by lightning

2114 nnals "e Chi&ie et "e PhysiLue to& xxx!ii 81.

2164 9ara's Voyage !ol i 8H

C,PTE+ 0V

+0: ;EG+: T: B,0 B>;C

+io ;egro Estancias attac$e" by the 0n"ians -alt>a$es *la&ingoes + ;egro to + Colora"o -acre" Tree Patagonian ,are 0n"ian *a&ilies General +osas

Procee" to Bahia Blanca -an" Dunes ;egro >ieutenant Bahia Blanca -aline 0ncrustations Punta lta Worillo



<>R 63th 1I88 The Beagle saile" fro& =al"ona"oan" on ugust the 8r" she arri!e" off the &outh of the+io ;egro This is the rincial ri!er on the whole lineof coast between the -trait of =agellan an" the Plata 0tenters the sea about three hun"re" &iles south of the estuary

of the Plata bout fifty years ago un"er the ol" -anishgo!ern&ent a s&all colony was establishe" hereS an" it isstill the &ost southern osition lat 31 "egs on thiseastern coast of &erica inhabite" by ci!ili9e" &an

The country near the &outh of the ri!er is wretche" inthe extre&e5 on the south si"e a long line of eren"icular cliffs co&&ences which exoses a section of the geologicalnature of the country The strata are of san"stone an"one layer was re&ar$able fro& being co&ose" of a fir&lyce&ente" conglo&erate of u&ice ebbles which &ust ha!etra!elle" &ore than four hun"re" &iles fro& the n"es

The surface is e!erywhere co!ere" u by a thic$ be" of gra!el which exten"s far an" wi"e o!er the oen lain(ater is extre&ely scarce an" where foun" is al&ostin!ariably brac$ish The !egetation is scantyS an" althoughthere are bushes of &any $in"s all are ar&e" with for&i"ablethorns which see& to warn the stranger not to enter onthese inhositable regions

The settle&ent is situate" eighteen &iles u the ri!erThe roa" follows the foot of the sloing cliff which for&sthe northern boun"ary of the great !alley in which the +io;egro flows :n the way we asse" the ruins of so&e fine

NestanciasN which a few years since ha" been "estroye" bythe 0n"ians They withstoo" se!eral attac$s &an resentat one ga!e &e a !ery li!ely "escrition of what too$ laceThe inhabitants ha" sufficient notice to "ri!e all the cattlean" horses into the NcorralN 214 which surroun"e" the housean" li$ewise to &ount so&e s&all cannon The 0n"ians were raucanians fro& the south of ChileS se!eral hun"re"s innu&ber an" highly "isciline" They first aeare" in twobo"ies on a neighbouring hillS ha!ing there "is&ounte" an"ta$en off their fur &antles they a"!ance" na$e" to thecharge The only weaon of an 0n"ian is a !ery long ba&booor chu9o orna&ente" with ostrich feathers an" ointe"

by a shar searhea" =y infor&er see&e" to re&e&ber with the greatest horror the Lui!ering of these chu9os as theyaroache" near (hen close the caciLue Pincheira haile"the besiege" to gi!e u their ar&s or he woul" cut all their throats s this woul" robably ha!e been the result of their entrance un"er any circu&stances the answer wasgi!en by a !olley of &us$etry The 0n"ians with greatstea"iness ca&e to the !ery fence of the corral5 but to their surrise they foun" the osts fastene" together by iron nailsinstea" of leather thongs an" of course in !ain atte&te"to cut the& with their $ni!es This sa!e" the li!es of theChristians5 &any of the woun"e" 0n"ians were carrie" away

by their co&anions an" at last one of the un"er caciLuesbeing woun"e" the bugle soun"e" a retreat They retire" totheir horses an" see&e" to hol" a council of war This was



an awful ause for the -aniar"s as all their a&&unitionwith the excetion of a few cartri"ges was exen"e" 0nan instant the 0n"ians &ounte" their horses an" galloe"out of sight nother attac$ was still &ore Luic$ly reulse" cool *rench&an &anage" the gunS he stoe" till the0n"ians aroache" close an" then ra$e" their line with

graeshot5 he thus lai" thirtynine of the& on the groun"San" of course such a blow i&&e"iately route" the wholearty

The town is in"ifferently calle" El Car&en or Patagones0t is built on the face of a cliff which fronts the ri!er an"&any of the houses are exca!ate" e!en in the san"stoneThe ri!er is about two or three hun"re" yar"s wi"e an" is"ee an" rai" The &any islan"s with their willowtreesan" the flat hea"lan"s seen one behin" the other on thenorthern boun"ary of the broa" green !alley for& by theai" of a bright sun a !iew al&ost icturesLue The nu&ber

of inhabitants "oes not excee" a few hun"re"s These -anishcolonies "o not li$e our British ones carry within the&sel!esthe ele&ents of growth =any 0n"ians of ure bloo"resi"e here5 the tribe of the CaciLue >ucanee constantly ha!etheir Tol"os 264 on the outs$irts of the town The localgo!ern&ent artly sulies the& with ro!isions by gi!ing the&all the ol" wornout horses an" they earn a little by &a$inghorserugs an" other articles of ri"inggear These 0n"iansare consi"ere" ci!ili9e"S but what their character &ay ha!egaine" by a lesser "egree of ferocity is al&ost counterbalance"by their entire i&&orality -o&e of the younger &enare howe!er i&ro!ingS they are willing to labour an" a

short ti&e since a arty went on a sealing!oyage an" beha!e"!ery well They were now enjoying the fruits of their labour by being "resse" in !ery gay clean clothes an" bybeing !ery i"le The taste they showe" in their "ress wasa"&irableS if you coul" ha!e turne" one of these young0n"ians into a statue of bron9e his "raery woul" ha!e beenerfectly graceful

:ne "ay 0 ro"e to a large saltla$e or -alina which is"istant fifteen &iles fro& the town During the winter itconsists of a shallow la$e of brine which in su&&er iscon!erte" into a fiel" of snowwhite salt The layer near the

&argin is fro& four to fi!e inches thic$ but towar"s thecentre its thic$ness increases This la$e was two an" a half &iles long an" one broa" :thers occur in the neighbourhoo"&any ti&es larger an" with a floor of salt two an"three feet in thic$ness e!en when un"er water "uring thewinter :ne of these brilliantly white an" le!el exansesin the &i"st of the brown an" "esolate lain offers anextraor"inary sectacle large Luantity of salt is annually"rawn fro& the salina5 an" great iles so&e hun"re"tons in weight were lying rea"y for exortation The seasonfor wor$ing the salinas for&s the har!est of PatagonesS for on it the roserity of the lace "een"s ;early the whole

oulation enca&s on the ban$ of the ri!er an" the eoleare e&loye" in "rawing out the salt in bulloc$waggonsThis salt is crystalli9e" in great cubes an" is re&ar$ably



ure5 =r Trenha& +ee$s has $in"ly analy9e" so&e for &ean" he fin"s in it only 76H of gysu& an" 766 of earthy&atter 0t is a singular fact that it "oes not ser!e so wellfor reser!ing &eat as seasalt fro& the Cae "e Ver"islan"sS an" a &erchant at Buenos yres tol" &e that heconsi"ere" it as fifty er cent less !aluable ,ence the

Cae "e Ver" salt is constantly i&orte" an" is &ixe" withthat fro& these salinas The urity of the Patagonian saltor absence fro& it of those other saline bo"ies foun" in allseawater is the only assignable cause for this inferiority5a conclusion which no one 0 thin$ woul" ha!e susecte"but which is suorte" by the fact lately ascertaine" 284that those salts answer best for reser!ing cheese whichcontain &ost of the "eliLuescent chlori"es

The bor"er of this la$e is for&e" of &u"5 an" in thisnu&erous large crystals of gysu& so&e of which are threeinches long lie e&be""e"S whilst on the surface others of

sulhate of so"a lie scattere" about The Gauchos call thefor&er the NPa"re "el salN an" the latter the N=a"reSNthey state that these rogeniti!e salts always occur on thebor"ers of the salinas when the water begins to e!aorateThe &u" is blac$ an" has a feti" o"our 0 coul" not at firsti&agine the cause of this but 0 afterwar"s ercei!e" that thefroth which the win" "rifte" on shore was coloure" greenas if by confer!aeS 0 atte&te" to carry ho&e so&e of thisgreen &atter but fro& an acci"ent faile" Parts of the la$eseen fro& a short "istance aeare" of a re""ish colour an"this erhas was owing to so&e infusorial ani&alcula The&u" in &any laces was thrown u by nu&bers of so&e $in"

of wor& or anneli"ous ani&al ,ow surrising it is thatany creatures shoul" be able to exist in brine an" that theyshoul" be crawling a&ong crystals of sulhate of so"a an"li&e% n" what beco&es of these wor&s when "uring thelong su&&er the surface is har"ene" into a soli" layer of saltQ *la&ingoes in consi"erable nu&bers inhabit this la$ean" bree" here throughout Patagonia in ;orthern Chilean" at the Galaagos 0slan"s 0 &et with these bir"s where!er there were la$es of brine 0 saw the& here wa"ingabout in search of foo" robably for the wor&s which burrowin the &u"S an" these latter robably fee" on infusoria or confer!ae Thus we ha!e a little li!ing worl" within itself

a"ate" to these inlan" la$es of brine &inute crustaceousani&al Cancer salinus is sai" 234 to li!e in countless nu&bersin the brineans at >y&ington5 but only in those in whichthe flui" has attaine" fro& e!aoration consi"erablestrength na&ely about a Luarter of a oun" of salt to aint of water (ell &ay we affir& that e!ery art of theworl" is habitable% (hether la$es of brine or thosesubterranean ones hi""en beneath !olcanic &ountains war&&ineral srings the wi"e exanse an" "eths of the ocean the uer regions of the at&oshere an" e!en the surfaceof eretual snow all suort organic beings

To the northwar" of the +io ;egro between it an" theinhabite" country near Buenos yres the -aniar"s ha!e



only one s&all settle&ent recently establishe" at BahiaBlanca The "istance in a straight line to Buenos yres is!ery nearly fi!e hun"re" British &iles The wan"eringtribes of horse 0n"ians which ha!e always occuie" thegreater art of this country ha!ing of late &uch harasse"the outlying estancias the go!ern&ent at Buenos yres

eLuie" so&e ti&e since an ar&y un"er the co&&an" of General +osas for the urose of exter&inating the& Thetroos were now enca&e" on the ban$s of the Colora"oSa ri!er lying about eighty &iles northwar" of the +io ;egro(hen General +osas left Buenos yres he struc$ in a "irectline across the unexlore" lains5 an" as the country wasthus retty well cleare" of 0n"ians he left behin" hi& atwi"e inter!als a s&all arty of sol"iers with a troo of horses a osta so as to be enable" to $ee u a co&&unicationwith the caital s the Beagle inten"e" to call atBahia Blanca 0 "eter&ine" to rocee" there by lan"S an"ulti&ately 0 exten"e" &y lan to tra!el the whole way by

the ostas to Buenos yres

ugust 11th =r ,arris an English&an resi"ing atPatagones a gui"e an" fi!e Gauchos who were rocee"ingto the ar&y on business were &y co&anions on the journeyThe Colora"o as 0 ha!e alrea"y sai" is nearly eighty&iles "istant5 an" as we tra!elle" slowly we were two "aysan" a half on the roa" The whole line of country "eser!esscarcely a better na&e than that of a "esert (ater is foun"only in two s&all wellsS it is calle" freshS but e!en at thisti&e of the year "uring the rainy season it was Luite brac$ish0n the su&&er this &ust be a "istressing assageS for

now it was sufficiently "esolate The !alley of the +io;egro broa" as it is has &erely been exca!ate" out of thesan"stone lainS for i&&e"iately abo!e the ban$ on whichthe town stan"s a le!el country co&&ences which is interrute"only by a few trifling !alleys an" "eressions E!erywherethe lan"scae wears the sa&e sterile asectS a "rygra!elly soil suorts tufts of brown withere" grass an"low scattere" bushes ar&e" with thorns

-hortly after assing the first sring we ca&e in sight of a fa&ous tree which the 0n"ians re!erence as the altar of (alleechu 0t is situate" on a high art of the lainS an"

hence is a lan"&ar$ !isible at a great "istance s soon as atribe of 0n"ians co&e in sight of it they offer their a"orationsby lou" shouts The tree itself is low &uch branche"an" thorny5 just abo!e the root it has a "ia&eter of aboutthree feet 0t stan"s by itself without any neighbour an"was in"ee" the first tree we sawS afterwar"s we &et with afew others of the sa&e $in" but they were far fro& co&&onBeing winter the tree ha" no lea!es but in their lacenu&berless threa"s by which the !arious offerings such ascigars brea" &eat ieces of cloth etc ha" been susen"e"Poor 0n"ians not ha!ing anything better only ull a threa"out of their onchos an" fasten it to the tree +icher

0n"ians are accusto&e" to our sirits an" &ate into a certainhole an" li$ewise to s&o$e uwar"s thin$ing thus toaffor" all ossible gratification to (alleechu To co&lete



the scene the tree was surroun"e" by the bleache" bonesof horses which ha" been slaughtere" as sacrifices ll0n"ians of e!ery age an" sex &a$e their offeringsS they thenthin$ that their horses will not tire an" that they the&sel!esshall be roserous The Gaucho who tol" &e this sai" thatin the ti&e of eace he ha" witnesse" this scene an" that

he an" others use" to wait till the 0n"ians ha" asse" by for the sa$e of stealing fro& (alleechu the offerings

The Gauchos thin$ that the 0n"ians consi"er the tree asthe go" itself but it see&s for &ore robable that theyregar" it as the altar The only cause which 0 can i&aginefor this choice is its being a lan"&ar$ in a "angerous assageThe -ierra "e la Ventana is !isible at an i&&ense"istanceS an" a Gaucho tol" &e that he was once ri"ing withan 0n"ian a few &iles to the north of the +io Colora"owhen the 0n"ian co&&ence" &a$ing the sa&e lou" noisewhich is usual at the first sight of the "istant tree utting

his han" to his hea" an" then ointing in the "irection of the-ierra <on being as$e" the reason of this the 0n"ian sai"in bro$en -anish N*irst see the -ierraN bout twoleagues beyon" this curious tree we halte" for the night5 atthis instant an unfortunate cow was sie" by the lynxeye"Gauchos who set off in full chase an" in a few &inutes"ragge" her in with their la9os an" slaughtere" her (ehere ha" the four necessaries of life Nen el ca&oN asturefor the horses water only a &u""y u""le &eat an"firewoo" The Gauchos were in high sirits at fin"ing allthese luxuriesS an" we soon set to wor$ at the oor cow Thiswas the first night which 0 asse" un"er the oen s$y with

the gear of the reca"o for &y be" There is high enjoy&entin the in"een"ence of the Gaucho life to be able at any&o&ent to ull u your horse an" say N,ere we will assthe nightN The "eathli$e stillness of the lain the "ogs$eeing watch the gisygrou of Gauchos &a$ing their be"s roun" the fire ha!e left in &y &in" a strongly&ar$e"icture of this first night which will ne!er be forgotten

The next "ay the country continue" si&ilar to that abo!e"escribe" 0t is inhabite" by few bir"s or ani&als of any$in" :ccasionally a "eer or a Guanaco wil" >la&a &aybe seenS but the gouti Ca!ia Patagonica is the co&&onest

Lua"rue" This ani&al here reresents our hares 0t"iffers howe!er fro& that genus in &any essential resectsSfor instance it has only three toes behin" 0t is also nearlytwice the si9e weighing fro& twenty to twentyfi!e oun"sThe gouti is a true frien" of the "esertS it is a co&&onfeature of the lan"scae to see two or three hoing Luic$lyone after the other in a straight line across these wil" lainsThey are foun" as far north as the -ierra Taalguen lat8/ "egs 87' where the lain rather su""enly beco&es greener an" &ore hu&i"S an" their southern li&it is between PortDesire an" -t ulian where there is no change in the natureof the country 0t is a singular fact that although the

gouti is not now foun" as far south as Port -t ulian yetthat Catain (oo" in his !oyage in 1H/7 tal$s of the& asbeing nu&erous there (hat cause can ha!e altere" in a



wi"e uninhabite" an" rarely!isite" country the range of an ani&al li$e thisQ 0t aears also fro& the nu&ber shotby Catain (oo" in one "ay at Port Desire that they &ustha!e been consi"erably &ore abun"ant there for&erly thanat resent (here the Bi9cacha li!es an" &a$es its burrowsthe gouti uses the&S but where as at Bahia Blanca the

Bi9cacha is not foun" the gouti burrows for itself Thesa&e thing occurs with the little owl of the Pa&as thenecunicularia which has so often been "escribe" as stan"ingli$e a sentinel at the &outh of the burrowsS for in Ban"a:riental owing to the absence of the Bi9cacha it is oblige"to hollow out its own habitation

The next &orning as we aroache" the +io Colora"othe aearance of the country change"S we soon ca&e on alain co!ere" with turf which fro& its flowers tall clo!eran" little owls rese&ble" the Pa&as (e asse" also a&u""y swa& of consi"erable extent which in su&&er "ries

an" beco&es incruste" with !arious saltsS an" hence is calle"a salitral 0t was co!ere" by low succulent lants of thesa&e $in" with those growing on the seashore The Colora"oat the ass where we crosse" it is only about sixtyyar"s wi"eS generally it &ust be nearly "ouble that wi"th0ts course is !ery tortuous being &ar$e" by willowtreesan" be"s of ree"s5 in a "irect line the "istance to the &outhof the ri!er is sai" to be nine leagues but by water twentyfi!e (e were "elaye" crossing in the canoe by so&ei&&ense troos of &ares which were swi&&ing the ri!er inor"er to follow a "i!ision of troos into the interior &ore lu"icrous sectacle 0 ne!er behel" than the hun"re"s

an" hun"re"s of hea"s all "irecte" one way with ointe"ears an" "isten"e" snorting nostrils aearing just abo!ethe water li$e a great shoal of so&e a&hibious ani&al=are's flesh is the only foo" which the sol"iers ha!e whenon an exe"ition This gi!es the& a great facility of &o!e&entSfor the "istance to which horses can be "ri!en o!er these lains is Luite surrising5 0 ha!e been assure" that anunloa"e" horse can tra!el a hun"re" &iles a "ay for &any"ays successi!ely

The enca&&ent of General +osas was close to the ri!er0t consiste" of a sLuare for&e" by waggons artillery straw

huts etc The sol"iers were nearly all ca!alryS an" 0 shoul"thin$ such a !illainous ban"ittili$e ar&y was ne!er beforecollecte" together The greater nu&ber of &en were of a&ixe" bree" between ;egro 0n"ian an" -aniar" 0 $nownot the reason but &en of such origin sel"o& ha!e a goo"exression of countenance 0 calle" on the -ecretary to show&y assort ,e began to crossLuestion &e in the &ost"ignifie" an" &ysterious &anner By goo" luc$ 0 ha" aletter of reco&&en"ation fro& the go!ern&ent of Buenos yres 2M4 to the co&&an"ant of Patagones This was ta$ento General +osas who sent &e a !ery obliging &essageS an"the -ecretary returne" all s&iles an" graciousness (e too$

u our resi"ence in the @rancho@ or ho!el of a curious ol"-aniar" who ha" ser!e" with ;aoleon in the exe"itionagainst +ussia



(e staye" two "ays at the Colora"oS 0 ha" little to "ofor the surroun"ing country was a swa& which in su&&er Dece&ber when the snow &elts on the Cor"illera is o!erflowe" by the ri!er =y chief a&use&ent was watching the0n"ian fa&ilies as they ca&e to buy little articles at the

rancho where we staye" 0t was suose" that General+osas ha" about six hun"re" 0n"ian allies The &en werea tall fine race yet it was afterwar"s easy to see in the*uegian sa!age the sa&e countenance ren"ere" hi"eous bycol" want of foo" an" less ci!ili9ation -o&e authorsin "efining the ri&ary races of &an$in" ha!e searate"these 0n"ians into two classesS but this is certainlyincorrect &ong the young wo&en or chinas so&e "eser!e tobe calle" e!en beautiful Their hair was coarse but brightan" blac$S an" they wore it in two laits hanging "ownto the waist They ha" a high colour an" eyes thatglistene" with brilliancyS their legs feet an" ar&s were

s&all an" elegantly for&e"S their an$les an" so&eti&estheir wrists were orna&ente" by broa" bracelets of bluebea"s ;othing coul" be &ore interesting than so&e of thefa&ily grous &other with one or two "aughters woul"often co&e to our rancho &ounte" on the sa&e horse Theyri"e li$e &en but with their $nees tuc$e" u &uch higherThis habit erhas arises fro& their being accusto&e"when tra!elling to ri"e the loa"e" horses The "uty of thewo&en is to loa" an" unloa" the horsesS to &a$e the tentsfor the nightS in short to be li$e the wi!es of all sa!agesuseful sla!es The &en fight hunt ta$e care of the horsesan" &a$e the ri"ing gear :ne of their chief in"oor occuations

is to $noc$ two stones together till they beco&e roun"in or"er to &a$e the bolas (ith this i&ortant weaon the0n"ian catches his ga&e an" also his horse which roa&sfree o!er the lain 0n fighting his first atte&t is to throw"own the horse of his a"!ersary with the bolas an" whenentangle" by the fall to $ill hi& with the chu9o 0f the ballsonly catch the nec$ or bo"y of an ani&al they are oftencarrie" away an" lost s the &a$ing the stones roun" isthe labour of two "ays the &anufacture of the balls is a!ery co&&on e&loy&ent -e!eral of the &en an" wo&enha" their faces ainte" re" but 0 ne!er saw the hori9ontalban"s which are so co&&on a&ong the *uegians Their

chief ri"e consists in ha!ing e!erything &a"e of sil!erS 0ha!e seen a caciLue with his surs stirrus han"le of his$nife an" bri"le &a"e of this &etal5 the hea"stall an" reinsbeing of wire were not thic$er than whicor"S an" to see afiery stee" wheeling about un"er the co&&an" of so lighta chain ga!e to the horse&anshi a re&ar$able character of elegance

General +osas inti&ate" a wish to see &eS a circu&stancewhich 0 was afterwar"s !ery gla" of ,e is a &an of anextraor"inary character an" has a &ost re"o&inant influencein the country which it see&s he will use to its roserity

an" a"!ance&ent 2H4 ,e is sai" to be the owner of se!entyfour sLuare leagues of lan" an" to ha!e about threehun"re" thousan" hea" of cattle ,is estates are a"&irably



&anage" an" are far &ore ro"ucti!e of corn than those of others ,e first gaine" his celebrity by his laws for his ownestancias an" by "iscilining se!eral hun"re" &en so as toresist with success the attac$s of the 0n"ians There are&any stories current about the rigi" &anner in which hislaws were enforce" :ne of these was that no &an on

enalty of being ut into the stoc$s shoul" carry his $nifeon a -un"ay5 this being the rincial "ay for ga&bling an""rin$ing &any Luarrels arose which fro& the general &anner of fighting with the $nife often ro!e" fatal :ne-un"ay the Go!ernor ca&e in great for& to ay the estanciaa !isit an" General +osas in his hurry wal$e" out to recei!ehi& with his $nife as usual stuc$ in his belt The stewar"touche" his ar& an" re&in"e" hi& of the lawS uon whichturning to the Go!ernor he sai" he was extre&ely sorry butthat he &ust go into the stoc$s an" that till let out heossesse" no ower e!en in his own house fter a little ti&ethe stewar" was ersua"e" to oen the stoc$s an" to let

hi& out but no sooner was this "one than he turne" to thestewar" an" sai" NRou now ha!e bro$en the laws so you&ust ta$e &y lace in the stoc$sN -uch actions as these"elighte" the Gauchos who all ossess high notions of their own eLuality an" "ignity

General +osas is also a erfect horse&an an acco&lish&entof no s&all conseLuence 0n a country where an asse&ble"ar&y electe" its general by the following trial5 trooof unbro$en horses being "ri!en into a corral were let outthrough a gateway abo!e which was a crossbar5 it wasagree" whoe!er shoul" "ro fro& the bar on one of these

wil" ani&als as it rushe" out an" shoul" be able withoutsa""le or bri"le not only to ri"e it but also to bring it bac$to the "oor of the corral shoul" be their general The ersonwho succee"e" was accor"ingly electe"S an" "oubtless&a"e a fit general for such an ar&y This extraor"inaryfeat has also been erfor&e" by +osas

By these &eans an" by confor&ing to the "ress an" habitsof the Gauchos he has obtaine" an unboun"e" oularity inthe country an" in conseLuence a "esotic ower 0 wasassure" by an English &erchant that a &an who ha" &ur"ere"another when arreste" an" Luestione" concerning his

&oti!e answere" N,e so$e "isresectfully of General+osas so 0 $ille" hi&N t the en" of a wee$ the &ur"erer was at liberty This "oubtless was the act of the general'sarty an" not of the general hi&self

0n con!ersation he is enthusiastic sensible an" !erygra!e ,is gra!ity is carrie" to a high itch5 0 hear" oneof his &a" buffoons for he $ees two li$e the barons of ol" relate the following anec"ote N0 wante" !ery &uch tohear a certain iece of &usic so 0 went to the general twoor three ti&es to as$ hi&S he sai" to &e 'Go about your business for 0 a& engage"' 0 went a secon" ti&eS he sai"

'0f you co&e again 0 will unish you' thir" ti&e 0as$e" an" he laughe" 0 rushe" out of the tent but it wastoo late he or"ere" two sol"iers to catch an" sta$e &e 0



begge" by all the saints in hea!en he woul" let &e offS but itwoul" not "o when the general laughs he sares neither &a" &an nor soun"N The oor flighty gentle&an loo$e" Luite"olorous at the !ery recollection of the sta$ing This is a!ery se!ere unish&entS four osts are "ri!en into thegroun" an" the &an is exten"e" by his ar&s an" legs

hori9ontally an" there left to stretch for se!eral hoursThe i"ea is e!i"ently ta$en fro& the usual &etho" of "ryinghi"es =y inter!iew asse" away without a s&ile an" 0obtaine" a assort an" or"er for the go!ern&ent osthorsesan" this he ga!e &e in the &ost obliging an" rea"y&anner

0n the &orning we starte" for Bahia Blanca which wereache" in two "ays >ea!ing the regular enca&&ent weasse" by the tol"os of the 0n"ians These are roun" li$eo!ens an" co!ere" with hi"esS by the &outh of each a taeringchu9o was stuc$ in the groun" The tol"os were "i!i"e"

into searate grous which belong to the "ifferent caciLues'tribes an" the grous were again "i!i"e" into s&aller onesaccor"ing to the relationshi of the owners *or se!eral&iles we tra!elle" along the !alley of the Colora"o Theallu!ial lains on the si"e aeare" fertile an" it is suose"that they are well a"ate" to the growth of corn Turningnorthwar" fro& the ri!er we soon entere" on a country "ifferingfro& the lains south of the ri!er The lan" still continue""ry an" sterile5 but it suorte" &any "ifferent $in"sof lants an" the grass though brown an" withere" was&ore abun"ant as the thorny bushes were less so Theselatter in a short sace entirely "isaeare" an" the lains

were left without a thic$et to co!er their na$e"ness Thischange in the !egetation &ar$s the co&&ence&ent of thegran" calcareo argillaceous "eosit which for&s the wi"eextent of the Pa&as an" co!ers the granitic roc$s of Ban"a:riental *ro& the -trait of =agellan to the Colora"o a"istance of about eight hun"re" &iles the face of the countryis e!erywhere co&ose" of shingle5 the ebbles arechiefly of orhyry an" robably owe their origin to theroc$s of the Cor"illera ;orth of the Colora"o this be"thins out an" the ebbles beco&e excee"ingly s&all an"here the characteristic !egetation of Patagonia ceases

,a!ing ri""en about twentyfi!e &iles we ca&e to abroa" belt of san""unes which stretches as far as the eyecan reach to the east an" west The san"hilloc$s restingon the clay allow s&all ools of water to collect an" thusaffor" in this "ry country an in!aluable suly of freshwater The great a"!antage arising fro& "eressions an"ele!ations of the soil is not often brought ho&e to the &in"The two &iserable srings in the long assage between the+io ;egro an" Colora"o were cause" by trifling ineLualitiesin the lain without the& not a "ro of water woul" ha!ebeen foun" The belt of san""unes is about eight &ileswi"eS at so&e for&er erio" it robably for&e" the &argin

of a gran" estuary where the Colora"o now flows 0n this"istrict where absolute roofs of the recent ele!ation of the lan" occur such seculations can har"ly be neglecte" by



any one although &erely consi"ering the hysical geograhyof the country ,a!ing crosse" the san"y tract we arri!e"in the e!ening at one of the osthousesS an" as the freshhorses were gra9ing at a "istance we "eter&ine" to assthe night there

The house was situate" at the base of a ri"ge betweenone an" two hun"re" feet high a &ost re&ar$able featurein this country This osta was co&&an"e" by a negrolieutenant born in frica5 to his cre"it be it sai" therewas not a ranche between the Colora"o an" Buenos yres innearly such neat or"er as his ,e ha" a little roo& for strangers an" a s&all corral for the horses all &a"e of stic$s an" ree"sS he ha" also "ug a "itch roun" his houseas a "efence in case of being attac$e" This woul" howe!erha!e been of little a!ail if the 0n"ians ha" co&eS buthis chief co&fort see&e" to rest in the thought of sellinghis life "early short ti&e before a bo"y of 0n"ians ha"

tra!elle" ast in the nightS if they ha" been aware of theosta our blac$ frien" an" his four sol"iers woul" assure"lyha!e been slaughtere" 0 "i" not anywhere &eet a &oreci!il an" obliging &an than this negroS it was thereforethe &ore ainful to see that he woul" not sit "own an" eatwith us

0n the &orning we sent for the horses !ery early an"starte" for another exhilarating gallo (e asse" theCabe9a "el Buey an ol" na&e gi!en to the hea" of a large&arsh which exten"s fro& Bahia Blanca ,ere we change"horses an" asse" through so&e leagues of swa&s an"

saline &arshes Changing horses for the last ti&e we againbegan wa"ing through the &u" =y ani&al fell an" 0 waswell souse" in blac$ &ire a !ery "isagreeable acci"entwhen one "oes not ossess a change of clothes -o&e &ilesfro& the fort we &et a &an who tol" us that a great gunha" been fire" which is a signal that 0n"ians are near (ei&&e"iately left the roa" an" followe" the e"ge of a &arshwhich when chase" offers the best &o"e of escae (ewere gla" to arri!e within the walls when we foun" all thealar& was about nothing for the 0n"ians turne" out to befrien"ly ones who wishe" to join General +osas

Bahia Blanca scarcely "eser!es the na&e of a !illage few houses an" the barrac$s for the troos are enclose" bya "ee "itch an" fortifie" wall The settle&ent is only of recent stan"ing since 1I6IS an" its growth has been one of trouble The go!ern&ent of Buenos yres unjustly occuie"it by force instea" of following the wise exa&le of the-anish Viceroys who urchase" the lan" near the ol"er settle&ent of the +io ;egro fro& the 0n"ians ,ence thenee" of the fortificationsS hence the few houses an" littleculti!ate" lan" without the li&its of the wallsS e!en thecattle are not safe fro& the attac$s of the 0n"ians beyon"the boun"aries of the lain on which the fortress stan"s

The art of the harbour where the Beagle inten"e" toanchor being "istant twentyfi!e &iles 0 obtaine" fro& the



Co&&an"ant a gui"e an" horses to ta$e &e to see whether she ha" arri!e" >ea!ing the lain of green turf whichexten"e" along the course of a little broo$ we soon entere"on a wi"e le!el waste consisting either of san" saline&arshes or bare &u" -o&e arts were clothe" by lowthic$ets an" others with those succulent lants which

luxuriate only where salt aboun"s Ba" as the country wasostriches "eer agoutis an" ar&a"illoes were abun"ant =ygui"e tol" &e that two &onths before he ha" a &ost narrowescae of his life5 he was out hunting with two other &enat no great "istance fro& this art of the country when theywere su""enly &et by a arty of 0n"ians who gi!ing chasesoon o!ertoo$ an" $ille" his two frien"s ,is own horse'slegs were also caught by the bolas but he ju&e" off an"with his $nife cut the& free5 while "oing this he was oblige"to "o"ge roun" his horse an" recei!e" two se!ere woun"sfro& their chu9os -ringing on the sa""le he &anage" bya &ost won"erful exertion just to $ee ahea" of the long

sears of his ursuers who followe" hi& to within sight of the fort *ro& that ti&e there was an or"er that no oneshoul" stray far fro& the settle&ent 0 "i" not $now of thiswhen 0 starte" an" was surrise" to obser!e how earnestly&y gui"e watche" a "eer which aeare" to ha!e beenfrightene" fro& a "istant Luarter

(e foun" the Beagle ha" not arri!e" an" conseLuentlyset out on our return but the horses soon tiring we wereoblige" to bi!ouac on the lain 0n the &orning we ha"caught an ar&a"illo which although a &ost excellent "ishwhen roaste" in its shell "i" not &a$e a !ery substantial

brea$fast an" "inner for two hungry &en The groun" atthe lace where we stoe" for the night was incruste" witha layer of sulhate of so"a an" hence of course was withoutwater Ret &any of the s&aller ro"ents &anage" toexist e!en here an" the tucutuco was &a$ing its o"" littlegrunt beneath &y hea" "uring half the night :ur horseswere !ery oor ones an" in the &orning they were soonexhauste" fro& not ha!ing ha" anything to "rin$ so thatwe were oblige" to wal$ bout noon the "ogs $ille" a $i"which we roaste" 0 ate so&e of it but it &a"e &e intolerablythirsty This was the &ore "istressing as the roa"fro& so&e recent rain was full of little u""les of clear

water yet not a "ro was "rin$able 0 ha" scarcely beentwenty hours without water an" only art of the ti&e un"er a hot sun yet the thirst ren"ere" &e !ery wea$ ,ow eolesur!i!e two or three "ays un"er such circu&stances 0 cannoti&agine5 at the sa&e ti&e 0 &ust confess that &y gui"e "i"not suffer at all an" was astonishe" that one "ay's"eri!ation shoul" be so troubleso&e to &e

0 ha!e se!eral ti&es allu"e" to the surface of the groun"being incruste" with salt This heno&enon is Luite"ifferent fro& that of the salinas an" &ore extraor"inary0n &any arts of -outh &erica where!er the cli&ate is

&o"erately "ry these incrustations occurS but 0 ha!e nowhereseen the& so abun"ant as near Bahia Blanca The salt herean" in other arts of Patagonia consists chiefly of sulhate



of so"a with so&e co&&on salt s long as the groun"re&ains &oist in the salitrales as the -aniar"s i&roerlycall the& &ista$ing this substance for salteter nothing isto be seen but an extensi!e lain co&ose" of a blac$ &u""ysoil suorting scattere" tufts of succulent lants :n returningthrough one of these tracts after a wee$'s hot weather

one is surrise" to see sLuare &iles of the lain white as if fro& a slight fall of snow here an" there heae" u by thewin" into little "rifts This latter aearance is chieflycause" by the salts being "rawn u "uring the slow e!aorationof the &oisture roun" bla"es of "ea" grass stu&s of woo" an" ieces of bro$en earth instea" of being crystalli9e"at the botto&s of the u""les of water The salitralesoccur either on le!el tracts ele!ate" only a few feet abo!ethe le!el of the sea or on allu!ial lan" bor"ering ri!ers= Parchae 2/4 foun" that the saline incrustation on the lainat the "istance of so&e &iles fro& the sea consiste" chieflyof sulhate of so"a with only se!en er cent of co&&on

saltS whilst nearer to the coast the co&&on salt increase"to 8/ arts in a hun"re" This circu&stance woul" te&tone to belie!e that the sulhate of so"a is generate" in thesoil fro& the &uriate left on the surface "uring the slowan" recent ele!ation of this "ry country The whole heno&enonis well worthy the attention of naturalists ,a!ethe succulent saltlo!ing lants which are well $nown tocontain &uch so"a the ower of "eco&osing the &uriateQDoes the blac$ feti" &u" aboun"ing with organic &atteryiel" the sulhur an" ulti&ately the sulhuric aci"Q

Two "ays afterwar"s 0 again ro"e to the harbour5 when

not far fro& our "estination &y co&anion the sa&e &anas before sie" three eole hunting on horsebac$ ,ei&&e"iately "is&ounte" an" watching the& intently sai"NThey "on't ri"e li$e Christians an" nobo"y can lea!e thefortN The three hunters joine" co&any an" li$ewise"is&ounte" fro& their horses t last one &ounte" againan" ro"e o!er the hill out of sight =y co&anion sai"N(e &ust now get on our horses5 loa" your istolSN an" heloo$e" to his own swor" 0 as$e" Nre they 0n"iansQN Nuien sabeQ who $nowsQ if there are no &ore than threeit "oes not signifyN 0t then struc$ &e that the one &anha" gone o!er the hill to fetch the rest of his tribe 0

suggeste" thisS but all the answer 0 coul" extort was NuiensabeQN ,is hea" an" eye ne!er for a &inute cease" scanningslowly the "istant hori9on 0 thought his unco&&oncoolness too goo" a jo$e an" as$e" hi& why he "i" notreturn ho&e 0 was startle" when he answere" N(e arereturning but in a line so as to ass near a swa& intowhich we can gallo the horses as far as they can go an"then trust to our own legsS so that there is no "angerN 0 "i"not feel Luite so confi"ent of this an" wante" to increaseour ace ,e sai" N;o not until they "oN (hen anylittle ineLuality conceale" us we galloe"S but when in sightcontinue" wal$ing t last we reache" a !alley an" turning

to the left galloe" Luic$ly to the foot of a hillS he ga!e &ehis horse to hol" &a"e the "ogs lie "own an" then crawle"on his han"s an" $nees to reconnoitre ,e re&aine" in this



osition for so&e ti&e an" at last bursting out in laughterexclai&e" N=ugeres%N wo&en% ,e $new the& to bethe wife an" sisterinlaw of the &ajor's son hunting for ostrich's eggs 0 ha!e "escribe" this &an's con"uct becausehe acte" un"er the full i&ression that they were 0n"ians s soon howe!er as the absur" &ista$e was foun" out he

ga!e &e a hun"re" reasons why they coul" not ha!e been0n"iansS but all these were forgotten at the ti&e (e thenro"e on in eace an" Luietness to a low oint calle" Punta lta whence we coul" see nearly the whole of the great harbour of Bahia Blanca

The wi"e exanse of water is cho$e" u by nu&erousgreat &u"ban$s which the inhabitants call Cangrejales or @crabberies@ fro& the nu&ber of s&all crabs The &u" is sosoft that it is i&ossible to wal$ o!er the& e!en for theshortest "istance =any of the ban$s ha!e their surfacesco!ere" with long rushes the tos of which alone are !isible

at high water :n one occasion when in a boat we wereso entangle" by these shallows that we coul" har"ly fin"our way ;othing was !isible but the flat be"s of &u"S the"ay was not !ery clear an" there was &uch refraction or as the sailors exresse" it Nthings loo&e" highN The onlyobject within our !iew which was not le!el was the hori9onSrushes loo$e" li$e bushes unsuorte" in the air an" water li$e &u"ban$s an" &u"ban$s li$e water

(e asse" the night in Punta lta an" 0 e&loye" &yself in searching for fossil bonesS this oint being a erfectcataco&b for &onsters of extinct races The e!ening was

erfectly cal& an" clearS the extre&e &onotony of the !iewga!e it an interest e!en in the &i"st of &u"ban$s an" gullssan"hilloc$s an" solitary !ultures 0n ri"ing bac$ in the&orning we ca&e across a !ery fresh trac$ of a Pu&a but"i" not succee" in fin"ing it (e saw also a coule of Worillos or s$un$s o"ious ani&als which are far fro&unco&&on 0n general aearance the Worillo rese&bles aolecat but it is rather larger an" &uch thic$er in roortionConscious of its ower it roa&s by "ay about the oenlain an" fears neither "og nor &an 0f a "og is urge" tothe attac$ its courage is instantly chec$e" by a few "rosof the feti" oil which brings on !iolent sic$ness an" running

at the nose (hate!er is once ollute" by it is for e!er useless 9ara says the s&ell can be ercei!e" at aleague "istantS &ore than once when entering the harbour of =onte Vi"eo the win" being off shore we ha!e ercei!e"the o"our on boar" the Beagle Certain it is thate!ery ani&al &ost willingly &a$es roo& for the Worillo

214 The corral is an enclosure &a"e of tall an" strongsta$es E!ery estancia or far&ing estate has one attache"to it

264 The ho!els of the 0n"ians are thus calle"

284 +eort of the gricult Che& ssoc in the gricultGa9ette 1I3M .8



234 >innaean Trans !ol xi 67M 0t is re&ar$able howall the circu&stances connecte" with the saltla$es in -iberiaan" Patagonia are si&ilar -iberia li$e Patagonia aearsto ha!e been recently ele!ate" abo!e the waters of the sea0n both countries the saltla$es occuy shallow "eressions

in the lainsS in both the &u" on the bor"ers is blac$ an"feti"S beneath the crust of co&&on salt sulhate of so"a or of &agnesiu& occurs i&erfectly crystalli9e"S an" in boththe &u""y san" is &ixe" with lentils of gysu& The -iberiansaltla$es are inhabite" by s&all crustaceous ani&alsS an"fla&ingoes E"in ;ew Philos our an 1I87 li$ewisefreLuent the& s these circu&stances aarently so triflingoccur in two "istant continents we &ay feel sure that theyare the necessary results of a co&&on cause -ee Pallas'sTra!els 1/.8 to 1/.3 16. 183

2M4 0 a& boun" to exress in the strongest ter&s &y obligation

to the go!ern&ent of Buenos yres for the obliging &anner inwhich assorts to all arts of the country were gi!en &e asnaturalist of the Beagle

2H4 This rohecy has turne" out entirely an" &iserably wrong1I3M

2/4 Voyage "ans l'&eriLue =eri" ar = "':rbigny Part,ist to& i HH3

C,PTE+ V

B,0 B>;C

Bahia Blanca Geology ;u&erous gigantic ua"rue"s +ecent Extinction >onge!ity of secies >arge ni&als"o not reLuire a luxuriant !egetation -outhern frica -iberian *ossils Two -ecies of :strich ,abits of :!enbir" r&a"illoes Veno&ous -na$e Toa" >i9ar" ,ybernation of ni&al ,abits of -eaPen 0n"ian (ars an"=assacres rrowhea" antiLuarian +elic

The Beagle arri!e" here on the 63th of ugust an" awee$ afterwar"s saile" for the Plata (ith Catain*it9 +oy's consent 0 was left behin" to tra!el by lan"to Buenos yres 0 will here a"" so&e obser!ations whichwere &a"e "uring this !isit an" on a re!ious occasion whenthe Beagle was e&loye" in sur!eying the harbour

The lain at the "istance of a few &iles fro& the coastbelongs to the great Pa&ean for&ation which consists inart of a re""ish clay an" in art of a highly calcareous&arly roc$ ;earer the coast there are so&e lains for&e"

fro& the wrec$ of the uer lain an" fro& &u" gra!elan" san" thrown u by the sea "uring the slow ele!ation of the lan" of which ele!ation we ha!e e!i"ence in uraise"



be"s of recent shells an" in roun"e" ebbles of u&icescattere" o!er the country t Punta lta we ha!e a section of one of these laterfor&e" little lains which is highlyinteresting fro& the nu&ber an" extraor"inary character of there&ains of gigantic lan"ani&als e&be""e" in it These ha!ebeen fully "escribe" by Professor :wen in the Woology of the

!oyage of the Beagle an" are "eosite" in the College of -urgeons 0 will here gi!e only a brief outline of their nature

*irst arts of three hea"s an" other bones of the =egatheriu&the huge "i&ensions of which are exresse" by itsna&e -econ"ly the =egalonyx a great allie" ani&alThir"ly the -celi"otheriu& also an allie" ani&al of which0 obtaine" a nearly erfect s$eleton 0t &ust ha!e been aslarge as a rhinoceros5 in the structure of its hea" it co&esaccor"ing to =r :wen nearest to the Cae nteater butin so&e other resects it aroaches to the ar&a"illoes*ourthly the =ylo"on Darwinii a closely relate" genus of

little inferior si9e *ifthly another gigantic e"ental Lua"rue"-ixthly a large ani&al with an osseous coat in co&art&ents!ery li$e that of an ar&a"illo -e!enthly anextinct $in" of horse to which 0 shall ha!e again to referEighthly a tooth of a Pachy"er&atous ani&al robably thesa&e with the =acrauchenia a huge beast with a long nec$li$e a ca&el which 0 shall also refer to again >astly theToxo"on erhas one of the strangest ani&als e!er "isco!ere"5in si9e it eLualle" an elehant or &egatheriu& butthe structure of its teeth as =r :wen states ro!esin"isutably that it was inti&ately relate" to the Gnawers theor"er which at the resent "ay inclu"es &ost of the s&allest

Lua"rue"s5 in &any "etails it is allie" to the Pachy"er&ata5 ju"ging fro& the osition of its eyes ears an" nostrilsit was robably aLuatic li$e the Dugong an" =anateeto which it is also allie" ,ow won"erfully are the "ifferent:r"ers at the resent ti&e so well searate" blen"e" together in "ifferent oints of the structure of the Toxo"on%

The re&ains of these nine great Lua"rue"s an" &any"etache" bones were foun" e&be""e" on the beach withinthe sace of about 677 yar"s sLuare 0t is a re&ar$ablecircu&stance that so &any "ifferent secies shoul" be foun"togetherS an" it ro!es how nu&erous in $in" the ancient

inhabitants of this country &ust ha!e been t the "istanceof about thirty &iles fro& Punta lta in a cliff of re" earth0 foun" se!eral frag&ents of bones so&e of large si9e &ong the& were the teeth of a gnawer eLualling in si9ean" closely rese&bling those of the Caybara whose habitsha!e been "escribe"S an" therefore robably an aLuaticani&al There was also art of the hea" of a Cteno&ysS thesecies being "ifferent fro& the Tucutuco but with a closegeneral rese&blance The re" earth li$e that of the Pa&asin which these re&ains were e&be""e" contains accor"ingto Professor Ehrenberg eight freshwater an" one saltwater infusorial ani&alculeS therefore robably it was an estuary

"eosit

The re&ains at Punta lta were e&be""e" in stratifie"



gra!el an" re""ish &u" just such as the sea &ight now washu on a shallow ban$ They were associate" with twentythree secies of shells of which thirteen are recent an" four others !ery closely relate" to recent for&s 214 *ro& the bonesof the -celi"otheriu& inclu"ing e!en the $neeca beinginto&be" in their roer relati!e ositions an" fro& the

osseous ar&our of the great ar&a"illoli$e ani&al being sowell reser!e" together with the bones of one of its legs we&ay feel assure" that these re&ains were fresh an" unite" bytheir liga&ents when "eosite" in the gra!el together withthe shells 264 ,ence we ha!e goo" e!i"ence that the abo!eenu&erate" gigantic Lua"rue"s &ore "ifferent fro& thoseof the resent "ay than the ol"est of the tertiary Lua"rue"sof Euroe li!e" whilst the sea was eole" with &ostof its resent inhabitantsS an" we ha!e confir&e" that re&ar$ablelaw so often insiste" on by =r >yell na&ely thatthe Nlonge!ity of the secies in the &a&&alia is uon thewhole inferior to that of the testaceaN 284

The great si9e of the bones of the =egatheroi" ani&alsinclu"ing the =egatheriu& =egalonyx -celi"otheriu& an"=ylo"on is truly won"erful The habits of life of theseani&als were a co&lete u99le to naturalists until Professor :wen 234 sol!e" the roble& with re&ar$able ingenuity Theteeth in"icate by their si&le structure that these =egatheroi"ani&als li!e" on !egetable foo" an" robably on thelea!es an" s&all twigs of treesS their on"erous for&s an"great strong cur!e" claws see& so little a"ate" for loco&otionthat so&e e&inent naturalists ha!e actually belie!e"that li$e the sloths to which they are inti&ately relate"

they subsiste" by cli&bing bac$ "ownwar"s on trees an"fee"ing on the lea!es 0t was a bol" not to say reosterousi"ea to concei!e e!en ante"ilu!ian trees with branchesstrong enough to bear ani&als as large as elehants Professor :wen with far &ore robability belie!es that instea"of cli&bing on the trees they ulle" the branches "own tothe& an" tore u the s&aller ones by the roots an" so fe" onthe lea!es The colossal brea"th an" weight of their hin"er Luarters which can har"ly be i&agine" without ha!ing beenseen beco&e on this !iew of ob!ious ser!ice instea" of being an incu&brance5 their aarent clu&siness "isaears(ith their great tails an" their huge heels fir&ly fixe" li$e

a trio" on the groun" they coul" freely exert the full forceof their &ost owerful ar&s an" great claws -tronglyroote" in"ee" &ust that tree ha!e been which coul" ha!eresiste" such force% The =ylo"on &oreo!er was furnishe"with a long extensile tongue li$e that of the giraffe whichby one of those beautiful ro!isions of nature thus reacheswith the ai" of its long nec$ its leafy foo" 0 &ay re&ar$that in byssinia the elehant accor"ing to Bruce when itcannot reach with its roboscis the branches "eely scoreswith its tus$s the trun$ of the tree u an" "own an" allroun" till it is sufficiently wea$ene" to be bro$en "own

The be"s inclu"ing the abo!e fossil re&ains stan" onlyfro& fifteen to twenty feet abo!e the le!el of highwaterSan" hence the ele!ation of the lan" has been s&all without



there has been an intercalate" erio" of subsi"ence of whichwe ha!e no e!i"ence since the great Lua"rue"s wan"ere"o!er the surroun"ing lainsS an" the external features of the country &ust then ha!e been !ery nearly the sa&e asnow (hat it &ay naturally be as$e" was the character of the !egetation at that erio"S was the country as wretche"ly

sterile as it now isQ s so &any of the coe&be""e"shells are the sa&e with those now li!ing in the bay 0 wasat first incline" to thin$ that the for&er !egetation wasrobably si&ilar to the existing oneS but this woul" ha!ebeen an erroneous inference for so&e of these sa&e shellsli!e on the luxuriant coast of Bra9ilS an" generally thecharacter of the inhabitants of the sea are useless as gui"esto ju"ge of those on the lan" ;e!ertheless fro& the followingconsi"erations 0 "o not belie!e that the si&le factof &any gigantic Lua"rue"s ha!ing li!e" on the lainsroun" Bahia Blanca is any sure gui"e that they for&erlywere clothe" with a luxuriant !egetation5 0 ha!e no "oubt

that the sterile country a little southwar" near the +io;egro with its scattere" thorny trees woul" suort &anyan" large Lua"rue"s

That large ani&als reLuire a luxuriant !egetation hasbeen a general assu&tion which has asse" fro& one wor$to anotherS but 0 "o not hesitate to say that it is co&letelyfalse an" that it has !itiate" the reasoning of geologistson so&e oints of great interest in the ancient history of the worl" The reju"ice has robably been "eri!e" fro&0n"ia an" the 0n"ian islan"s where troos of elehants

noble forests an" i&enetrable jungles are associate" together in e!ery one's &in" 0f howe!er we refer to anywor$ of tra!els through the southern arts of frica weshall fin" allusions in al&ost e!ery age either to the "esertcharacter of the country or to the nu&bers of large ani&alsinhabiting it The sa&e thing is ren"ere" e!i"entby the &any engra!ings which ha!e been ublishe" of !ariousarts of the interior (hen the Beagle was at CaeTown 0 &a"e an excursion of so&e "ays' length into thecountry which at least was sufficient to ren"er that which0 ha" rea" &ore fully intelligible

Dr n"rew -&ith who at the hea" of his a"!enturousarty has lately succee"e" in assing the Troic of Caricorninfor&s &e that ta$ing into consi"eration the wholeof the southern art of frica there can be no "oubt of itsbeing a sterile country :n the southern an" southeasterncoasts there are so&e fine forests but with these excetionsthe tra!eller &ay ass for "ays together through oen lainsco!ere" by a oor an" scanty !egetation 0t is "ifficult tocon!ey any accurate i"ea of "egrees of co&arati!e fertilitySbut it &ay be safely sai" that the a&ount of !egetationsuorte" at any one ti&e 2M4 by Great Britain excee"serhas e!en tenfol" the Luantity on an eLual area in the

interior arts of -outhern frica The fact that bulloc$waggons can tra!el in any "irection exceting near thecoast without &ore than occasionally half an hour's "elay



in cutting "own bushes gi!es erhas a &ore "efinite notionof the scantiness of the !egetation ;ow if we loo$ to theani&als inhabiting these wi"e lains we shall fin" their nu&bers extraor"inarily great an" their bul$ i&&ense (e&ust enu&erate the elehant three secies of rhinocerosan" robably accor"ing to Dr -&ith two others the hioota&us

the giraffe the bos caffer as large as a fullgrownbull an" the elan but little less two 9ebras an" theLuaccha two gnus an" se!eral anteloes e!en larger than theselatter ani&als 0t &ay be suose" that although the seciesare nu&erous the in"i!i"uals of each $in" are fewBy the $in"ness of Dr -&ith 0 a& enable" to show thatthe case is !ery "ifferent ,e infor&s &e that in lat 63 "egsin one "ay's &arch with the bulloc$waggons he saw withoutwan"ering to any great "istance on either si"e betweenone hun"re" an" one hun"re" an" fifty rhinoceroses whichbelonge" to three secies5 the sa&e "ay he saw se!eral her"sof giraffes a&ounting together to nearly a hun"re"S an"

that although no elehant was obser!e" yet they are foun"in this "istrict t the "istance of a little &ore than onehour's &arch fro& their lace of enca&&ent on the re!iousnight his arty actually $ille" at one sot eighthioota&uses an" saw &any &ore 0n this sa&e ri!er therewere li$ewise croco"iles :f course it was a case Luiteextraor"inary to see so &any great ani&als crow"e" togetherbut it e!i"ently ro!es that they &ust exist in great nu&bersDr -&ith "escribes the country asse" through that"ay as Nbeing thinly co!ere" with grass an" bushes aboutfour feet high an" still &ore thinly with &i&osatreesNThe waggons were not re!ente" tra!elling in a nearly

straight line

Besi"es these large ani&als e!ery one the least acLuainte"with the natural history of the Cae has rea" of the her"s of anteloes which can be co&are" only with thefloc$s of &igratory bir"s The nu&bers in"ee" of the lionanther an" hyaena an" the &ultitu"e of bir"s of reylainly sea$ of the abun"ance of the s&aller Lua"rue"s5one e!ening se!en lions were counte" at the sa&e ti&e rowlingroun" Dr -&ith's enca&&ent s this able naturalistre&ar$e" to &e the carnage each "ay in -outhern frica&ust in"ee" be terrific% 0 confess it is truly surrising how

such a nu&ber of ani&als can fin" suort in a countryro"ucing so little foo" The larger Lua"rue"s no "oubtroa& o!er wi"e tracts in search of itS an" their foo" chieflyconsists of un"erwoo" which robably contains &uch nutri&entin a s&all bul$ Dr -&ith also infor&s &e that the!egetation has a rai" growthS no sooner is a art consu&e"than its lace is sulie" by a fresh stoc$ There can beno "oubt howe!er that our i"eas resecting the aarenta&ount of foo" necessary for the suort of large Lua"rue"sare &uch exaggerate"5 it shoul" ha!e been re&e&bere"that the ca&el an ani&al of no &ean bul$ has always beenconsi"ere" as the e&ble& of the "esert

The belief that where large Lua"rue"s exist the !egetation&ust necessarily be luxuriant is the &ore re&ar$able



because the con!erse is far fro& true =r Burchell obser!e"to &e that when entering Bra9il nothing struc$ hi& &oreforcibly than the slen"our of the -outh &erican !egetationcontraste" with that of -outh frica together withthe absence of all large Lua"rue"s 0n his Tra!els 2H4 he hassuggeste" that the co&arison of the resecti!e weights if

there were sufficient "ata of an eLual nu&ber of the largestherbi!orous Lua"rue"s of each country woul" be extre&elycurious 0f we ta$e on the one si"e the elehant 2/4 hioota&usgiraffe bos caffer elan certainly three an" robablyfi!e secies of rhinocerosS an" on the &erican si"etwo tairs the guanaco three "eer the !icuna eccaricaybara after which we &ust choose fro& the &on$eys toco&lete the nu&ber an" then lace these two grousalongsi"e each other it is not easy to concei!e ran$s &ore"isroortionate in si9e fter the abo!e facts we are co&elle"to conclu"e against anterior robability 2I4 that a&ongthe &a&&alia there exists no close relation between the

bul$ of the secies an" the @Luantity@ of the !egetation inthe countries which they inhabit

(ith regar" to the nu&ber of large Lua"rue"s therecertainly exists no Luarter of the globe which will bear co&arison with -outhern frica fter the "ifferent state&entswhich ha!e been gi!en the extre&ely "esert character of that region will not be "isute" 0n the Euroean "i!isionof the worl" we &ust loo$ bac$ to the tertiary eochsto fin" a con"ition of things a&ong the &a&&alia rese&blingthat now existing at the Cae of Goo" ,oe Thosetertiary eochs which we are at to consi"er as aboun"ing

to an astonishing "egree with large ani&als because wefin" the re&ains of &any ages accu&ulate" at certain sotscoul" har"ly boast of &ore large Lua"rue"s than -outhern frica "oes at resent 0f we seculate on the con"itionof the !egetation "uring these eochs we are at least boun"so far to consi"er existing analogies as not to urge asabsolutely necessary a luxuriant !egetation when we seea state of things so totally "ifferent at the Cae of Goo",oe

(e $now 2.4 that the extre&e regions of ;orth &erica&any "egrees beyon" the li&it where the groun" at the "eth

of a few feet re&ains eretually congeale" are co!ere" byforests of large an" tall trees 0n a li$e &anner in -iberiawe ha!e woo"s of birch fir asen an" larch growing in alatitu"e 2174 H3 "egs where the &ean te&erature of theair falls below the free9ing oint an" where the earth is soco&letely fro9en that the carcass of an ani&al e&be""e" in itis erfectly reser!e" (ith these facts we &ust grant asfar as @Luantity alone@ of !egetation is concerne" that thegreat Lua"rue"s of the later tertiary eochs &ight in &ostarts of ;orthern Euroe an" sia ha!e li!e" on the sotswhere their re&ains are now foun" 0 "o not here sea$ of the $in" of !egetation necessary for their suortS because

as there is e!i"ence of hysical changes an" as the ani&alsha!e beco&e extinct so &ay we suose that the secies of lants ha!e li$ewise been change"



These re&ar$s 0 &ay be er&itte" to a"" "irectly bear on the case of the -iberian ani&als reser!e" in ice Thefir& con!iction of the necessity of a !egetation ossessinga character of troical luxuriance to suort such largeani&als an" the i&ossibility of reconciling this with the

roxi&ity of eretual congelation was one chief cause of the se!eral theories of su""en re!olutions of cli&ate an" of o!erwhel&ing catastrohes which were in!ente" to accountfor their ento&b&ent 0 a& far fro& suosing that thecli&ate has not change" since the erio" when those ani&alsli!e" which now lie burie" in the ice t resent 0only wish to show that as far as @Luantity@ of foo" @alone@ isconcerne" the ancient rhinoceroses &ight ha!e roa&e" o!er the @stees@ of central -iberia the northern arts robablybeing un"er water e!en in their resent con"ition as wellas the li!ing rhinoceroses an" elehants o!er the @Uarros@ of -outhern frica

0 will now gi!e an account of the habits of so&e of the&ore interesting bir"s which are co&&on on the wil" lainsof ;orthern Patagonia5 an" first for the largest or -outh &erican ostrich The or"inary habits of the ostrich arefa&iliar to e!ery one They li!e on !egetable &atter suchas roots an" grassS but at Bahia Blanca 0 ha!e reeate"lyseen three or four co&e "own at low water to the extensi!e&u"ban$s which are then "ry for the sa$e as the Gauchossay of fee"ing on s&all fish lthough the ostrich in itshabits is so shy wary an" solitary an" although so fleet

in its ace it is caught without &uch "ifficulty by the 0n"ianor Gaucho ar&e" with the bolas (hen se!eral horse&enaear in a se&icircle it beco&es confoun"e" an" "oesnot $now which way to escae They generally refer runningagainst the win"S yet at the first start they exan"their wings an" li$e a !essel &a$e all sail :n one finehot "ay 0 saw se!eral ostriches enter a be" of tall rusheswhere they sLuatte" conceale" till Luite closely aroache"0t is not generally $nown that ostriches rea"ily ta$e to thewater =r Uing infor&s &e that at the Bay of -an Blasan" at Port Val"es in Patagonia he saw these bir"s swi&&ingse!eral ti&es fro& islan" to islan" They ran into

the water both when "ri!en "own to a oint an" li$ewiseof their own accor" when not frightene"5 the "istancecrosse" was about two hun"re" yar"s (hen swi&&ing!ery little of their bo"ies aear abo!e waterS their nec$sare exten"e" a little forwar" an" their rogress is slow:n two occasions 0 saw so&e ostriches swi&&ing across the-anta Cru9 ri!er where its course was about four hun"re"yar"s wi"e an" the strea& rai" Catain -turt 2114 when"escen"ing the =urru&bi"gee in ustralia saw two e&usin the act of swi&&ing

The inhabitants of the country rea"ily "istinguish e!en

at a "istance the coc$ bir" fro& the hen The for&er islarger an" "ar$ercoloure" 2164 an" has a bigger hea" Theostrich 0 belie!e the coc$ e&its a singular "eetone"



hissing note5 when first 0 hear" it stan"ing in the &i"st of so&e san"hilloc$s 0 thought it was &a"e by so&e wil"beast for it is a soun" that one cannot tell whence it co&esor fro& how far "istant (hen we were at Bahia Blancain the &onths of -ete&ber an" :ctober the eggs inextraor"inary nu&bers were foun" all o!er the country They

lie either scattere" an" single in which case they are ne!er hatche" an" are calle" by the -aniar"s huachosS or theyare collecte" together into a shallow exca!ation which for&sthe nest :ut of the four nests which 0 saw three containe"twentytwo eggs each an" the fourth twentyse!en0n one "ay's hunting on horsebac$ sixtyfour eggs werefoun"S fortyfour of these were in two nests an" the re&ainingtwenty scattere" huachos The Gauchos unani&ouslyaffir& an" there is no reason to "oubt their state&entthat the &ale bir" alone hatches the eggs an" for so&e ti&e afterwar"s acco&anies the young The coc$when on the nest lies !ery closeS 0 ha!e &yself al&ost

ri""en o!er one 0t is asserte" that at such ti&es theyare occasionally fierce an" e!en "angerous an" that theyha!e been $nown to attac$ a &an on horsebac$ trying to$ic$ an" lea on hi& =y infor&er ointe" out to &e an ol"&an who& he ha" seen &uch terrifie" by one chasing hi& 0obser!e in Burchell's tra!els in -outh frica that he re&ar$sN,a!ing $ille" a &ale ostrich an" the feathers being"irty it was sai" by the ,ottentots to be a nest bir"N 0un"erstan" that the &ale e&u in the Woological Gar"ensta$es charge of the nest5 this habit therefore is co&&onto the fa&ily

The Gauchos unani&ously affir& that se!eral fe&aleslay in one nest 0 ha!e been ositi!ely tol" that four or fi!e hen bir"s ha!e been watche" to go in the &i""le of the"ay one after the other to the sa&e nest 0 &ay a"" alsothat it is belie!e" in frica that two or &ore fe&ales layin one nest 2184 lthough this habit at first aears !erystrange 0 thin$ the cause &ay be exlaine" in a si&le&anner The nu&ber of eggs in the nest !aries fro& twentyto forty an" e!en to fiftyS an" accor"ing to 9ara so&eti&es to se!enty or eighty ;ow although it is &ost robablefro& the nu&ber of eggs foun" in one "istrict beingso extraor"inarily great in roortion to the arent bir"s

an" li$ewise fro& the state of the o!ariu& of the hen thatshe &ay in the course of the season lay a large nu&ber yetthe ti&e reLuire" &ust be !ery long 9ara states 2134 that afe&ale in a state of "o&estication lai" se!enteen eggs eachat the inter!al of three "ays one fro& another 0f the henwas oblige" to hatch her own eggs before the last was lai"the first robably woul" be a""le"S but if each lai" a feweggs at successi!e erio"s in "ifferent nests an" se!eralhens as is state" to be the case co&bine" together thenthe eggs in one collection woul" be nearly of the sa&e age0f the nu&ber of eggs in one of these nests is as 0 belie!enot greater on an a!erage than the nu&ber lai" by one

fe&ale in the season then there &ust be as &any nests asfe&ales an" each coc$ bir" will ha!e its fair share of thelabour of incubationS an" that "uring a erio" when the



fe&ales robably coul" not sit fro& not ha!ing finishe"laying 21M4 0 ha!e before &entione" the great nu&bers of huachos or "eserte" eggsS so that in one "ay's huntingtwenty were foun" in this state 0t aears o"" that so&any shoul" be waste" Does it not arise fro& the "ifficultyof se!eral fe&ales associating together an" fin"ing a &ale

rea"y to un"erta$e the office of incubationQ 0t is e!i"entthat there &ust at first be so&e "egree of association betweenat least two fe&alesS otherwise the eggs woul" re&ainscattere" o!er the wi"e lain at "istances far too great toallow of the &ale collecting the& into one nest5 so&e authorsha!e belie!e" that the scattere" eggs were "eosite"for the young bir"s to fee" on This can har"ly be the casein &erica because the huachos although often foun"a""le" an" utri" are generally whole

(hen at the +io ;egro in ;orthern Patagonia 0 reeate"lyhear" the Gauchos tal$ing of a !ery rare bir" which

they calle" !estru9 Petise They "escribe" it as being lessthan the co&&on ostrich which is there abun"ant butwith a !ery close general rese&blance They sai" its colour was "ar$ an" &ottle" an" that its legs were shorter an"feathere" lower "own than those of the co&&on ostrich0t is &ore easily caught by the bolas than the other seciesThe few inhabitants who ha" seen both $in"s affir&e" theycoul" "istinguish the& aart fro& a long "istance Theeggs of the s&all secies aeare" howe!er &ore generally$nownS an" it was re&ar$e" with surrise that they were!ery little less than those of the +hea but of a slightly"ifferent for& an" with a tinge of ale blue This secies occurs

&ost rarely on the lains bor"ering the +io ;egroS but abouta "egree an" a half further south they are tolerably abun"ant(hen at Port Desire in Patagonia lat 3I "egs =r=artens shot an ostrichS an" 0 loo$e" at it forgetting atthe &o&ent in the &ost unaccountable &anner the wholesubject of the Petises an" thought it was a not fullgrownbir" of the co&&on sort 0t was coo$e" an" eaten before&y &e&ory returne" *ortunately the hea" nec$ legswings &any of the larger feathers an" a large art of thes$in ha" been reser!e"S an" fro& these a !ery nearly erfectseci&en has been ut together an" is now exhibite"in the &useu& of the Woological -ociety =r Goul" in

"escribing this new secies has "one &e the honour of calling it after &y na&e

&ong the Patagonian 0n"ians in the -trait of =agellanwe foun" a half 0n"ian who ha" li!e" so&e years withthe tribe but ha" been born in the northern ro!inces 0as$e" hi& if he ha" e!er hear" of the !estru9 PetiseQ ,eanswere" by saying N(hy there are none others in thesesouthern countriesN ,e infor&e" &e that the nu&ber of eggs in the nest of the etise is consi"erably less than in thatof the other $in" na&ely not &ore than fifteen on an a!eragebut he asserte" that &ore than one fe&ale "eosite"

the& t -anta Cru9 we saw se!eral of these bir"s Theywere excessi!ely wary5 0 thin$ they coul" see a ersonaroaching when too far off to be "istinguishe" the&sel!es



0n ascen"ing the ri!er few were seenS but in our Luiet an"rai" "escent &any in airs an" by fours or fi!es wereobser!e" 0t was re&ar$e" that this bir" "i" not exan"its wings when first starting at full see" after the &anner of the northern $in" 0n conclusion 0 &ay obser!e thatthe -truthio rhea inhabits the country of >a Plata as far

as a little south of the +io ;egro in lat 31 "egs an" thatthe -truthio Darwinii ta$es its lace in -outhern PatagoniaSthe art about the +io ;egro being neutral territory = "':rbigny 21H4 when at the +io ;egro &a"e great exertionsto rocure this bir" but ne!er ha" the goo" fortune tosuccee" Dobri9hoffer 21/4 long ago was aware of there beingtwo $in"s of ostriches he says NRou &ust $now &oreo!erthat E&us "iffer in si9e an" habits in "ifferent tractsof lan"S for those that inhabit the lains of Buenos yresan" Tucu&an are larger an" ha!e blac$ white an" greyfeathersS those near to the -trait of =agellan are s&aller an" &ore beautiful for their white feathers are tie" with

blac$ at the extre&ity an" their blac$ ones in li$e &anner ter&inate in whiteN

!ery singular little bir" Tinochorus ru&ici!orus ishere co&&on5 in its habits an" general aearance it nearlyeLually arta$es of the characters "ifferent as they are of the Luail an" snie The Tinochorus is foun" in the wholeof southern -outh &erica where!er there are sterile lainsor oen "ry asture lan" 0t freLuents in airs or s&allfloc$s the &ost "esolate laces where scarcely another li!ingcreature can exist <on being aroache" they sLuat closean" then are !ery "ifficult to be "istinguishe" fro& the

groun" (hen fee"ing they wal$ rather slowly with their legs wi"e aart They "ust the&sel!es in roa"s an" san"ylaces an" freLuent articular sots where they &ay befoun" "ay after "ay5 li$e artri"ges they ta$e wing in afloc$ 0n all these resects in the &uscular gi99ar" a"ate"for !egetable foo" in the arche" bea$ an" fleshy nostrilsshort legs an" for& of foot the Tinochorus has a close affinitywith Luails But as soon as the bir" is seen flying itswhole aearance changesS the long ointe" wings so "ifferentfro& those in the gallinaceous or"er the irregular &anner of flight an" lainti!e cry uttere" at the &o&entof rising recall the i"ea of a snie The sorts&en of the

Beagle unani&ously calle" it the shortbille" snie To thisgenus or rather to the fa&ily of the (a"ers its s$eletonshows that it is really relate"

The Tinochorus is closely relate" to so&e other -outh &erican bir"s Two secies of the genus ttagis are inal&ost e!ery resect tar&igans in their habitsS one li!esin Tierra "el *uego abo!e the li&its of the forest lan"S an"the other just beneath the snowline on the Cor"illera of Central Chile bir" of another closely allie" genus Chionisalba is an inhabitant of the antarctic regionsS it fee"son seawee" an" shells on the ti"al roc$s lthough not

web foote" fro& so&e unaccountable habit it is freLuently&et with far out at sea This s&all fa&ily of bir"s is oneof those which fro& its !arie" relations to other fa&ilies



although at resent offering only "ifficulties to the syste&aticnaturalist ulti&ately &ay assist in re!ealing thegran" sche&e co&&on to the resent an" ast ages onwhich organi9e" beings ha!e been create"

The genus *urnarius contains se!eral secies all s&all

bir"s li!ing on the groun" an" inhabiting oen "ry countries0n structure they cannot be co&are" to any Euroeanfor& :rnithologists ha!e generally inclu"e" the&a&ong the creeers although oose" to that fa&ily in e!eryhabit The best $nown secies is the co&&on o!enbir" of >a Plata the Casara or house&a$er of the -aniar"s Thenest whence it ta$es its na&e is lace" in the &ost exose"situations as on the to of a ost a bare roc$ or ona cactus 0t is co&ose" of &u" an" bits of straw an" hasstrong thic$ walls5 in shae it recisely rese&bles an o!enor "eresse" beehi!e The oening is large an" arche"an" "irectly in front within the nest there is a artition

which reaches nearly to the roof thus for&ing a assageor antecha&ber to the true nest

nother an" s&aller secies of *urnarius * cuniculariusrese&bles the o!enbir" in the general re""ish tintof its lu&age in a eculiar shrill reiterate" cry an" in ano"" &anner of running by starts *ro& its affinity the-aniar"s call it Casarita or little housebuil"er althoughits ni"ification is Luite "ifferent The Casarita buil"s itsnest at the botto& of a narrow cylin"rical hole which issai" to exten" hori9ontally to nearly six feet un"er groun"-e!eral of the country eole tol" &e that when boys they

ha" atte&te" to "ig out the nest but ha" scarcely e!er succee"e" in getting to the en" of the assage The bir"chooses any low ban$ of fir& san"y soil by the si"e of aroa" or strea& ,ere at Bahia Blanca the walls roun"the houses are built of har"ene" &u" an" 0 notice" thatone which enclose" a courtyar" where 0 lo"ge" was bore"through by roun" holes in a score of laces :n as$ing theowner the cause of this he bitterly co&laine" of the littlecasarita se!eral of which 0 afterwar"s obser!e" at wor$0t is rather curious to fin" how incaable these bir"s &ustbe of acLuiring any notion of thic$ness for although theywere constantly flitting o!er the low wall they continue"

!ainly to bore through it thin$ing it an excellent ban$ for their nests 0 "o not "oubt that each bir" as often as itca&e to "aylight on the oosite si"e was greatly surrise"at the &ar!ellous fact

0 ha!e alrea"y &entione" nearly all the &a&&alia co&&onin this country :f ar&a"illoes three secies occur na&ely the Dasyus &inutus or @ichy@ the D !illosus or @elu"o@ an" the @aar@ The first exten"s ten "egrees further south than any other $in"S a fourth secies the @=ulita@"oes not co&e as far south as Bahia Blanca The four seciesha!e nearly si&ilar habitsS the @elu"o@ howe!er is nocturnal

while the others wan"er by "ay o!er the oen lainsfee"ing on beetles lar!ae roots an" e!en s&all sna$es The @aar@ co&&only calle" @&ataco@ is re&ar$able by ha!ing only



three &o!eable ban"sS the rest of its tesselate" co!eringbeing nearly inflexible 0t has the ower of rolling itself into a erfect shere li$e one $in" of English woo"louse0n this state it is safe fro& the attac$ of "ogsS for the "ognot being able to ta$e the whole in its &outh tries to biteone si"e an" the ball slis away The s&ooth har" co!ering

of the @&ataco@ offers a better "efence than the sharsines of the he"gehog The @ichy@ refers a !ery "ry soilSan" the san""unes near the coast where for &any &onthsit can ne!er taste water is its fa!ourite resort5 it often triesto escae notice by sLuatting close to the groun" 0n thecourse of a "ay's ri"e near Bahia Blanca se!eral were generally&et with The instant one was ercei!e" it wasnecessary in or"er to catch it al&ost to tu&ble off one'shorseS for in soft soil the ani&al burrowe" so Luic$ly thatits hin"er Luarters woul" al&ost "isaear before one coul"alight 0t see&s al&ost a ity to $ill such nice little ani&alsfor as a Gaucho sai" while sharening his $nife on

the bac$ of one N-on tan &ansosN they are so Luiet

:f retiles there are &any $in"s5 one sna$e a Trigonocehalusor Cohias 21I4 fro& the si9e of the oison channelin its fangs &ust be !ery "ea"ly Cu!ier in oosition toso&e other naturalists &a$es this a subgenus of the rattlesna$ean" inter&e"iate between it an" the !ier 0n confir&ationof this oinion 0 obser!e" a fact which aearsto &e !ery curious an" instructi!e as showing how e!erycharacter e!en though it &ay be in so&e "egree in"een"entof structure has a ten"ency to !ary by slow "egreesThe extre&ity of the tail of this sna$e is ter&inate" by a

oint which is !ery slightly enlarge"S an" as the ani&algli"es along it constantly !ibrates the last inchS an" thisart stri$ing against the "ry grass an" brushwoo" ro"ucesa rattling noise which can be "istinctly hear" at the "istanceof six feet s often as the ani&al was irritate" or surrise" its tail was sha$enS an" the !ibrations were extre&elyrai" E!en as long as the bo"y retaine" its irritabilitya ten"ency to this habitual &o!e&ent was e!i"entThis Trigonocehalus has therefore in so&e resects thestructure of a !ier with the habits of a rattlesna$e5 thenoise howe!er being ro"uce" by a si&ler "e!ice Theexression of this sna$e's face was hi"eous an" fierceS the

uil consiste" of a !ertical slit in a &ottle" an" coeryirisS the jaws were broa" at the base an" the nose ter&inate"in a triangular rojection 0 "o not thin$ 0 e!er sawanything &ore ugly exceting erhas so&e of the !a&irebats 0 i&agine this reulsi!e asect originates fro&the features being lace" in ositions with resect to eachother so&ewhat roortional to those of the hu&an faceSan" thus we obtain a scale of hi"eousness

&ongst the Batrachian retiles 0 foun" only one littletoa" Phryniscus nigricans which was &ost singular fro&its colour 0f we i&agine first that it ha" been steee" in

the blac$est in$ an" then when "ry allowe" to crawl o!er a boar" freshly ainte" with the brightest !er&ilion soas to colour the soles of its feet an" arts of its sto&ach a



goo" i"ea of its aearance will be gaine" 0f it ha" beenan unna&e" secies surely it ought to ha!e been calle" @Diabolicus@ for it is a fit toa" to reach in the ear of E!e0nstea" of being nocturnal in its habits as other toa"s arean" li!ing in "a& obscure recesses it crawls "uring the heatof the "ay about the "ry san"hilloc$s an" ari" lains where

not a single "ro of water can be foun" 0t &ust necessarily"een" on the "ew for its &oistureS an" this robably isabsorbe" by the s$in for it is $nown that these retiles ossessgreat owers of cutaneous absortion t =al"ona"o0 foun" one in a situation nearly as "ry as at Bahia Blancaan" thin$ing to gi!e it a great treat carrie" it to a ool of waterS not only was the little ani&al unable to swi& but0 thin$ without hel it woul" soon ha!e been "rowne":f li9ar"s there were &any $in"s but only one Proctotretus&ulti&aculatus re&ar$able fro& its habits 0tli!es on the bare san" near the sea coast an" fro& its &ottle"colour the brownish scales being sec$le" with white

yellowish re" an" "irty blue can har"ly be "istinguishe"fro& the surroun"ing surface (hen frightene" it atte&tsto a!oi" "isco!ery by feigning "eath with outstretche"legs "eresse" bo"y an" close" eyes5 if further &oleste" it buries itself with great Luic$ness in the loosesan" This li9ar" fro& its flattene" bo"y an" short legscannot run Luic$ly

0 will here a"" a few re&ar$s on the hybernation of ani&alsin this art of -outh &erica (hen we first arri!e"at Bahia Blanca -ete&ber /th 1I86 we thought natureha" grante" scarcely a li!ing creature to this san"y an" "ry

country By "igging howe!er in the groun" se!eral insectslarge si"ers an" li9ar"s were foun" in a halftori"state :n the 1Mth a few ani&als began to aear an" bythe 1Ith three "ays fro& the eLuinox e!erything announce"the co&&ence&ent of sring The lains were orna&ente"by the flowers of a in$ woo"sorrel wil" eascenotherae an" geraniu&sS an" the bir"s began to lay their eggs ;u&erous >a&ellicorn an" ,etero&erous insects thelatter re&ar$able for their "eely sculture" bo"ies wereslowly crawling aboutS while the li9ar" tribe the constantinhabitants of a san"y soil "arte" about in e!ery "irectionDuring the first ele!en "ays whilst nature was "or&ant the

&ean te&erature ta$en fro& obser!ations &a"e e!ery twohours on boar" the Beagle was M1 "egsS an" in the &i""le of the "ay the ther&o&eter sel"o& range" abo!e MM "egs :n theele!en succee"ing "ays in which all li!ing things beca&e soani&ate" the &ean was MI "egs an" the range in the &i""leof the "ay / between H7 an" /7 "egs ,ere then anincrease of se!en "egrees in &ean te&erature but a greater oneof extre&e heat was sufficient to awa$e the functions of life t =onte Vi"eo fro& which we ha" just before saile" inthe twentythree "ays inclu"e" between the 6Hth of ulyan" the 1.th of ugust the &ean te&erature fro& 6/Hobser!ations was MI3 "egsS the &ean hottest "ay being

HMM "egs an" the col"est 3H "egs The lowest oint towhich the ther&o&eter fell was 31M "egs an" occasionallyin the &i""le of the "ay it rose to H. or /7 "egs



Ret with this high te&erature al&ost e!ery beetle se!eralgenera of si"ers snails an" lan"shells toa"s an"li9ar"s were all lying tori" beneath stones Butwe ha!e seen that at Bahia Blanca which is four "egreessouthwar" an" therefore with a cli&ate only a !ery littlecol"er this sa&e te&erature with a rather less extre&e

heat was sufficient to awa$e all or"ers of ani&ate" beingsThis shows how nicely the sti&ulus reLuire" to arouse hybernatingani&als is go!erne" by the usual cli&ate of the"istrict an" not by the absolute heat 0t is well $nown thatwithin the troics the hybernation or &ore roerly aesti!ationof ani&als is "eter&ine" not by the te&erature butby the ti&es of "rought ;ear +io "e aneiro 0 was at firstsurrise" to obser!e that a few "ays after so&e little"eressions ha" been fille" with water they were eole" bynu&erous fullgrown shells an" beetles which &ust ha!ebeen lying "or&ant ,u&bol"t has relate" the strange acci"entof a ho!el ha!ing been erecte" o!er a sot where a

young croco"ile lay burie" in the har"ene" &u" ,e a""sNThe 0n"ians often fin" enor&ous boas which they call <jior water serents in the sa&e lethargic state To reani&atethe& they &ust be irritate" or wette" with waterN

0 will only &ention one other ani&al a 9oohyte 0 belie!eVirgularia Patagonica a $in" of seaen 0t consistsof a thin straight fleshy ste& with alternate rows of olyion each si"e an" surroun"ing an elastic stony axis !aryingin length fro& eight inches to two feet The ste& at oneextre&ity is truncate but at the other is ter&inate" by a!er&ifor& fleshy aen"age The stony axis which gi!es

strength to the ste& &ay be trace" at this extre&ity into a&ere !essel fille" with granular &atter t low water hun"re"sof these 9oohytes &ight be seen rojecting li$e stubblewith the truncate en" uwar"s a few inches abo!e thesurface of the &u""y san" (hen touche" or ulle" theysu""enly "rew the&sel!es in with force so as nearly or Luiteto "isaear By this action the highly elastic axis &ustbe bent at the lower extre&ity where it is naturally slightlycur!e"S an" 0 i&agine it is by this elasticity alone that the9oohyte is enable" to rise again through the &u" Eacholyus though closely unite" to its brethren has a "istinct&outh bo"y an" tentacula :f these olyi in a large

seci&en there &ust be &any thousan"sS yet we see thatthey act by one &o!e&ent5 they ha!e also one central axisconnecte" with a syste& of obscure circulation an" the o!aare ro"uce" in an organ "istinct fro& the searatein"i!i"uals 21.4 (ell &ay one be allowe" to as$ what is anin"i!i"ualQ 0t is always interesting to "isco!er the foun"ationof the strange tales of the ol" !oyagersS an" 0 ha!e no "oubtbut that the habits of this Virgularia exlain one such caseCatain >ancaster in his !oyage 2674 in 1H71 narrates that onthe seasan"s of the 0slan" of -o&brero in the East 0n"ieshe Nfoun" a s&all twig growing u li$e a young tree an"on offering to luc$ it u it shrin$s "own to the groun"

an" sin$s unless hel" !ery har" :n being luc$e" u agreat wor& is foun" to be its root an" as the tree growethin greatness so "oth the wor& "i&inish an" as soon as the



wor& is entirely turne" into a tree it rooteth in the earthan" so beco&es great This transfor&ation is one of thestrangest won"ers that 0 saw in all &y tra!els5 for if thistree is luc$e" u while young an" the lea!es an" bar$strie" off it beco&es a har" stone when "ry &uch li$ewhite coral5 thus is this wor& twice transfor&e" into

"ifferent natures :f these we gathere" an" brought ho&e&anyN

During &y stay at Bahia Blanca while waiting for theBeagle the lace was in a constant state of excite&ent fro&ru&ours of wars an" !ictories between the troos of +osasan" the wil" 0n"ians :ne "ay an account ca&e that a s&allarty for&ing one of the ostas on the line to Buenos yresha" been foun" all &ur"ere" The next "ay three hun"re"&en arri!e" fro& the Colora"o un"er the co&&an" of Co&&an"ant=iran"a large ortion of these &en were 0n"ians

&ansos or ta&e belonging to the tribe of the CaciLueBernantio They asse" the night hereS an" it wasi&ossible to concei!e anything &ore wil" an" sa!age thanthe scene of their bi!ouac -o&e "ran$ till they wereintoxicate"S others swallowe" the stea&ing bloo" of thecattle slaughtere" for their suers an" then being sic$fro& "run$enness they cast it u again an" were bes&eare"with filth an" gore

;a& si&ul exletus "aibus !inoLue seultusCer!ice& inflexa& osuit jacuitLue er antru&0&&ensus sanie& eructans ac frusta cruenta

Per so&nu& co&&ixta &ero

0n the &orning they starte" for the scene of the &ur"erwith or"ers to follow the NrastroN or trac$ e!en if it le"the& to Chile (e subseLuently hear" that the wil" 0n"iansha" escae" into the great Pa&as an" fro& so&ecause the trac$ ha" been &isse" :ne glance at the rastrotells these eole a whole history -uosing they exa&inethe trac$ of a thousan" horses they will soon guess the nu&ber of &ounte" ones by seeing how &any ha!e cantere"S bythe "eth of the other i&ressions whether any horses wereloa"e" with cargoesS by the irregularity of the footstes

how far tire"S by the &anner in which the foo" has beencoo$e" whether the ursue" tra!elle" in hasteS by the generalaearance how long it has been since they asse"They consi"er a rastro of ten "ays or a fortnight Luiterecent enough to be hunte" out (e also hear" that =iran"astruc$ fro& the west en" of the -ierra Ventana in a "irectline to the islan" of Cholechel situate" se!enty leagues uthe +io ;egro This is a "istance of between two an" threehun"re" &iles through a country co&letely un$nown(hat other troos in the worl" are so in"een"entQ (iththe sun for their gui"e &are's flesh for foo" their sa""lecloths for be"s as long as there is a little water these

&en woul" enetrate to the en" of the worl"

few "ays afterwar"s 0 saw another troo of these ban"ittili$e



sol"iers start on an exe"ition against a tribe of 0n"ians at the s&all -alinas who ha" been betraye" by arisoner caciLue The -aniar" who brought the or"ersfor this exe"ition was a !ery intelligent &an ,e ga!e&e an account of the last engage&ent at which he was resent-o&e 0n"ians who ha" been ta$en risoners ga!e

infor&ation of a tribe li!ing north of the Colora"o Twohun"re" sol"iers were sentS an" they first "isco!ere" the0n"ians by a clou" of "ust fro& their horses' feet as theychance" to be tra!elling The country was &ountainous an"wil" an" it &ust ha!e been far in the interior for theCor"illera were in sight The 0n"ians &en wo&en an" chil"renwere about one hun"re" an" ten in nu&ber an" theywere nearly all ta$en or $ille" for the sol"iers sabre e!ery&an The 0n"ians are now so terrifie" that they offer noresistance in a bo"y but each flies neglecting e!en his wifean" chil"renS but when o!erta$en li$e wil" ani&als theyfight against any nu&ber to the last &o&ent :ne "ying 0n"ian

sei9e" with his teeth the thu&b of his a"!ersary an"allowe" his own eye to be force" out sooner than relinLuishhis hol" nother who was woun"e" feigne" "eath $eeinga $nife rea"y to stri$e one &ore fatal blow =y infor&er sai" when he was ursuing an 0n"ian the &an crie" outfor &ercy at the sa&e ti&e that he was co!ertly loosing thebolas fro& his waist &eaning to whirl it roun" his hea" an"so stri$e his ursuer N0 howe!er struc$ hi& with &y sabreto the groun" an" then got off &y horse an" cut his throatwith &y $nifeN This is a "ar$ ictureS but how &uch &oreshoc$ing is the unLuestionable fact that all the wo&en whoaear abo!e twenty years ol" are &assacre" in col" bloo"%

(hen 0 exclai&e" that this aeare" rather inhu&an heanswere" N(hy what can be "oneQ they bree" so%N

E!ery one here is fully con!ince" that this is the &ost just war because it is against barbarians (ho woul"belie!e in this age that such atrocities coul" be co&&itte" ina Christian ci!ili9e" countryQ The chil"ren of the 0n"iansare sa!e" to be sol" or gi!en away as ser!ants or rather sla!es for as long a ti&e as the owners can &a$e the&belie!e the&sel!es sla!esS but 0 belie!e in their treat&entthere is little to co&lain of

0n the battle four &en ran away together They wereursue" one was $ille" an" the other three were ta$en ali!eThey turne" out to be &essengers or a&bassa"ors fro& alarge bo"y of 0n"ians unite" in the co&&on cause of "efence near the Cor"illera The tribe to which they ha"been sent was on the oint of hol"ing a gran" council thefeast of &are's flesh was rea"y an" the "ance reare"5 inthe &orning the a&bassa"ors were to ha!e returne" to theCor"illera They were re&ar$ably fine &en !ery fair abo!esix feet high an" all un"er thirty years of age The threesur!i!ors of course ossesse" !ery !aluable infor&ation an"to extort this they were lace" in a line The two first being

Luestione" answere" N;o seN 0 "o not $now an" wereone after the other shot The thir" also sai" N;o seSN a""ingN*ire 0 a& a &an an" can "ie%N ;ot one syllable



woul" they breathe to injure the unite" cause of their country%The con"uct of the abo!e&entione" caciLue was !ery"ifferentS he sa!e" his life by betraying the inten"e" lanof warfare an" the oint of union in the n"es 0t wasbelie!e" that there were alrea"y six or se!en hun"re" 0n"ianstogether an" that in su&&er their nu&bers woul" be

"ouble" &bassa"ors were to ha!e been sent to the 0n"iansat the s&all -alinas near Bahia Blanca who& 0 ha!e &entione"that this sa&e caciLue ha" betraye" The co&&unicationtherefore between the 0n"ians exten"s fro& theCor"illera to the coast of the tlantic

General +osas's lan is to $ill all stragglers an" ha!ing"ri!en the re&ain"er to a co&&on oint to attac$ the& ina bo"y in the su&&er with the assistance of the ChilenosThis oeration is to be reeate" for three successi!e years0 i&agine the su&&er is chosen as the ti&e for the &ainattac$ because the lains are then without water an" the

0n"ians can only tra!el in articular "irections The escaeof the 0n"ians to the south of the +io ;egro where in sucha !ast un$nown country they woul" be safe is re!ente" bya treaty with the Tehuelches to this effectS that +osas aysthe& so &uch to slaughter e!ery 0n"ian who asses to thesouth of the ri!er but if they fail in so "oing theythe&sel!es are to be exter&inate" The war is wage" chieflyagainst the 0n"ians near the Cor"illeraS for &any of thetribes on this eastern si"e are fighting with +osas Thegeneral howe!er li$e >or" Chesterfiel" thin$ing that hisfrien"s &ay in a future "ay beco&e his ene&ies alwayslaces the& in the front ran$s so that their nu&bers &ay

be thinne" -ince lea!ing -outh &erica we ha!e hear"that this war of exter&ination co&letely faile"

&ong the cati!e girls ta$en in the sa&e engage&entthere were two !ery retty -anish ones who ha" been carrie"away by the 0n"ians when young an" coul" now onlysea$ the 0n"ian tongue *ro& their account they &ustha!e co&e fro& -alta a "istance in a straight line of nearlyone thousan" &iles This gi!es one a gran" i"ea of thei&&ense territory o!er which the 0n"ians roa&5 yet greatas it is 0 thin$ there will not in another halfcentury bea wil" 0n"ian northwar" of the +io ;egro The warfare

is too bloo"y to lastS the Christians $illing e!ery 0n"ianan" the 0n"ians "oing the sa&e by the Christians 0t is&elancholy to trace how the 0n"ians ha!e gi!en way beforethe -anish in!a"ers -chir"el 2614 says that in 1M8M whenBuenos yres was foun"e" there were !illages containingtwo an" three thousan" inhabitants E!en in *alconer'sti&e 1/M7 the 0n"ians &a"e inroa"s as far as >uxan reco an" rrecife but now they are "ri!en beyon" the-ala"o ;ot only ha!e whole tribes been exter&inate" butthe re&aining 0n"ians ha!e beco&e &ore barbarous5 instea"of li!ing in large !illages an" being e&loye" in the arts of fishing as well as of the chase they now wan"er about the

oen lains without ho&e or fixe" occuation

0 hear" also so&e account of an engage&ent which too$



lace a few wee$s re!iously to the one &entione" atCholechel This is a !ery i&ortant station on account of being a ass for horsesS an" it was in conseLuence for so&e ti&e the hea"Luarters of a "i!ision of the ar&y(hen the troos first arri!e" there they foun" a tribe of 0n"ians of who& they $ille" twenty or thirty The caciLue

escae" in a &anner which astonishe" e!ery one The chief 0n"ians always ha!e one or two ic$e" horses which they$ee rea"y for any urgent occasion :n one of these an ol"white horse the caciLue srung ta$ing with hi& his littleson The horse ha" neither sa""le nor bri"le To a!oi" theshots the 0n"ian ro"e in the eculiar &etho" of his nationna&ely with an ar& roun" the horse's nec$ an" one legonly on its bac$ Thus hanging on one si"e he was seenatting the horse's hea" an" tal$ing to hi& The ursuersurge" e!ery effort in the chaseS the Co&&an"ant threeti&es change" his horse but all in !ain The ol" 0n"ianfather an" his son escae" an" were free (hat a fine icture

one can for& in one's &in" the na$e" bron9eli$efigure of the ol" &an with his little boy ri"ing li$e a=a9ea on the white horse thus lea!ing far behin" hi& thehost of his ursuers%

0 saw one "ay a sol"ier stri$ing fire with a iece of flintwhich 0 i&&e"iately recognise" as ha!ing been a art of thehea" of an arrow ,e tol" &e it was foun" near the islan"of Cholechel an" that they are freLuently ic$e" u there0t was between two an" three inches long an" thereforetwice as large as those now use" in Tierra "el *uego5 it was&a"e of oaLue crea&coloure" flint but the oint an" barbs

ha" been intentionally bro$en off 0t is well $nown that noPa&as 0n"ians now use bows an" arrows 0 belie!e a s&alltribe in Ban"a :riental &ust be excete"S but they arewi"ely searate" fro& the Pa&as 0n"ians an" bor"er closeon those tribes that inhabit the forest an" li!e on foot 0taears therefore that these arrowhea"s are antiLuarian 2664relics of the 0n"ians before the great change in habitsconseLuent on the intro"uction of the horse into -outh &erica

214 -ince this was written = lci"e "':rbingy has exa&ine"these shells an" ronounces the& all to be recent

264 = ug Bra!ar" has "escribe" in a -anish wor$':bser!aciones Geologicas' 1IM/ this "istrict an" hebelie!es that the bones of the extinct &a&&als were washe"out of the un"erlying Pa&ean "eosit an" subseLuently beca&ee&be""e" with the still existing shellsS but 0 a& not con!ince"by his re&ar$s = Bra!ar" belie!es that the whole enor&ousPa&ean "eosit is a subaerial for&ation li$e san""unes5 thissee&s to &e to be an untenable "octrine

284 Princiles of Geology !ol i! 37

234 This theory was first "e!eloe" in the Woology of theVoyage of the Beagle an" subseLuently in Professor :wen's=e&oir on =ylo"on robustus



2M4 0 &ean this to exclu"e the total a&ount which &ay ha!e beensuccessi!ely ro"uce" an" consu&e" "uring a gi!en erio"

2H4 Tra!els in the 0nterior of -outh frica !ol ii 67/

2/4 The elehant which was $ille" at Exeter Change wasesti&ate" being artly weighe" at fi!e tons an" a halfThe elehant actress as 0 was infor&e" weighe" one ton lessSso that we &ay ta$e fi!e as the a!erage of a fullgrownelehant 0 was tol" at the -urry Gar"ens that a hioota&uswhich was sent to Englan" cut u into ieces was esti&ate" atthree tons an" a halfS we will call it three *ro& thesere&ises we &ay gi!e three tons an" a half to each of the fi!erhinocerosesS erhas a ton to the giraffe an" half to thebos caffer as well as to the elan a large ox weighs fro&1677 to 1M77 oun"s This will gi!e an a!erage fro& the abo!eesti&ates of 6/ of a ton for the ten largest herbi!orous

ani&als of -outhern frica 0n -outh &erica allowing 1677oun"s for the two tairs together MM7 for the guanaco an"!icuna M77 for three "eer 877 for the caybara eccari an"a &on$ey we shall ha!e an a!erage of 6M7 oun"s which 0belie!e is o!erstating the result The ratio will thereforebe as H73I to 6M7 or 63 to 1 for the ten largest ani&alsfro& the two continents

2I4 0f we suose the case of the "isco!ery of a s$eleton of a Greenlan" whale in a fossil state not a single cetaceousani&al being $nown to exist what naturalist woul" ha!e !enture"conjecture on the ossibility of a carcass so gigantic being

suorte" on the &inute crustacea an" &ollusca li!ing in thefro9en seas of the extre&e ;orthQ

2.4 -ee Woological +e&ar$s to Cat Bac$'s Exe"ition by Dr+ichar"son ,e says NThe subsoil north of latitu"e MH "egsis eretually fro9en the thaw on the coast not enetratingabo!e three feet an" at Bear >a$e in latitu"e H3 "egs not&ore than twenty inches The fro9en substratu& "oes not of itself "estroy !egetation for forests flourish on the surfaceat a "istance fro& the coastN

2174 -ee ,u&bol"t *rag&ents siatiLues 8IH5 Barton's

Geograhy of Plants5 an" =alte Brun 0n the latter wor$ it issai" that the li&it of the growth of trees in -iberia &ay be"rawn un"er the arallel of /7 "egs

2114 -turt's Tra!els !ol ii /3

2164 Gaucho assure" &e that he ha" once seen a snowwhite or lbino !ariety an" that it was a &ost beautiful bir"

2184 Burchell's Tra!els !ol i 6I7

2134 9ara !ol i! 1/8

21M4 >ichtenstein howe!er asserts Tra!els !ol ii 6Mthat the hens begin sitting when they ha!e lai" ten or twel!e



eggsS an" that they continue laying 0 resu&e in another nest This aears to &e !ery i&robable ,e asserts that four or fi!e hens associate for incubation with one coc$ who sitsonly at night

21H4 (hen at the +io ;egro we hear" &uch of the in"efatigable

labours of this naturalist = lci"e "':rbigny "uring theyears 1I6M to 1I88 tra!erse" se!eral large ortions of -outh &erica an" has &a"e a collection an" is now ublishing theresults on a scale of &agnificence which at once laces hi&self in the list of &erican tra!ellers secon" only to ,u&bol"t

21/4 ccount of the biones D 1/3. !ol i EnglishTranslation 813

21I4 = Bibron calls it T creitans

21.4 The ca!ities lea"ing fro& the fleshy co&art&ents of the extre&ity were fille" with a yellow uly &atter whichexa&ine" un"er a &icroscoe resente" an extraor"inaryaearance The &ass consiste" of roun"e" se&itransarentirregular grains aggregate" together into articles of !arious si9es ll such articles an" the searate grainsossesse" the ower of rai" &o!e&entS generally re!ol!ingaroun" "ifferent axes but so&eti&es rogressi!e The &o!e&entwas !isible with a !ery wea$ ower but e!en with the highestits cause coul" not be ercei!e" 0t was !ery "ifferent fro&the circulation of the flui" in the elastic bag containingthe thin extre&ity of the axis :n other occasions when

"issecting s&all &arine ani&als beneath the &icroscoe 0 ha!eseen articles of uly &atter so&e of large si9e as soon asthey were "isengage" co&&ence re!ol!ing 0 ha!e i&agine" 0 $nownot with how &uch truth that this granulouly &atter was inrocess of being con!erte" into o!a Certainly in this 9oohytesuch aeare" to be the case

2674 Uerr's Collection of Voyages !ol !iii 11.

2614 Purchas's Collection of Voyages 0 belie!e the "ate wasreally 1M8/

2664 9ara has e!en "oubte" whether the Pa&as 0n"ians e!er use" bows

C,PTE+ V0

B,0 B>;C T: B<E;:- R+E-

-et out for Buenos yres +io -auce -ierra Ventana Thir" Posta Dri!ing ,orses Bolas Partri"ges an"*oxes *eatures of the Country >onglegge" Plo!er

Terutero ,ailstor& ;atural Enclosures in the -ierraTaalguen *lesh of Pu&a =eat Diet Guar"ia "el=onte Effects of Cattle on the Vegetation Car"oon



Buenos yres Corral where Cattle are -laughtere"

-EPTE=BE+ 1Ith 0 hire" a Gaucho to acco&any &eon &y ri"e to Buenos yres though with so&e "ifficultyas the father of one &an was afrai" to let hi&

go an" another who see&e" willing was "escribe" to &eas so fearful that 0 was afrai" to ta$e hi& for 0 was tol"that e!en if he saw an ostrich at a "istance he woul" &ista$eit for an 0n"ian an" woul" fly li$e the win" awayThe "istance to Buenos yres is about four hun"re" &ilesan" nearly the whole way through an uninhabite" country(e starte" early in the &orningS ascen"ing a few hun"re"feet fro& the basin of green turf on which Bahia Blancastan"s we entere" on a wi"e "esolate lain 0t consists of a cru&bling argillaceocalcareous roc$ which fro& the "rynature of the cli&ate suorts only scattere" tufts of withere"grass without a single bush or tree to brea$ the &onotonous

unifor&ity The weather was fine but the at&osherere&ar$ably ha9yS 0 thought the aearance forebo"e"a gale but the Gauchos sai" it was owing to the lain atso&e great "istance in the interior being on fire fter along gallo ha!ing change" horses twice we reache" the +io-auce5 it is a "ee rai" little strea& not abo!e twentyfi!efeet wi"e The secon" osta on the roa" to Buenos yresstan"s on its ban$s a little abo!e there is a for" for horseswhere the water "oes not reach to the horses' bellyS but fro&that oint in its course to the sea it is Luite i&assablean" hence &a$es a &ost useful barrier against the 0n"ians

0nsignificant as this strea& is the esuit *alconer whoseinfor&ation is generally so !ery correct figures it as aconsi"erable ri!er rising at the foot of the Cor"illera (ithresect to its source 0 "o not "oubt that this is the casefor the Gauchos assure" &e that in the &i""le of the "rysu&&er this strea& at the sa&e ti&e with the Colora"ohas erio"ical floo"sS which can only originate in the snow&elting on the n"es 0t is extre&ely i&robable that astrea& so s&all as the -auce then was shoul" tra!erse theentire wi"th of the continentS an" in"ee" if it were theresi"ue of a large ri!er its waters as in other ascertaine"cases woul" be saline During the winter we &ust loo$ to

the srings roun" the -ierra Ventana as the source of itsure an" li&i" strea& 0 susect the lains of Patagoniali$e those of ustralia are tra!erse" by &any watercourseswhich only erfor& their roer arts at certain erio"sProbably this is the case with the water which flows into thehea" of Port Desire an" li$ewise with the +io Chuat onthe ban$s of which &asses of highly cellular scoriae werefoun" by the officers e&loye" in the sur!ey

s it was early in the afternoon when we arri!e" wetoo$ fresh horses an" a sol"ier for a gui"e an" starte" for the -ierra "e la Ventana This &ountain is !isible fro&

the anchorage at Bahia BlancaS an" Cat *it9 +oy calculatesits height to be 8837 feet an altitu"e !ery re&ar$ableon this eastern si"e of the continent 0 a& not aware



that any foreigner re!ious to &y !isit ha" ascen"e" this&ountainS an" in"ee" !ery few of the sol"iers at BahiaBlanca $new anything about it ,ence we hear" of be"sof coal of gol" an" sil!er of ca!es an" of forests all of which infla&e" &y curiosity only to "isaoint it The"istance fro& the osta was about six leagues o!er a le!el

lain of the sa&e character as before The ri"e was howe!erinteresting as the &ountain began to show its truefor& (hen we reache" the foot of the &ain ri"ge we ha"&uch "ifficulty in fin"ing any water an" we thought weshoul" ha!e been oblige" to ha!e asse" the night withoutany t last we "isco!ere" so&e by loo$ing close to the&ountain for at the "istance e!en of a few hun"re" yar"sthe strea&lets were burie" an" entirely lost in the friablecalcareous stone an" loose "etritus 0 "o not thin$ ;aturee!er &a"e a &ore solitary "esolate ile of roc$S it well"eser!es its na&e of @,urta"o@ or searate" The &ountainis stee extre&ely rugge" an" bro$en an" so entirely "estitute

of trees an" e!en bushes that we actually coul" not&a$e a s$ewer to stretch out our &eat o!er the fire of thistlestal$s 214 The strange asect of this &ountain is contraste"by the seali$e lain which not only abuts against its steesi"es but li$ewise searates the arallel ranges The unifor&ityof the colouring gi!es an extre&e Luietness to the!iew the whitish grey of the Luart9 roc$ an" the lightbrown of the withere" grass of the lain being unrelie!e"by any brighter tint *ro& custo& one exects to see inthe neighbourhoo" of a lofty an" bol" &ountain a bro$encountry strewe" o!er with huge frag&ents ,ere natureshows that the last &o!e&ent before the be" of the sea is

change" into "ry lan" &ay so&eti&es be one of tranLuillity<n"er these circu&stances 0 was curious to obser!e howfar fro& the arent roc$ any ebbles coul" be foun" :nthe shores of Bahia Blanca an" near the settle&ent therewere so&e of Luart9 which certainly &ust ha!e co&e fro&this source5 the "istance is fortyfi!e &iles

The "ew which in the early art of the night wette" thesa""lecloths un"er which we slet was in the &orningfro9en The lain though aearing hori9ontal ha" insensiblysloe" u to a height of between I77 an" .77 feetabo!e the sea 0n the &orning .th of -ete&ber the gui"e

tol" &e to ascen" the nearest ri"ge which he thought woul"lea" &e to the four ea$s that crown the su&&it The cli&bingu such rough roc$s was !ery fatiguingS the si"eswere so in"ente" that what was gaine" in one fi!e &inuteswas often lost in the next t last when 0 reache" the ri"ge&y "isaoint&ent was extre&e in fin"ing a reciitous!alley as "ee as the lain which cut the chain trans!erselyin two an" searate" &e fro& the four oints This !alleyis !ery narrow but flatbotto&e" an" it for&s a fine horseass for the 0n"ians as it connects the lains on the northernan" southern si"es of the range ,a!ing "escen"e" an"while crossing it 0 saw two horses gra9ing5 0 i&&e"iately

hi" &yself in the long grass an" began to reconnoitreS butas 0 coul" see no signs of 0n"ians 0 rocee"e" cautiously on&y secon" ascent 0t was late in the "ay an" this art of



the &ountain li$e the other was stee an" rugge" 0 wason the to of the secon" ea$ by two o'cloc$ but got therewith extre&e "ifficultyS e!ery twenty yar"s 0 ha" the cra&in the uer art of both thighs so that 0 was afrai" 0shoul" not ha!e been able to ha!e got "own again 0t wasalso necessary to return by another roa" as it was out of

the Luestion to ass o!er the sa""lebac$ 0 was thereforeoblige" to gi!e u the two higher ea$s Their altitu"e wasbut little greater an" e!ery urose of geology ha" beenanswere"S so that the atte&t was not worth the ha9ar"of any further exertion 0 resu&e the cause of the cra&was the great change in the $in" of &uscular action fro&that of har" ri"ing to that of still har"er cli&bing 0t isa lesson worth re&e&bering as in so&e cases it &ight cause&uch "ifficulty

0 ha!e alrea"y sai" the &ountain is co&ose" of whiteLuart9 roc$ an" with it a little glossy clayslate is

associate" t the height of a few hun"re" feet abo!e the lainatches of conglo&erate a"here" in se!eral laces to thesoli" roc$ They rese&ble" in har"ness an" in the natureof the ce&ent the &asses which &ay be seen "aily for&ingon so&e coasts 0 "o not "oubt these ebbles were in a si&ilar &anner aggregate" at a erio" when the great calcareousfor&ation was "eositing beneath the surroun"ing sea(e &ay belie!e that the jagge" an" battere" for&s of thehar" Luart9 yet show the effects of the wa!es of an oenocean

0 was on the whole "isaointe" with this ascent E!en

the !iew was insignificantS a lain li$e the sea but withoutits beautiful colour an" "efine" outline The scene howe!erwas no!el an" a little "anger li$e salt to &eat ga!eit a relish That the "anger was !ery little was certain for &y two co&anions &a"e a goo" fire a thing which is ne!er "one when it is susecte" that 0n"ians are near 0 reache"the lace of our bi!ouac by sunset an" "rin$ing &uch &atean" s&o$ing se!eral cigaritos soon &a"e u &y be" for thenight The win" was !ery strong an" col" but 0 ne!er slet&ore co&fortably

-ete&ber 17th 0n the &orning ha!ing fairly scu""e"

before the gale we arri!e" by the &i""le of the "ay at the-auce osta 0n the roa" we saw great nu&bers of "eeran" near the &ountain a guanaco The lain which abutsagainst the -ierra is tra!erse" by so&e curious gullies of which one was about twenty feet wi"e an" at least thirty"eeS we were oblige" in conseLuence to &a$e a consi"erablecircuit before we coul" fin" a ass (e staye" the nightat the osta the con!ersation as was generally the casebeing about the 0n"ians The -ierra Ventana was for&erlya great lace of resortS an" three or four years ago therewas &uch fighting there =y gui"e ha" been resent when&any 0n"ians were $ille"5 the wo&en escae" to the to of

the ri"ge an" fought &ost "eserately with great stonesS&any thus sa!ing the&sel!es



-ete&ber 11th Procee"e" to the thir" osta in co&anywith the lieutenant who co&&an"e" it The "istanceis calle" fifteen leaguesS but it is only guesswor$ an" isgenerally o!erstate" The roa" was uninteresting o!er a"ry grassy lainS an" on our left han" at a greater or less"istance there were so&e low hillsS a continuation of which

we crosse" close to the osta Before our arri!al we &eta large her" of cattle an" horses guar"e" by fifteen sol"iersSbut we were tol" &any ha" been lost 0t is !ery "ifficult to"ri!e ani&als across the lainsS for if in the night a u&aor e!en a fox aroaches nothing can re!ent the horses"isersing in e!ery "irectionS an" a stor& will ha!e thesa&e effect short ti&e since an officer left Buenos yreswith fi!e hun"re" horses an" when he arri!e" at the ar&yhe ha" un"er twenty

-oon afterwar"s we ercei!e" by the clou" of "ust thata arty of horse&en were co&ing towar"s usS when far "istant

&y co&anions $new the& to be 0n"ians by their longhair strea&ing behin" their bac$s The 0n"ians generallyha!e a fillet roun" their hea"s but ne!er any co!eringS an"their blac$ hair blowing across their swarthy faces heightensto an unco&&on "egree the wil"ness of their aearanceThey turne" out to be a arty of Bernantio's frien"ly tribegoing to a salina for salt The 0n"ians eat &uch salt their chil"ren suc$ing it li$e sugar This habit is !ery "ifferentfro& that of the -anish Gauchos who lea"ing the sa&e$in" of life eat scarcely anyS accor"ing to =ungo Par$ 264it is eole who li!e on !egetable foo" who ha!e an unconLuerable"esire for salt The 0n"ians ga!e us goo"hu&oure"

no"s as they asse" at full gallo "ri!ing before the& atroo of horses an" followe" by a train of lan$y "ogs

-ete&ber 16th an" 18th 0 staye" at this osta two "ayswaiting for a troo of sol"iers which General +osas ha"the $in"ness to sen" to infor& &e woul" shortly tra!el toBuenos yresS an" he a"!ise" &e to ta$e the oortunityof the escort 0n the &orning we ro"e to so&e neighbouringhills to !iew the country an" to exa&ine the geology fter "inner the sol"iers "i!i"e" the&sel!es into two arties for a trial of s$ill with the bolas Two sears were stuc$ inthe groun" twentyfi!e yar"s aart but they were struc$

an" entangle" only once in four or fi!e ti&es The balls canbe thrown fifty or sixty yar"s but with little certaintyThis howe!er "oes not aly to a &an on horsebac$S for whenthe see" of the horse is a""e" to the force of the ar& itis sai" that they can be whirle" with effect to the "istanceof eighty yar"s s a roof of their force 0 &ay &entionthat at the *al$lan" 0slan"s when the -aniar"s &ur"ere"so&e of their own country&en an" all the English&en ayoung frien"ly -aniar" was running away when a greattall &an by na&e >uciano ca&e at full gallo after hi&shouting to hi& to sto an" saying that he only wante" tosea$ to hi& ust as the -aniar" was on the oint of

reaching the boat >uciano threw the balls5 they struc$ hi&on the legs with such a jer$ as to throw hi& "own an"to ren"er hi& for so&e ti&e insensible The &an after



>uciano ha" ha" his tal$ was allowe" to escae ,e tol"us that his legs were &ar$e" by great weals where the thongha" woun" roun" as if he ha" been flogge" with a whi0n the &i""le of the "ay two &en arri!e" who brought aarcel fro& the next osta to be forwar"e" to the general5so that besi"es these two our arty consiste" this e!ening

of &y gui"e an" self the lieutenant an" his four sol"iersThe latter were strange beingsS the first a fine young negroSthe secon" half 0n"ian an" negroS an" the two others non"escritsS na&ely an ol" Chilian &iner the colour of &ahoganyan" another artly a &ulattoS but two such &ongrelswith such "etestable exressions 0 ne!er saw before t night when they were sitting roun" the fire an" layingat car"s 0 retire" to !iew such a -al!ator +osa scene Theywere seate" un"er a low cliff so that 0 coul" loo$ "ownuon the&S aroun" the arty were lying "ogs ar&s re&nantsof "eer an" ostrichesS an" their long sears were stuc$in the turf *urther in the "ar$ bac$groun" their horses

were tie" u rea"y for any su""en "anger 0f the stillnessof the "esolate lain was bro$en by one of the "ogs bar$inga sol"ier lea!ing the fire woul" lace his hea" close to thegroun" an" thus slowly scan the hori9on E!en if the noisyterutero uttere" its screa& there woul" be a ause in thecon!ersation an" e!ery hea" for a &o&ent a little incline"

(hat a life of &isery these &en aear to us to lea"%They were at least ten leagues fro& the -auce osta an"since the &ur"er co&&itte" by the 0n"ians twenty fro&another The 0n"ians are suose" to ha!e &a"e their attac$in the &i""le of the nightS for !ery early in the &orning

after the &ur"er they were luc$ily seen aroachingthis osta The whole arty here howe!er escae" together with the troo of horsesS each one ta$ing a line for hi&selfan" "ri!ing with hi& as &any ani&als as he was able to&anage

The little ho!el built of thistlestal$s in which they sletneither $et out the win" nor rainS in"ee" in the latter casethe only effect the roof ha" was to con"ense it into larger "ros They ha" nothing to eat exceting what they coul"catch such as ostriches "eer ar&a"illoes etc an" their only fuel was the "ry stal$s of a s&all lant so&ewhat

rese&bling an aloe The sole luxury which these &en enjoye"was s&o$ing the little aer cigars an" suc$ing &ate 0use" to thin$ that the carrion !ultures &an's constantatten"ants on these "reary lains while seate" on the littleneighbouring cliffs see&e" by their !ery atience to sayNh% when the 0n"ians co&e we shall ha!e a feastN

0n the &orning we all sallie" forth to hunt an" althoughwe ha" not &uch success there were so&e ani&ate" chases-oon after starting the arty searate" an" so arrange"their lans that at a certain ti&e of the "ay in guessingwhich they show &uch s$ill they shoul" all &eet fro& "ifferent

oints of the co&ass on a lain iece of groun"an" thus "ri!e together the wil" ani&als :ne "ay 0 wentout hunting at Bahia Blanca but the &en there &erely ro"e



in a crescent each being about a Luarter of a &ile aartfro& the other fine &ale ostrich being turne" by thehea"&ost ri"ers trie" to escae on one si"e The Gauchosursue" at a rec$less ace twisting their horses about withthe &ost a"&irable co&&an" an" each &an whirling theballs roun" his hea" t length the fore&ost threw the&

re!ol!ing through the air5 in an instant the ostrich rolle"o!er an" o!er its legs fairly lashe" together by the thongThe lains aboun" with three $in"s of artri"ge 284 twoof which are as large as hen heasants Their "estroyera s&all an" retty fox was also singularly nu&erousS inthe course of the "ay we coul" not ha!e seen less than fortyor fifty They were generally near their earths but the "ogs$ille" one (hen we returne" to the osta we foun" twoof the arty returne" who ha" been hunting by the&sel!esThey ha" $ille" a u&a an" ha" foun" an ostrich's nest withtwentyse!en eggs in it Each of these is sai" to eLual inweight ele!en hen's eggsS so that we obtaine" fro& this one

nest as &uch foo" as 6./ hen's eggs woul" ha!e gi!en

-ete&ber 13th s the sol"iers belonging to the nextosta &eant to return an" we shoul" together &a$e a artyof fi!e an" all ar&e" 0 "eter&ine" not to wait for the execte"troos =y host the lieutenant resse" &e &uchto sto s he ha" been !ery obliging not only ro!i"ing&e with foo" but len"ing &e his ri!ate horses 0 wante"to &a$e hi& so&e re&uneration 0 as$e" &y gui"e whether 0 &ight "o so but he tol" &e certainly notS that the onlyanswer 0 shoul" recei!e robably woul" be N(e ha!e &eatfor the "ogs in our country an" therefore "o not gru"ge it

to a ChristianN 0t &ust not be suose" that the ran$ of lieutenant in such an ar&y woul" at all re!ent the accetanceof ay&ent5 it was only the high sense of hositalitywhich e!ery tra!eller is boun" to ac$nowle"ge as nearly uni!ersalthroughout these ro!inces fter galloing so&eleagues we ca&e to a low swa&y country which exten"sfor nearly eighty &iles northwar" as far as the -ierraTaalguen 0n so&e arts there were fine "a& lains co!ere"with grass while others ha" a soft blac$ an" eaty soilThere were also &any extensi!e but shallow la$es an" largebe"s of ree"s The country on the whole rese&ble" the better arts of the Ca&bri"geshire fens t night we ha" so&e

"ifficulty in fin"ing a&i"st the swa&s a "ry lace for our bi!ouac

-ete&ber 1Mth +ose !ery early in the &orning an"shortly after asse" the osta where the 0n"ians ha" &ur"ere"the fi!e sol"iers The officer ha" eighteen chu9owoun"s in his bo"y By the &i""le of the "ay after a har"gallo we reache" the fifth osta5 on account of so&e "ifficultyin rocuring horses we staye" there the night s thisoint was the &ost exose" on the whole line twentyonesol"iers were statione" hereS at sunset they returne" fro&hunting bringing with the& se!en "eer three ostriches an"

&any ar&a"illoes an" artri"ges (hen ri"ing through thecountry it is a co&&on ractice to set fire to the lainSan" hence at night as on this occasion the hori9on was



illu&inate" in se!eral laces by brilliant conflagrationsThis is "one artly for the sa$e of u99ling any stray 0n"iansbut chiefly for i&ro!ing the asture 0n grassylains unoccuie" by the larger ru&inating Lua"rue"s itsee&s necessary to re&o!e the suerfluous !egetation by fireso as to ren"er the new year's growth ser!iceable

The rancho at this lace "i" not boast e!en of a roofbut &erely consiste" of a ring of thistlestal$s to brea$the force of the win" 0t was situate" on the bor"ers of anextensi!e but shallow la$e swar&ing with wil" fowl a&ongwhich the blac$nec$e" swan was consicuous

The $in" of lo!er which aears as if &ounte" onstilts ,i&antous nigricollis is here co&&on in floc$s of consi"erable si9e 0t has been wrongfully accuse" of ineleganceSwhen wa"ing about in shallow water which is itsfa!ourite resort its gait is far fro& aw$war" These bir"s

in a floc$ utter a noise that singularly rese&bles the cry of a ac$ of s&all "ogs in full chase5 wa$ing in the night 0ha!e &ore than once been for a &o&ent startle" at the "istantsoun" The terutero Vanellus cayanus is another bir" which often "isturbs the stillness of the night 0naearance an" habits it rese&bles in &any resects our eewitsSits wings howe!er are ar&e" with shar surs li$ethose on the legs of the co&&on coc$ s our eewit ta$esits na&e fro& the soun" of its !oice so "oes the terutero(hile ri"ing o!er the grassy lains one is constantly ursue"by these bir"s which aear to hate &an$in" an" 0a& sure "eser!e to be hate" for their ne!erceasing un!arie"

harsh screa&s To the sorts&an they are &ost annoyingby telling e!ery other bir" an" ani&al of his aroach5 tothe tra!eller in the country they &ay ossibly as =olinasays "o goo" by warning hi& of the &i"night robber Duringthe bree"ing season they atte&t li$e our eewits byfeigning to be woun"e" to "raw away fro& their nests "ogsan" other ene&ies The eggs of this bir" are estee&e" agreat "elicacy

-ete&ber 1Hth To the se!enth osta at the foot of the-ierra Taalguen The country was Luite le!el with acoarse herbage an" a soft eaty soil The ho!el was here

re&ar$ably neat the osts an" rafters being &a"e of abouta "o9en "ry thistlestal$s boun" together with thongs of hi"eS an" by the suort of these 0onicli$e colu&ns theroof an" si"es were thatche" with ree"s (e were here tol"a fact which 0 woul" not ha!e cre"ite" if 0 ha" not ha"artly ocular roof of itS na&ely that "uring the re!iousnight hail as large as s&all ales an" extre&ely har" ha"fallen with such !iolence as to $ill the greater nu&ber of thewil" ani&als :ne of the &en ha" alrea"y foun" thirteen"eer Cer!us ca&estris lying "ea" an" 0 saw their @fresh@ hi"esS another of the arty a few &inutes after &y arri!albrought in se!en &ore ;ow 0 well $now that one &an

without "ogs coul" har"ly ha!e $ille" se!en "eer in a wee$The &en belie!e" they ha" seen about fifteen ostriches artof one of which we ha" for "innerS an" they sai" that



se!eral were running about e!i"ently blin" in one eye;u&bers of s&aller bir"s as "uc$s haw$s an" artri"geswere $ille" 0 saw one of the latter with a blac$ &ar$ onits bac$ as if it ha" been struc$ with a a!ingstone fence of thistlestal$s roun" the ho!el was nearly bro$en"own an" &y infor&er utting his hea" out to see what was

the &atter recei!e" a se!ere cut an" now wore a ban"ageThe stor& was sai" to ha!e been of li&ite" extent5 wecertainly saw fro& our last night's bi!ouac a "ense clou"an" lightning in this "irection 0t is &ar!ellous how suchstrong ani&als as "eer coul" thus ha!e been $ille"S but 0ha!e no "oubt fro& the e!i"ence 0 ha!e gi!en that thestory is not in the least exaggerate" 0 a& gla" howe!erto ha!e its cre"ibility suorte" by the esuit Dobri9hoffen 234who sea$ing of a country &uch to the northwar" sayshail fell of an enor&ous si9e an" $ille" !ast nu&bers of cattle5the 0n"ians hence calle" the lace @>alegraica!alca@ &eaningNthe little white thingsN Dr =alcol&son also infor&s &e

that he witnesse" in 1I81 in 0n"ia a hailstor& which$ille" nu&bers of large bir"s an" &uch injure" the cattleThese hailstones were flat an" one was ten inches incircu&ference an" another weighe" two ounces Theyloughe" u a gra!elwal$ li$e &us$etballs an" asse"through glasswin"ows &a$ing roun" holes but not crac$ingthe&

,a!ing finishe" our "inner of hailstric$en &eat wecrosse" the -ierra TaalguenS a low range of hills a fewhun"re" feet in height which co&&ences at Cae CorrientesThe roc$ in this art is ure Luart9S further eastwar" 0

un"erstan" it is granitic The hills are of a re&ar$ablefor&S they consist of flat atches of tablelan" surroun"e"by low eren"icular cliffs li$e the outliers of a se"i&entary"eosit The hill which 0 ascen"e" was !ery s&all notabo!e a coule of hun"re" yar"s in "ia&eterS but 0 sawothers larger :ne which goes by the na&e of the NCorralNis sai" to be two or three &iles in "ia&eter an" enco&asse"by eren"icular cliffs between thirty an" forty feet highexceting at one sot where the entrance lies *alconer 2M4gi!es a curious account of the 0n"ians "ri!ing troos of wil" horses into it an" then by guar"ing the entrance $eeingthe& secure 0 ha!e ne!er hear" of any other instance

of tablelan" in a for&ation of Luart9 an" which in thehill 0 exa&ine" ha" neither clea!age nor stratification 0was tol" that the roc$ of the NCorralN was white an" woul"stri$e fire

(e "i" not reach the osta on the +io Taalguen tillafter it was "ar$ t suer fro& so&ething which wassai" 0 was su""enly struc$ with horror at thin$ing that 0was eating one of the fa!ourite "ishes of the countryna&ely a halffor&e" calf long before its roer ti&e of birth 0t turne" out to be Pu&aS the &eat is !ery whitean" re&ar$ably li$e !eal in taste Dr -haw was laughe"

at for stating that Nthe flesh of the lion is in great estee&ha!ing no s&all affinity with !eal both in colour tastean" fla!ourN -uch certainly is the case with the Pu&a



The Gauchos "iffer in their oinion whether the aguar isgoo" eating but are unani&ous in saying that cat is excellent

-ete&ber 1/th (e followe" the course of the +ioTaalguen through a !ery fertile country to the ninthosta Taalguen itself or the town of Taalguen if it

&ay be so calle" consists of a erfectly le!el lain stu""e"o!er as far as the eye can reach with the tol"os or o!enshae" huts of the 0n"ians The fa&ilies of the frien"ly0n"ians who were fighting on the si"e of +osas resi"e"here (e &et an" asse" &any young 0n"ian wo&en ri"ingby two or three together on the sa&e horse5 they aswell as &any of the young &en were stri$ingly han"so&e their fine ru""y co&lexions being the icture of healthBesi"es the tol"os there were three ranchosS one inhabite"by the Co&&an"ant an" the two others by -aniar"s withs&all shos

(e were here able to buy so&e biscuit 0 ha" now beense!eral "ays without tasting anything besi"es &eat5 0 "i"not at all "isli$e this new regi&enS but 0 felt as if it woul"only ha!e agree" with &e with har" exercise 0 ha!e hear"that atients in Englan" when "esire" to confine the&sel!esexclusi!ely to an ani&al "iet e!en with the hoe of lifebefore their eyes ha!e har"ly been able to en"ure it Retthe Gaucho in the Pa&as for &onths together touchesnothing but beef But they eat 0 obser!e a !ery largeroortion of fat which is of a less ani&ali9e" natureS an"they articularly "isli$e "ry &eat such as that of the goutiDr +ichar"son 2H4 also has re&ar$e" Nthat when eole

ha!e fe" for a long ti&e solely uon lean ani&al foo" the"esire for fat beco&es so insatiable that they can consu&ea large Luantity of un&ixe" an" e!en oily fat withoutnausea5N this aears to &e a curious hysiological fact0t is erhas fro& their &eat regi&en that the Gauchosli$e other carni!orous ani&als can abstain long fro& foo"0 was tol" that at Tan"eel so&e troos !oluntarily ursue"a arty of 0n"ians for three "ays without eating or "rin$ing

(e saw in the shos &any articles such as horseclothsbelts an" garters wo!en by the 0n"ian wo&en The atternswere !ery retty an" the colours brilliantS the wor$&anshi

of the garters was so goo" that an English &erchantat Buenos yres &aintaine" they &ust ha!e been&anufacture" in Englan" till he foun" the tassels ha" beenfastene" by slit sinew

-ete&ber 1Ith (e ha" a !ery long ri"e this "ay tthe twelfth osta which is se!en leagues south of the +io-ala"o we ca&e to the first estancia with cattle an" whitewo&en fterwar"s we ha" to ri"e for &any &iles througha country floo"e" with water abo!e our horses' $nees Bycrossing the stirrus an" ri"ing rabli$e with our legsbent u we contri!e" to $ee tolerably "ry 0t was nearly

"ar$ when we arri!e" at the -ala"oS the strea& was "eean" about forty yar"s wi"eS in su&&er howe!er its be"beco&es al&ost "ry an" the little re&aining water nearly



as salt as that of the sea (e slet at one of the greatestancias of General +osas 0t was fortifie" an" of such anextent that arri!ing in the "ar$ 0 thought it was a townan" fortress 0n the &orning we saw i&&ense her"s of cattle the general here ha!ing se!entyfour sLuare leaguesof lan" *or&erly nearly three hun"re" &en were e&loye"

about this estate an" they "efie" all the attac$s of the 0n"ians

-ete&ber 1.th Passe" the Guar"ia "el =onte Thisis a nice scattere" little town with &any gar"ens full of each an" Luince trees The lain here loo$e" li$e thataroun" Buenos yresS the turf being short an" bright greenwith be"s of clo!er an" thistles an" with bi9cacha holes0 was !ery &uch struc$ with the &ar$e" change in theasect of the country after ha!ing crosse" the -ala"o *ro&a coarse herbage we asse" on to a caret of fine green !er"ure0 at first attribute" this to so&e change in the nature

of the soil but the inhabitants assure" &e that here aswell as in Ban"a :riental where there is as great a "ifferencebetween the country roun" =onte Vi"eo an" thethinlyinhabite" sa!annahs of Colonia the whole was to beattribute" to the &anuring an" gra9ing of the cattle Exactlythe sa&e fact has been obser!e" in the rairies 2/4 of ;orth &erica where coarse grass between fi!e an" sixfeet high when gra9e" by cattle changes into co&&on asturelan" 0 a& not botanist enough to say whether thechange here is owing to the intro"uction of new seciesto the altere" growth of the sa&e or to a "ifference in their roortional nu&bers 9ara has also obser!e" with astonish&ent

this change5 he is li$ewise &uch erlexe" by thei&&e"iate aearance of lants not occurring in the neighbourhoo"on the bor"ers of any trac$ that lea"s to a newlyconstructe" ho!el 0n another art he says 2I4 Nces che!auxsau!ages ont la &anie "e referer les che&ins et le bor""es routes our "eoser leurs excre&ens "ont on trou!e "es&onceaux "ans ces en"roitsN Does this not artly exlainthe circu&stanceQ (e thus ha!e lines of richly &anure"lan" ser!ing as channels of co&&unication across wi"e "istricts

;ear the Guar"ia we fin" the southern li&it of two Euroeanlants now beco&e extraor"inarily co&&on The

fennel in great rofusion co!ers the "itchban$s in theneighbourhoo" of Buenos yres =onte Vi"eo an" other townsBut the car"oon Cynara car"unculus has a far wi"er range5 2.4 it occurs in these latitu"es on both si"es of theCor"illera across the continent 0 saw it in unfreLuente"sots in Chile Entre +ios an" Ban"a :riental 0n thelatter country alone !ery &any robably se!eral hun"re"sLuare &iles are co!ere" by one &ass of these ric$ly lantsan" are i&enetrable by &an or beast :!er the un"ulatinglains where these great be"s occur nothing else can nowli!e Before their intro"uction howe!er the surface &ustha!e suorte" as in other arts a ran$ herbage 0 "oubt

whether any case is on recor" of an in!asion on so gran"a scale of one lant o!er the aborigines s 0 ha!e alrea"ysai" 0 nowhere saw the car"oon south of the -ala"oS but



it is robable that in roortion as that country beco&esinhabite" the car"oon will exten" its li&its The case is"ifferent with the giant thistle with !ariegate" lea!es of the Pa&as for 0 &et with it in the !alley of the -auce ccor"ing to the rinciles so well lai" "own by =r >yellfew countries ha!e un"ergone &ore re&ar$able changes

since the year 1M8M when the first colonist of >a Plata lan"e"with se!entytwo horses The countless her"s of horsescattle an" shee not only ha!e altere" the whole asect of the !egetation but they ha!e al&ost banishe" the guanaco"eer an" ostrich ;u&berless other changes &ust li$ewiseha!e ta$en laceS the wil" ig in so&e arts robably relacesthe eccariS ac$s of wil" "ogs &ay be hear" howlingon the woo"e" ban$s of the lessfreLuente" strea&sS an"the co&&on cat altere" into a large an" fierce ani&al inhabitsroc$y hills s = "':rbigny has re&ar$e" the increasein nu&bers of the carrion!ulture since the intro"uctionof the "o&estic ani&als &ust ha!e been infinitely greatS

an" we ha!e gi!en reasons for belie!ing that they ha!e exten"e"their southern range ;o "oubt &any lants besi"esthe car"oon an" fennel are naturali9e"S thus the islan"snear the &outh of the Parana are thic$ly clothe" witheach an" orange trees sringing fro& see"s carrie" thereby the waters of the ri!er

(hile changing horses at the Guar"ia se!eral eole Luestione"us &uch about the ar&y 0 ne!er saw anything li$ethe enthusias& for +osas an" for the success of the N&ost just of all wars because against barbariansN This exressionit &ust be confesse" is !ery natural for till lately

neither &an wo&an nor horse was safe fro& the attac$sof the 0n"ians (e ha" a long "ay's ri"e o!er the sa&erich green lain aboun"ing with !arious floc$s an" withhere an" there a solitary estancia an" its one @o&bu@ tree0n the e!ening it raine" hea!ily5 on arri!ing at a osthousewe were tol" by the owner that if we ha" not aregular assort we &ust ass on for there were so&any robbers he woul" trust no one (hen he rea" howe!er&y assort which began with NEl ;aturalista DonCarlosN his resect an" ci!ility were as unboun"e" as hissusicions ha" been before (hat a naturalist &ight beneither he nor his country&en 0 susect ha" any i"eaS

but robably &y title lost nothing of its !alue fro& thatcause

-ete&ber 67th (e arri!e" by the &i""le of the "ay atBuenos yres The outs$irts of the city loo$e" Luite rettywith the aga!e he"ges an" gro!es of oli!e each an" willowtrees all just throwing out their fresh green lea!es 0 ro"eto the house of =r >u&b an English &erchant to whose$in"ness an" hositality "uring &y stay in the country 0was greatly in"ebte"

The city of Buenos yres is largeS 2174 an" 0 shoul" thin$

one of the &ost regular in the worl" E!ery street is at rightangles to the one it crosses an" the arallel ones beingeLui"istant the houses are collecte" into soli" sLuares of



eLual "i&ensions which are calle" Lua"ras :n the other han"the houses the&sel!es are hollow sLuaresS all the roo&s oeninginto a neat little courtyar" They are generally onlyone story high with flat roofs which are fitte" with seatsan" are &uch freLuente" by the inhabitants in su&&er 0nthe centre of the town is the Pla9a where the ublic offices

fortress cathe"ral etc stan" ,ere also the ol" !iceroysbefore the re!olution ha" their alaces The general asse&blageof buil"ings ossesses consi"erable architectural beautyalthough none in"i!i"ually can boast of any

The great @corral@ where the ani&als are $et for slaughter to suly foo" to this beefeating oulation is one of the sectacles best worth seeing The strength of the horseas co&are" to that of the bulloc$ is Luite astonishing5 a&an on horsebac$ ha!ing thrown his la9o roun" the hornsof a beast can "rag it anywhere he chooses The ani&alloughing u the groun" with outstretche" legs in !ain

efforts to resist the force generally "ashes at full see" toone si"eS but the horse i&&e"iately turning to recei!e theshoc$ stan"s so fir&ly that the bulloc$ is al&ost thrown"own an" it is surrising that their nec$s are not bro$enThe struggle is not howe!er one of fair strengthS thehorse's girth being &atche" against the bulloc$'s exten"e"nec$ 0n a si&ilar &anner a &an can hol" the wil"est horseif caught with the la9o just behin" the ears (hen thebulloc$ has been "ragge" to the sot where it is to beslaughtere" the &ata"or with great caution cuts the ha&stringsThen is gi!en the "eath bellowS a noise &ore exressi!eof fierce agony than any 0 $now 0 ha!e often "istinguishe"

it fro& a long "istance an" ha!e always $nownthat the struggle was then "rawing to a close The wholesight is horrible an" re!olting5 the groun" is al&ost &a"e of bonesS an" the horses an" ri"ers are "renche" with gore

214 0 call these thistlestal$s for the want of a &ore correctna&e 0 belie!e it is a secies of Eryngiu&

264 Tra!els in frica 688

284 Two secies of Tina&us an" Eu"ro&ia elegans of "':rbignywhich can only be calle" a artri"ge with regar" to its habits

234 ,istory of the biones !ol ii H

2M4 *alconer's Patagonia /7

2H4 *auna Boreali&ericana !ol i 8M

2/4 -ee =r twater's account of the Prairies in -illi&an's; ournal !ol i 11/

2I4 9ara's Voyages !ol i 8/8

2.4 = "':rbigny !ol i 3/3 says that the car"oonan" articho$e are both foun" wil" Dr ,oo$er Botanical=aga9ine !ol i! 6IH6 has "escribe" a !ariety of the



Cynara fro& this art of -outh &erica un"er the na&e of iner&is ,e states that botanists are now generally agree"that the car"oon an" the articho$e are !arieties of one lant0 &ay a"" that an intelligent far&er assure" &e that he ha"obser!e" in a "eserte" gar"en so&e articho$es changing intothe co&&on car"oon Dr ,oo$er belie!es that ,ea"'s !i!i"

"escrition of the thistle of the Pa&as alies to thecar"oon but this is a &ista$e Catain ,ea" referre" to thelant which 0 ha!e &entione" a few lines lower "own un"er the title of giant thistle (hether it is a true thistle 0 "onot $nowS but it is Luite "ifferent fro& the car"oonS an" &oreli$e a thistle roerly so calle"

2174 0t is sai" to contain H7777 inhabitants =onte Vi"eo thesecon" town of i&ortance on the ban$s of the Plata has1M777

C,PTE+ V00

B<E;:- R+E- ;D -T *E

Excursion to -t *e Thistle Be"s ,abits of the Bi9cacha >ittle :wl -aline -trea&s >e!el Plain =asto"on -t*e Change in >an"scae Geology Tooth of extinct,orse +elation of the *ossil an" recent ua"rue"s of ;orthan" -outh &erica Effects of a great Drought Parana ,abits of the aguar -cissorbea$ Uingfisher Parrotan" -cissortail +e!olution Buenos yres -tate of

Go!ern&ent

-EPTE=BE+ 6/th 0n the e!ening 0 set out on anexcursion to -t *e which is situate" nearly three hun"re"English &iles fro& Buenos yres on the ban$s of the Parana The roa"s in the neighbourhoo" of the city after the rainy weather were extraor"inarily ba" 0 shoul" ne!er ha!e thought it ossible for a bulloc$ waggon to ha!ecrawle" along5 as it was they scarcely went at the rate of a&ile an hour an" a &an was $et ahea" to sur!ey the bestline for &a$ing the atte&t The bulloc$s were terribly

ja"e"5 it is a great &ista$e to suose that with i&ro!e"roa"s an" an accelerate" rate of tra!elling the sufferings of the ani&als increase in the sa&e roortion (e asse" atrain of waggons an" a troo of beasts on their roa" to=en"o9a The "istance is about MI7 geograhical &iles an"the journey is generally erfor&e" in fifty "ays Thesewaggons are !ery long narrow an" thatche" with ree"sSthey ha!e only two wheels the "ia&eter of which in so&ecases is as &uch as ten feet Each is "rawn by six bulloc$swhich are urge" on by a goa" at least twenty feet long5 thisis susen"e" fro& within the roofS for the wheel bulloc$s as&aller one is $etS an" for the inter&e"iate air a oint

rojects at right angles fro& the &i""le of the long one

The whole aaratus loo$e" li$e so&e i&le&ent of war



-ete&ber 6Ith (e asse" the s&all town of >uxanwhere there is a woo"en bri"ge o!er the ri!er a &ostunusual con!enience in this country (e asse" also recoThe lains aeare" le!el but were not so in factS for in!arious laces the hori9on was "istant The estancias are

here wi"e aartS for there is little goo" asture owing tothe lan" being co!ere" by be"s either of an acri" clo!eror of the great thistle The latter well $nown fro& theani&ate" "escrition gi!en by -ir * ,ea" were at thisti&e of the year twothir"s grownS in so&e arts they wereas high as the horse's bac$ but in others they ha" not yetsrung u an" the groun" was bare an" "usty as on a turni$eroa" The clu&s were of the &ost brilliant green an"they &a"e a leasing &iniatureli$eness of bro$en forestlan" (hen the thistles are full grown the great be"s arei&enetrable excet by a few tracts as intricate as thosein a labyrinth These are only $nown to the robbers who

at this season inhabit the& an" sally forth at night to roban" cut throats with i&unity <on as$ing at a housewhether robbers were nu&erous 0 was answere" NThe thistlesare not u yetSN the &eaning of which rely was not atfirst !ery ob!ious There is little interest in assing o!er these tracts for they are inhabite" by few ani&als or bir"sexceting the bi9cacha an" its frien" the little owl

The bi9cacha 214 is well $nown to for& a ro&inent featurein the 9oology of the Pa&as 0t is foun" as far south asthe +io ;egro in lat 31 "egs but not beyon" 0t cannotli$e the agouti subsist on the gra!elly an" "esert lains of

Patagonia but refers a clayey or san"y soil which ro"uces a"ifferent an" &ore abun"ant !egetation ;ear =en"o9a atthe foot of the Cor"illera it occurs in close neighbourhoo"with the allie" aline secies 0t is a !ery curiouscircu&stance in its geograhical "istribution that it has ne!er been seen fortunately for the inhabitants of Ban"a :riental tothe eastwar" of the ri!er <ruguay5 yet in this ro!ince thereare lains which aear a"&irably a"ate" to its habitsThe <ruguay has for&e" an insuerable obstacle to its&igration5 although the broa"er barrier of the Parana hasbeen asse" an" the bi9cacha is co&&on in Entre +ios thero!ince between these two great ri!ers ;ear Buenos yres

these ani&als are excee"ingly co&&on Their &ost fa!ouriteresort aears to be those arts of the lain which "uringonehalf of the year are co!ere" with giant thistles to theexclusion of other lants The Gauchos affir& that it li!eson rootsS which fro& the great strength of its gnawingteeth an" the $in" of laces freLuente" by it see&s robable0n the e!ening the bi9cachas co&e out in nu&bers an" Luietlysit at the &ouths of their burrows on their haunches tsuch ti&es they are !ery ta&e an" a &an on horsebac$ assingby see&s only to resent an object for their gra!econte&lation They run !ery aw$war"ly an" when runningout of "anger fro& their ele!ate" tails an" short front legs

&uch rese&ble great rats Their flesh when coo$e" is !erywhite an" goo" but it is sel"o& use"



The bi9cacha has one !ery singular habitS na&ely "ragginge!ery har" object to the &outh of its burrow5 aroun"each grou of holes &any bones of cattle stones thistlestal$s har" lu&s of earth "ry "ung etc are collecte" intoan irregular hea which freLuently a&ounts to as &uch asa wheelbarrow woul" contain 0 was cre"ibly infor&e" that

a gentle&an when ri"ing on a "ar$ night "roe" hiswatchS he returne" in the &orning an" by searching theneighbourhoo" of e!ery bi9cacha hole on the line of roa"as he execte" he soon foun" it This habit of ic$ingu whate!er &ay be lying on the groun" anywhere near itshabitation &ust cost &uch trouble *or what urose itis "one 0 a& Luite unable to for& e!en the &ost re&oteconjecture5 it cannot be for "efence because the rubbishis chiefly lace" abo!e the &outh of the burrow whichenters the groun" at a !ery s&all inclination ;o "oubtthere &ust exist so&e goo" reasonS but the inhabitants of the country are Luite ignorant of it The only fact which

0 $now analogous to it is the habit of that extraor"inary ustralian bir" the Calo"era &aculata which &a$es anelegant !aulte" assage of twigs for laying in an"which collects near the sot lan" an" seashells bonesan" the feathers of bir"s esecially brightly coloure"ones =r Goul" who has "escribe" these facts infor&s&e that the nati!es when they lose any har" objectsearch the laying assages an" he has $nown a tobaccoie thus reco!ere"

The little owl thene cunicularia which has been sooften &entione" on the lains of Buenos yres exclusi!ely

inhabits the holes of the bi9cachaS but in Ban"a :riental itis its own wor$&an During the oen "ay but &ore eseciallyin the e!ening these bir"s &ay be seen in e!ery "irectionstan"ing freLuently by airs on the hilloc$ near their burrows 0f "isturbe" they either enter the hole or utteringa shrill harsh cry &o!e with a re&ar$ably un"ulatoryflight to a short "istance an" then turning roun" stea"ilyga9e at their ursuer :ccasionally in the e!ening they &aybe hear" hooting 0 foun" in the sto&achs of two which0 oene" the re&ains of &ice an" 0 one "ay saw a s&allsna$e $ille" an" carrie" away 0t is sai" that sna$es aretheir co&&on rey "uring the "ayti&e 0 &ay here &ention

as showing on what !arious $in"s of foo" owls subsistthat a secies $ille" a&ong the islets of the Chonos rchielago ha" its sto&ach full of goo"si9e" crabs 0n0n"ia 264 there is a fishing genus of owls which li$ewisecatches crabs

0n the e!ening we crosse" the +io rrecife on a si&leraft &a"e of barrels lashe" together an" slet at the osthouse on the other si"e 0 this "ay ai" horsehire for thirtyone leaguesS an" although the sun was glaring hot 0was but little fatigue" (hen Catain ,ea" tal$s of ri"ingfifty leagues a "ay 0 "o not i&agine the "istance is eLual

to 1M7 English &iles t all e!ents the thirtyone leagueswas only /H &iles in a straight line an" in an oen country0 shoul" thin$ four a""itional &iles for turnings woul" be



a sufficient allowance

6.th an" 87th (e continue" to ri"e o!er lains of thesa&e character t -an ;icolas 0 first saw the noble ri!er of the Parana t the foot of the cliff on which the townstan"s so&e large !essels were at anchor Before arri!ing

at +o9ario we crosse" the -ala"illo a strea& of fine clear running water but too saline to "rin$ +o9ario is a largetown built on a "ea" le!el lain which for&s a cliff aboutsixty feet high o!er the Parana The ri!er here is !erybroa" with &any islan"s which are low an" woo"e" as isalso the oosite shore The !iew woul" rese&ble that of agreat la$e if it were not for the linearshae" islets whichalone gi!e the i"ea of running water The cliffs are the &osticturesLue artS so&eti&es they are absolutely eren"icularan" of a re" colourS at other ti&es in large bro$en&asses co!ere" with cacti an" &i&osatrees The realgran"eur howe!er of an i&&ense ri!er li$e this is "eri!e"

fro& reflecting how i&ortant a &eans of co&&unicationan" co&&erce it for&s between one nation an" anotherS towhat a "istance it tra!els an" fro& how !ast a territoryit "rains the great bo"y of fresh water which flows astyour feet

*or &any leagues north an" south of -an ;icolas an"+o9ario the country is really le!el -carcely anything whichtra!ellers ha!e written about its extre&e flatness can beconsi"ere" as exaggeration Ret 0 coul" ne!er fin" a sotwhere by slowly turning roun" objects were not seen atgreater "istances in so&e "irections than in othersS an"

this &anifestly ro!es ineLuality in the lain t sea aerson's eye being six feet abo!e the surface of the waterhis hori9on is two &iles an" fourfifths "istant 0n li$e&anner the &ore le!el the lain the &ore nearly "oes thehori9on aroach within these narrow li&itsS an" this in&y oinion entirely "estroys that gran"eur which one woul"ha!e i&agine" that a !ast le!el lain woul" ha!e ossesse"

:ctober 1st (e starte" by &oonlight an" arri!e" at the+io Tercero by sunrise The ri!er is also calle" the -ala"illoan" it "eser!es the na&e for the water is brac$ish0 staye" here the greater art of the "ay searching for fossil

bones Besi"es a erfect tooth of the Toxo"on an" &anyscattere" bones 0 foun" two i&&ense s$eletons near eachother rojecting in bol" relief fro& the eren"icular cliff of the Parana They were howe!er so co&letely "ecaye"that 0 coul" only bring away s&all frag&ents of one of thegreat &olar teethS but these are sufficient to show that there&ains belonge" to a =asto"on robably to the sa&e secieswith that which for&erly &ust ha!e inhabite" the Cor"illerain <er Peru in such great nu&bers The &enwho too$ &e in the canoe sai" they ha" long $nown of theses$eletons an" ha" often won"ere" how they ha" got there5the necessity of a theory being felt they ca&e to the

conclusion that li$e the bi9cacha the &asto"on was for&erlya burrowing ani&al% 0n the e!ening we ro"e another stagean" crosse" the =onge another brac$ish strea& bearing the



"regs of the washings of the Pa&as

:ctober 6n" (e asse" through Corun"a which fro&the luxuriance of its gar"ens was one of the rettiest!illages 0 saw *ro& this oint to -t *e the roa" is not !erysafe The western si"e of the Parana northwar" ceases to

be inhabite"S an" hence the 0n"ians so&eti&es co&e "ownthus far an" waylay tra!ellers The nature of the countryalso fa!ours this for instea" of a grassy lain there is anoen woo"lan" co&ose" of low ric$ly &i&osas (easse" so&e houses that ha" been ransac$e" an" since "eserte"Swe saw also a sectacle which &y gui"es !iewe"with high satisfactionS it was the s$eleton of an 0n"ianwith the "rie" s$in hanging on the bones susen"e" to thebranch of a tree

0n the &orning we arri!e" at -t *e 0 was surrise"to obser!e how great a change of cli&ate a "ifference of only

three "egrees of latitu"e between this lace an" Buenos yres ha" cause" This was e!i"ent fro& the "ress an"co&lexion of the &en fro& the increase" si9e of theo&butrees the nu&ber of new cacti an" other lants an" esecially fro& the bir"s 0n the course of an hour 0re&ar$e" halfa"o9en bir"s which 0 ha" ne!er seen atBuenos yres Consi"ering that there is no natural boun"arybetween the two laces an" that the character of thecountry is nearly si&ilar the "ifference was &uch greater than 0 shoul" ha!e execte"

:ctober 8r" an" 3th 0 was confine" for these two "ays

to &y be" by a hea"ache goo"nature" ol" wo&anwho atten"e" &e wishe" &e to try &any o"" re&e"ies co&&on ractice is to bin" an orangeleaf or a bit of blac$laster to each te&le5 an" a still &ore general lan is toslit a bean into hal!es &oisten the& an" lace one oneach te&le where they will easily a"here 0t is not thoughtroer e!er to re&o!e the beans or laster but to allowthe& to "ro off an" so&eti&es if a &an with atches onhis hea" is as$e" what is the &atterQ he will answer N0ha" a hea"ache the "ay before yester"ayN =any of there&e"ies use" by the eole of the country are lu"icrouslystrange but too "isgusting to be &entione" :ne of the

least nasty is to $ill an" cut oen two uies an" bin"the& on each si"e of a bro$en li&b >ittle hairless "ogs arein great reLuest to slee at the feet of in!ali"s

-t *e is a Luiet little town an" is $et clean an" in goo"or"er The go!ernor >oe9 was a co&&on sol"ier at theti&e of the re!olutionS but has now been se!enteen yearsin ower This stability of go!ern&ent is owing to histyrannical habitsS for tyranny see&s as yet better a"ate"to these countries than reublicanis& The go!ernor's fa!ouriteoccuation is hunting 0n"ians5 a short ti&e sincehe slaughtere" fortyeight an" sol" the chil"ren at the rate

of three or four oun"s aiece

:ctober Mth (e crosse" the Parana to -t *e Baja"a



a town on the oosite shore The assage too$ so&e hoursas the ri!er here consiste" of a labyrinth of s&all strea&ssearate" by low woo"e" islan"s 0 ha" a letter of intro"uctionto an ol" Catalonian -aniar" who treate" &e withthe &ost unco&&on hositality The Baja"a is the caitalof Entre +ios 0n 1I6M the town containe" H777 inhabitants

an" the ro!ince 87777S yet few as the inhabitants are noro!ince has suffere" &ore fro& bloo"y an" "eseratere!olutions They boast here of reresentati!es &inisters astan"ing ar&y an" go!ernors5 so it is no won"er that theyha!e their re!olutions t so&e future "ay this &ust beone of the richest countries of >a Plata The soil is !arie"an" ro"ucti!eS an" its al&ost insular for& gi!es it twogran" lines of co&&unication by the ri!ers Parana an"<ruguay

0 was "elaye" here fi!e "ays an" e&loye" &yself in exa&ining

the geology of the surroun"ing country which was!ery interesting (e here see at the botto& of the cliffsbe"s containing shar$s' teeth an" seashells of extinct seciesassing abo!e into an in"urate" &arl an" fro& thatinto the re" clayey earth of the Pa&as with its calcareousconcretions an" the bones of terrestrial Lua"rue"s This!ertical section clearly tells us of a large bay of ure saltwater gra"ually encroache" on an" at last con!erte" intothe be" of a &u""y estuary into which floating carcasseswere swet t Punta Gor"a in Ban"a :riental 0 foun"an alternation of the Pa&aean estuary "eosit with ali&estone containing so&e of the sa&e extinct seashellsS an"

this shows either a change in the for&er currents or &orerobably an oscillation of le!el in the botto& of the ancientestuary <ntil lately &y reasons for consi"ering the Pa&aeanfor&ation to be an estuary "eosit were its generalaearance its osition at the &outh of the existing greatri!er the Plata an" the resence of so &any bones of terrestrial Lua"rue"s5 but now Professor Ehrenberg has ha"the $in"ness to exa&ine for &e a little of the re" earthta$en fro& low "own in the "eosit close to the s$eletonsof the &asto"on an" he fin"s in it &any infusoria artlysaltwater an" artly freshwater for&s with the latter rather reon"eratingS an" therefore as he re&ar$s the

water &ust ha!e been brac$ish = "':rbigny foun" onthe ban$s of the Parana at the height of a hun"re" feetgreat be"s of an estuary shell now li!ing a hun"re" &ileslower "own nearer the seaS an" 0 foun" si&ilar shells at aless height on the ban$s of the <ruguayS this shows that just before the Pa&as was slowly ele!ate" into "ry lan"the water co!ering it was brac$ish Below Buenos yresthere are uraise" be"s of seashells of existing secieswhich also ro!es that the erio" of ele!ation of the Pa&aswas within the recent erio"

0n the Pa&aean "eosit at the Baja"a 0 foun" the osseous

ar&our of a gigantic ar&a"illoli$e ani&al the insi"eof which when the earth was re&o!e" was li$e a greatcaul"ronS 0 foun" also teeth of the Toxo"on an" =asto"on



an" one tooth of a ,orse in the sa&e staine" an" "ecaye"state This latter tooth greatly intereste" &e 284 an" 0 too$scruulous care in ascertaining that it ha" been e&be""e"conte&oraneously with the other re&ainsS for 0 was notthen aware that a&ongst the fossils fro& Bahia Blancathere was a horse's tooth hi""en in the &atrix5 nor was it

then $nown with certainty that the re&ains of horses areco&&on in ;orth &erica =r >yell has lately broughtfro& the <nite" -tates a tooth of a horseS an" it is aninteresting fact that Professor :wen coul" fin" in no secieseither fossil or recent a slight but eculiar cur!aturecharacteri9ing it until he thought of co&aring it with &yseci&en foun" here5 he has na&e" this &erican horse ELuuscur!i"ens Certainly it is a &ar!ellous fact in the historyof the =a&&alia that in -outh &erica a nati!e horseshoul" ha!e li!e" an" "isaeare" to be succee"e" in afterages by the countless her"s "escen"e" fro& the few intro"uce"with the -anish colonists%

The existence in -outh &erica of a fossil horse of the&asto"on ossibly of an elehant 234 an" of a hollowhorne"ru&inant "isco!ere" by == >un" an" Clausen in theca!es of Bra9il are highly interesting facts with resect tothe geograhical "istribution of ani&als t the resentti&e if we "i!i"e &erica not by the 0sth&us of Pana&abut by the southern art of =exico 2M4 in lat 67 "egs wherethe great tablelan" resents an obstacle to the &igration of secies by affecting the cli&ate an" by for&ing with theexcetion of so&e !alleys an" of a fringe of low lan" onthe coast a broa" barrierS we shall then ha!e the two

9oological ro!inces of ;orth an" -outh &erica stronglycontraste" with each other -o&e few secies alone ha!easse" the barrier an" &ay be consi"ere" as wan"erers fro&the south such as the u&a oossu& $in$ajou an" eccari-outh &erica is characteri9e" by ossessing &any eculiar gnawers a fa&ily of &on$eys the lla&a eccari tairoossu&s an" esecially se!eral genera of E"entata theor"er which inclu"es the sloths anteaters an" ar&a"illoes;orth &erica on the other han" is characteri9e" uttingon one si"e a few wan"ering secies by nu&erous eculiar gnawers an" by four genera the ox shee goat an" anteloeof hollowhorne" ru&inants of which great "i!ision

-outh &erica is not $nown to ossess a single secies*or&erly but within the erio" when &ost of the now existingshells were li!ing ;orth &erica ossesse" besi"eshollowhorne" ru&inants the elehant &asto"on horse an"three genera of E"entata na&ely the =egatheriu& =egalonyxan" =ylo"on (ithin nearly this sa&e erio" asro!e" by the shells at Bahia Blanca -outh &erica ossesse"as we ha!e just seen a &asto"on horse hollowhorne" ru&inant an" the sa&e three genera as well asse!eral others of the E"entata ,ence it is e!i"ent that;orth an" -outh &erica in ha!ing within a late geologicalerio" these se!eral genera in co&&on were &uch

&ore closely relate" in the character of their terrestrialinhabitants than they now are The &ore 0 reflect on thiscase the &ore interesting it aears5 0 $now of no other



instance where we can al&ost &ar$ the erio" an" &anner of the slitting u of one great region into two wellcharacteri9e" 9oological ro!inces The geologist who is fullyi&resse" with the !ast oscillations of le!el which ha!eaffecte" the earth's crust within late erio"s will not fear to seculate on the recent ele!ation of the =exican latfor&

or &ore robably on the recent sub&ergence of lan"in the (est 0n"ian rchielago as the cause of the resent9oological searation of ;orth an" -outh &erica The-outh &erican character of the (est 0n"ian &a&&als 2H4see&s to in"icate that this archielago was for&erly unite"to the southern continent an" that it has subseLuently beenan area of subsi"ence

(hen &erica an" esecially ;orth &erica ossesse"its elehants &asto"ons horse an" hollowhorne" ru&inantsit was &uch &ore closely relate" in its 9oologicalcharacters to the te&erate arts of Euroe an" sia than

it now is s the re&ains of these genera are foun" onboth si"es of Behring's -traits 2/4 an" on the lains of -iberia we are le" to loo$ to the northwestern si"e of ;orth &erica as the for&er oint of co&&unication between the :l"an" socalle" ;ew (orl" n" as so &any secies bothli!ing an" extinct of these sa&e genera inhabit an" ha!einhabite" the :l" (orl" it see&s &ost robable that the;orth &erican elehants &asto"ons horse an" hollowhorne" ru&inants &igrate" on lan" since sub&erge" near Behring's -traits fro& -iberia into ;orth &erica an"thence on lan" since sub&erge" in the (est 0n"ies into-outh &erica where for a ti&e they &ingle" with the

for&s characteristic of that southern continent an" ha!esince beco&e extinct

(hile tra!elling through the country 0 recei!e" se!eral!i!i" "escritions of the effects of a late great "roughtS an"the account of this &ay throw so&e light on the cases where!ast nu&bers of ani&als of all $in"s ha!e been e&be""e"together The erio" inclu"e" between the years 1I6/ an"1I87 is calle" the Ngran secoN or the great "rought Duringthis ti&e so little rain fell that the !egetation e!en to thethistles faile"S the broo$s were "rie" u an" the whole

country assu&e" the aearance of a "usty high roa" Thiswas esecially the case in the northern art of the ro!inceof Buenos yres an" the southern art of -t *e Verygreat nu&bers of bir"s wil" ani&als cattle an" horseserishe" fro& the want of foo" an" water &an tol" &ethat the "eer 2I4 use" to co&e into his courtyar" to the wellwhich he ha" been oblige" to "ig to suly his own fa&ilywith waterS an" that the artri"ges ha" har"ly strength tofly away when ursue" The lowest esti&ation of the lossof cattle in the ro!ince of Buenos yres alone was ta$enat one &illion hea" rorietor at -an Pe"ro ha" re!iouslyto these years 67777 cattleS at the en" not one re&aine"

-an Pe"ro is situate" in the &i""le of the finestcountryS an" e!en now aboun"s again with ani&alsS yet"uring the latter art of the Ngran secoN li!e cattle were



brought in !essels for the consu&tion of the inhabitantsThe ani&als roa&e" fro& their estancias an" wan"eringfar southwar" were &ingle" together in such &ultitu"esthat a go!ern&ent co&&ission was sent fro& Buenos yresto settle the "isutes of the owners -ir (oo"bine Parishinfor&e" &e of another an" !ery curious source of "isuteS

the groun" being so long "ry such Luantities of "ust wereblown about that in this oen country the lan"&ar$s beca&eobliterate" an" eole coul" not tell the li&its of their estates

0 was infor&e" by an eyewitness that the cattle in her"sof thousan"s rushe" into the Parana an" being exhauste"by hunger they were unable to crawl u the &u""y ban$san" thus were "rowne" The ar& of the ri!er which runsby -an Pe"ro was so full of utri" carcasses that the &aster of a !essel tol" &e that the s&ell ren"ere" it Luite i&assable(ithout "oubt se!eral hun"re" thousan" ani&als

thus erishe" in the ri!er5 their bo"ies when utri" wereseen floating "own the strea&S an" &any in all robabilitywere "eosite" in the estuary of the Plata ll the s&allri!ers beca&e highly saline an" this cause" the "eath of !ast nu&bers in articular sotsS for when an ani&al "rin$sof such water it "oes not reco!er 9ara "escribes 2.4 thefury of the wil" horses on a si&ilar occasion rushing intothe &arshes those which arri!e" first being o!erwhel&e"an" crushe" by those which followe" ,e a""s that &orethan once he has seen the carcasses of uwar"s of a thousan"wil" horses thus "estroye" 0 notice" that the s&aller strea&s in the Pa&as were a!e" with a breccia of bones

but this robably is the effect of a gra"ual increase rather than of the "estruction at any one erio" -ubseLuentlyto the "rought of 1I6/ to 1I86 a !ery rainy season followe"which cause" great floo"s ,ence it is al&ost certain thatso&e thousan"s of the s$eletons were burie" by the "eositsof the !ery next year (hat woul" be the oinion of ageologist !iewing such an enor&ous collection of bones of all $in"s of ani&als an" of all ages thus e&be""e" in onethic$ earthy &assQ (oul" he not attribute it to a floo"ha!ing swet o!er the surface of the lan" rather than tothe co&&on or"er of thingsQ 2174

:ctober 16th 0 ha" inten"e" to ush &y excursion furtherbut not being Luite well 0 was co&elle" to return bya balan"ra or one&aste" !essel of about a hun"re" tons'bur"en which was boun" to Buenos yres s the weather was not fair we &oore" early in the "ay to a branch of atree on one of the islan"s The Parana is full of islan"swhich un"ergo a constant roun" of "ecay an" reno!ation0n the &e&ory of the &aster se!eral large ones ha" "isaeare"an" others again ha" been for&e" an" rotecte"by !egetation They are co&ose" of &u""y san" withoute!en the s&allest ebble an" were then about four feetabo!e the le!el of the ri!erS but "uring the erio"ical floo"s

they are inun"ate" They all resent one characterS nu&erouswillows an" a few other trees are boun" together by agreat !ariety of creeing lants thus for&ing a thic$ jungle



These thic$ets affor" a retreat for caybaras an" jaguarsThe fear of the latter ani&al Luite "estroye" all leasurein scra&bling through the woo"s This e!ening 0 ha" notrocee"e" a hun"re" yar"s before fin"ing in"ubitable signsof the recent resence of the tiger 0 was oblige" to co&ebac$ :n e!ery islan" there were trac$sS an" as on the

for&er excursion Nel rastro "e los 0n"iosN ha" been thesubject of con!ersation so in this was Nel rastro "el tigreNThe woo"e" ban$s of the great ri!ers aear to be thefa!ourite haunts of the jaguarS but south of the Plata 0was tol" that they freLuente" the ree"s bor"ering la$es5where!er they are they see& to reLuire water Their co&&onrey is the caybara so that it is generally sai" wherecaybaras are nu&erous there is little "anger fro& the jaguar *alconer states that near the southern si"e of the&outh of the Plata there are &any jaguars an" that theychiefly li!e on fishS this account 0 ha!e hear" reeate" :nthe Parana they ha!e $ille" &any woo"cutters an" ha!e

e!en entere" !essels at night There is a &an now li!ingin the Baja"a who co&ing u fro& below when it was"ar$ was sei9e" on the "ec$S he escae" howe!er withthe loss of the use of one ar& (hen the floo"s "ri!e theseani&als fro& the islan"s they are &ost "angerous 0 wastol" that a few years since a !ery large one foun" its wayinto a church at -t *e5 two a"res entering one after theother were $ille" an" a thir" who ca&e to see what was the&atter escae" with "ifficulty The beast was "estroye" bybeing shot fro& a corner of the buil"ing which was unroofe"They co&&it also at these ti&es great ra!agesa&ong cattle an" horses 0t is sai" that they $ill their rey

by brea$ing their nec$s 0f "ri!en fro& the carcass theysel"o& return to it The Gauchos say that the jaguar whenwan"ering about at night is &uch tor&ente" by the foxesyeling as they follow hi& This is a curious coinci"encewith the fact which is generally affir&e" of the jac$alsacco&anying in a si&ilarly officious &anner the East 0n"iantiger The jaguar is a noisy ani&al roaring &uch by nightan" esecially before ba" weather

:ne "ay when hunting on the ban$s of the <ruguay 0was shown certain trees to which these ani&als constantlyrecur for the urose as it is sai" of sharening their

claws 0 saw three well$nown treesS in front the bar$was worn s&ooth as if by the breast of the ani&al an" oneach si"e there were "ee scratches or rather groo!esexten"ing in an obliLue line nearly a yar" in length Thescars were of "ifferent ages co&&on &etho" of ascertainingwhether a jaguar is in the neighbourhoo" is toexa&ine these trees 0 i&agine this habit of the jaguar isexactly si&ilar to one which &ay any "ay be seen in theco&&on cat as with outstretche" legs an" exserte" claws itscraes the leg of a chairS an" 0 ha!e hear" of young fruittrees in an orchar" in Englan" ha!ing been thus &uch injure"-o&e such habit &ust also be co&&on to the u&a

for on the bare har" soil of Patagonia 0 ha!e freLuentlyseen scores so "ee that no other ani&al coul" ha!e &a"ethe& The object of this ractice is 0 belie!e to tear off



the ragge" oints of their claws an" not as the Gauchosthin$ to sharen the& The jaguar is $ille" without &uch"ifficulty by the ai" of "ogs baying an" "ri!ing hi& u atree where he is "esatche" with bullets

:wing to ba" weather we re&aine" two "ays at our &oorings

:ur only a&use&ent was catching fish for our "inner5there were se!eral $in"s an" all goo" eating fish calle"the Nar&a"oN a -ilurus is re&ar$able fro& a harsh gratingnoise which it &a$es when caught by hoo$ an" linean" which can be "istinctly hear" when the fish is beneaththe water This sa&e fish has the ower of fir&ly catchinghol" of any object such as the bla"e of an oar or the fishingline with the strong sine both of its ectoral an" "orsalfin 0n the e!ening the weather was Luite troical thether&o&eter stan"ing at /. "egs ;u&bers of fireflies wereho!ering about an" the &usLuitoes were !ery troubleso&e0 exose" &y han" for fi!e &inutes an" it was soon blac$

with the&S 0 "o not suose there coul" ha!e been less thanfifty all busy suc$ing

:ctober 1Mth (e got un"er way an" asse" PuntaGor"a where there is a colony of ta&e 0n"ians fro& thero!ince of =issiones (e saile" rai"ly "own the currentbut before sunset fro& a silly fear of ba" weather webroughtto in a narrow ar& of the ri!er 0 too$ the boatan" rowe" so&e "istance u this cree$ 0t was !ery narrowwin"ing an" "eeS on each si"e a wall thirty or forty feethigh for&e" by trees intwine" with creeers ga!e to thecanal a singularly gloo&y aearance 0 here saw a !ery

extraor"inary bir" calle" the -cissorbea$ +hynchosnigra 0t has short legs web feet extre&ely longointe"wings an" is of about the si9e of a tern The bea$ is flattene"laterally that is in a lane at right angles to thatof a soonbill or "uc$ 0t is as flat an" elastic as an i!oryaercutter an" the lower &an"ible "iffering fro& e!eryother bir" is an inch an" a half longer than the uer 0na la$e near =al"ona"o fro& which the water ha" beennearly "raine" an" which in conseLuence swar&e" withs&all fry 0 saw se!eral of these bir"s generally in s&allfloc$s flying rai"ly bac$war"s an" forwar"s close to thesurface of the la$e They $et their bills wi"e oen an"

the lower &an"ible half burie" in the water Thus s$i&&ingthe surface they loughe" it in their course5 the water wasLuite s&ooth an" it for&e" a &ost curious sectacle to behol"a floc$ each bir" lea!ing its narrow wa$e on the &irrorli$esurface 0n their flight they freLuently twist aboutwith extre&e Luic$ness an" "exterously &anage with their rojecting lower &an"ible to lough u s&all fish which aresecure" by the uer an" shorter half of their scissorli$e

2icture4

bills This fact 0 reeate"ly saw as li$e swallows theycontinue" to fly bac$war"s an" forwar"s close before &e



:ccasionally when lea!ing the surface of the water their flight was wil" irregular an" rai"S they then uttere" lou"harsh cries (hen these bir"s are fishing the a"!antageof the long ri&ary feathers of their wings in $eeing the&"ry is !ery e!i"ent (hen thus e&loye" their for&s rese&blethe sy&bol by which &any artists reresent &arine

bir"s Their tails are &uch use" in steering their irregular course

These bir"s are co&&on far inlan" along the course of the +io ParanaS it is sai" that they re&ain here "uring thewhole year an" bree" in the &arshes During the "ay theyrest in floc$s on the grassy lains at so&e "istance fro&the water Being at anchor as 0 ha!e sai" in one of the"ee cree$s between the islan"s of the Parana as the e!ening"rew to a close one of these scissorbea$s su""enly aeare"The water was Luite still an" &any little fish wererising The bir" continue" for a long ti&e to s$i& the

surface flying in its wil" an" irregular &anner u an" "ownthe narrow canal now "ar$ with the growing night an" thesha"ows of the o!erhanging trees t =onte Vi"eo 0 obser!e"that so&e large floc$s "uring the "ay re&aine" on the&u"ban$s at the hea" of the harbour in the sa&e &anner as on the grassy lains near the ParanaS an" e!ery e!eningthey too$ flight seawar" *ro& these facts 0 susectthat the +hynchos generally fishes by night at which ti&e&any of the lower ani&als co&e &ost abun"antly to thesurface = >esson states that he has seen these bir"soening the shells of the &actrae burie" in the san"ban$s onthe coast of Chile5 fro& their wea$ bills with the lower

&an"ible so &uch rojecting their short legs an" longwings it is !ery i&robable that this can be a general habit

0n our course "own the Parana 0 obser!e" only threeother bir"s whose habits are worth &entioning :ne is as&all $ingfisher Ceryle &ericanaS it has a longer tailthan the Euroean secies an" hence "oes not sit in so stiff an" uright a osition 0ts flight also instea" of being "irectan" rai" li$e the course of an arrow is wea$ an"un"ulatory as a&ong the softbille" bir"s 0t utters a lownote li$e the clic$ing together of two s&all stones s&allgreen arrot Conurus &urinus with a grey breast aears

to refer the tall trees on the islan"s to any other situation for its buil"inglace nu&ber of nests arelace" so close together as to for& one great &ass of stic$sThese arrots always li!e in floc$s an" co&&it great ra!ageson the cornfiel"s 0 was tol" that near Colonia 6M77 were$ille" in the course of one year bir" with a for$e" tailter&inate" by two long feathers Tyrannus sa!ana an"na&e" by the -aniar"s scissortail is !ery co&&on near Buenos yres5 it co&&only sits on a branch of the @o&bu@ tree near a house an" thence ta$es a short flight in ursuitof insects an" returns to the sa&e sot (hen on the wingit resents in its &anner of flight an" general aearance

a caricatureli$eness of the co&&on swallow 0t has theower of turning !ery shortly in the air an" in so "oingoens an" shuts its tail so&eti&es in a hori9ontal or lateral



an" so&eti&es in a !ertical "irection just li$e a air of scissors

:ctober 1Hth -o&e leagues below +o9ario the westernshore of the Parana is boun"e" by eren"icular cliffswhich exten" in a long line to below -an ;icolasS hence it

&ore rese&bles a seacoast than that of a freshwater ri!er0t is a great "rawbac$ to the scenery of the Parana thatfro& the soft nature of its ban$s the water is !ery &u""yThe <ruguay flowing through a granitic country is &uchclearerS an" where the two channels unite at the hea" of the Plata the waters &ay for a long "istance be "istinguishe"by their blac$ an" re" colours 0n the e!ening thewin" being not Luite fair as usual we i&&e"iately &oore"an" the next "ay as it blew rather freshly though with afa!ouring current the &aster was &uch too in"olent to thin$of starting t Baja"a he was "escribe" to &e as Nho&bre&uy aflictoN a &an always &iserable to get onS but certainly

he bore all "elays with a"&irable resignation ,ewas an ol" -aniar" an" ha" been &any years in thiscountry ,e rofesse" a great li$ing to the English butstoutly &aintaine" that the battle of Trafalgar was &erelywon by the -anish catains ha!ing been all bought o!erSan" that the only really gallant action on either si"e waserfor&e" by the -anish a"&iral 0t struc$ &e as rather characteristic that this &an shoul" refer his country&enbeing thought the worst of traitors rather than uns$ilful or cowar"ly

1Ith an" 1.th (e continue" slowly to sail "own the

noble strea&5 the current hele" us but little (e &et"uring our "escent !ery few !essels :ne of the best giftsof nature in so gran" a channel of co&&unication see&shere wilfully thrown away a ri!er in which shis &ightna!igate fro& a te&erate country as surrisingly abun"antin certain ro"uctions as "estitute of others to another ossessing a troical cli&ate an" a soil which accor"ing tothe best of ju"ges = Bonlan" is erhas uneLualle" infertility in any art of the worl" ,ow "ifferent woul"ha!e been the asect of this ri!er if English colonists ha"by goo" fortune first saile" u the Plata% (hat noble townswoul" now ha!e occuie" its shores% Till the "eath of

*rancia the Dictator of Paraguay these two countries &ustre&ain "istinct as if lace" on oosite si"es of the globe n" when the ol" bloo"y&in"e" tyrant is gone to his longaccount Paraguay will be torn by re!olutions !iolent inroortion to the re!ious unnatural cal& That countrywill ha!e to learn li$e e!ery other -outh &erican statethat a reublic cannot succee" till it contains a certain bo"yof &en i&bue" with the rinciles of justice an" honour

:ctober 67th Being arri!e" at the &outh of the Paranaan" as 0 was !ery anxious to reach Buenos yres 0 wenton shore at >as Conchas with the intention of ri"ing there

<on lan"ing 0 foun" to &y great surrise that 0 was toa certain "egree a risoner !iolent re!olution ha!ingbro$en out all the orts were lai" un"er an e&bargo 0



coul" not return to &y !essel an" as for going by lan" tothe city it was out of the Luestion fter a long con!ersationwith the co&&an"ant 0 obtaine" er&ission to go thenext "ay to General +olor who co&&an"e" a "i!ision of the rebels on this si"e the caital 0n the &orning 0 ro"eto the enca&&ent The general officers an" sol"iers all

aeare" an" 0 belie!e really were great !illains Thegeneral the !ery e!ening before he left the city !oluntarilywent to the Go!ernor an" with his han" to his heart le"ge"his wor" of honour that he at least woul" re&ain faithfulto the last The general tol" &e that the city was in a stateof close bloc$a"e an" that all he coul" "o was to gi!e &ea assort to the co&&an"erinchief of the rebels at uil&es(e ha" therefore to ta$e a great swee roun" thecity an" it was with &uch "ifficulty that we rocure" horses=y recetion at the enca&&ent was Luite ci!il but 0 wastol" it was i&ossible that 0 coul" be allowe" to enter thecity 0 was !ery anxious about this as 0 anticiate" the

Beagle's "earture fro& the +io Plata earlier than it too$lace ,a!ing &entione" howe!er General +osas's obliging$in"ness to &e when at the Colora"o &agic itself coul"not ha!e altere" circu&stances Luic$er than "i" thiscon!ersation 0 was instantly tol" that though they coul" notgi!e &e a assort if 0 chose to lea!e &y gui"e an" horses0 &ight ass their sentinels 0 was too gla" to accet of this an" an officer was sent with &e to gi!e "irections that0 shoul" not be stoe" at the bri"ge The roa" for thesace of a league was Luite "eserte" 0 &et one arty of sol"iers who were satisfie" by gra!ely loo$ing at an ol"assort5 an" at length 0 was not a little lease" to fin"

&yself within the city

This re!olution was suorte" by scarcely any retext of grie!ances5 but in a state which in the course of nine &onthsfro& *ebruary to :ctober 1I67 un"erwent fifteenchanges in its go!ern&ent each go!ernor accor"ing to theconstitution being electe" for three years it woul" be !eryunreasonable to as$ for retexts 0n this case a arty of &en who being attache" to +osas were "isguste" withthe go!ernor Balcarce to the nu&ber of se!enty left thecity an" with the cry of +osas the whole country too$ ar&sThe city was then bloc$a"e" no ro!isions cattle or horses

were allowe" to enterS besi"es this there was only a littles$ir&ishing an" a few &en "aily $ille" The outsi"e artywell $new that by stoing the suly of &eat they woul"certainly be !ictorious General +osas coul" not ha!e $nownof this risingS but it aears to be Luite consonant with thelans of his arty year ago he was electe" go!ernor buthe refuse" it unless the -ala woul" also confer on hi&extraor"inary owers This was refuse" an" since thenhis arty ha!e shown that no other go!ernor can $ee hislace The warfare on both si"es was a!owe"ly rotracte"till it was ossible to hear fro& +osas note arri!e" afew "ays after 0 left Buenos yres which state" that the

General "isaro!e" of eace ha!ing been bro$en but thathe thought the outsi"e arty ha" justice on their si"e :nthe bare recetion of this the Go!ernor &inisters an" art



of the &ilitary to the nu&ber of so&e hun"re"s fle" fro&the city The rebels entere" electe" a new go!ernor an"were ai" for their ser!ices to the nu&ber of MM77 &en*ro& these rocee"ings it was clear that +osas ulti&atelywoul" beco&e the "ictator5 to the ter& $ing the eole inthis as in other reublics ha!e a articular "isli$e -ince

lea!ing -outh &erica we ha!e hear" that +osas hasbeen electe" with owers an" for a ti&e altogether oose"to the constitutional rinciles of the reublic

214 The bi9cacha >agosto&us tricho"actylus so&ewhat rese&blesa large rabbit but with bigger gnawing teeth an" a long tailSit has howe!er only three toes behin" li$e the agouti Duringthe last three or four years the s$ins of these ani&als ha!ebeen sent to Englan" for the sa$e of the fur

264 ournal of siatic -oc !ol ! 8H8

284 0 nee" har"ly state here that there is goo" e!i"enceagainst any horse li!ing in &erica at the ti&e of Colu&bus

234 Cu!ier :sse&ens *ossils to& i 1MI

2M4 This is the geograhical "i!ision followe" by >ichtenstein-wainson Erichson an" +ichar"son The section fro& Vera Cru9to caulco gi!en by ,u&bol"t in the Polit Essay on Uing"o&of ; -ain will show how i&&ense a barrier the =exicantablelan" for&s Dr +ichar"son in his a"&irable +eort onthe Woology of ; &erica rea" before the Brit ssoc 1I8H 1M/ tal$ing of the i"entification of a =exican ani&al

with the -ynetheres rehensilis says N(e "o not $now withwhat roriety but if correct it is if not a solitaryinstance at least !ery nearly so of a ro"ent ani&al beingco&&on to ;orth an" -outh &ericaN

2H4 -ee Dr +ichar"son's +eort 1M/S also >'0nstitut1I8/ 6M8 Cu!ier says the $in$ajou is foun" in the larger ntilles but this is "oubtful = Ger!ais states that theDi"elhis crancri!ora is foun" there 0t is certain that the(est 0n"ies ossess so&e &a&&ifers eculiar to the&sel!es tooth of a &asta"on has been brought fro& Baha&aS E"in ;ewPhil ourn 1I6H 8.M

2/4 -ee the a"&irable en"ix by Dr Buc$lan" to Beechey'sVoyageS also the writings of Cha&isso in Uot9ebue's Voyage

2I4 0n Catain :wen's -ur!eying Voyage !ol ii 6/3there is a curious account of the effects of a "rought on theelehants at Benguela west coast of frica N nu&ber of these ani&als ha" so&e ti&e since entere" the town in a bo"yto ossess the&sel!es of the wells not being able to rocureany water in the country The inhabitants &ustere" when a"eserate conflict ensue" which ter&inate" in the ulti&ate"isco&fiture of the in!a"ers but not until they ha" $ille"

one &an an" woun"e" se!eral othersN The town is sai" toha!e a oulation of nearly three thousan"% Dr =alcol&soninfor&s &e that "uring a great "rought in 0n"ia the wil"



ani&als entere" the tents of so&e troos at Ellore an" thata hare "ran$ out of a !essel hel" by the a"jutant of theregi&ent

2.4 Tra!els !ol i 8/3

2174 These "roughts to a certain "egree see& to be al&osterio"icalS 0 was tol" the "ates of se!eral others an" theinter!als were about fifteen years

C,PTE+ V000

B;D :+0E;T> ;D PTG:;0

Excursion to Colonia "el -acra&iento Value of an Estancia Cattle how counte" -ingular Bree" of :xen Perforate"

Pebbles -heher" Dogs ,orses bro$enin Gauchosri"ing Character of 0nhabitants +io Plata *loc$s of Butterflies eronaut -i"ers Phoshorescence of the-ea Port Desire Guanaco Port -t ulian Geologyof Patagonia *ossil gigantic ni&al Tyes of :rgani9ationconstant Change in the Woology of &erica Causes of Extinction

,V0;G been "elaye" for nearly a fortnight in thecity 0 was gla" to escae on boar" a ac$et boun"for =onte Vi"eo town in a state of bloc$a"e

&ust always be a "isagreeable lace of resi"enceS in this case&oreo!er there were constant arehensions fro& robberswithin The sentinels were the worst of allS for fro&their office an" fro& ha!ing ar&s in their han"s they robbe"with a "egree of authority which other &en coul" noti&itate

:ur assage was a !ery long an" te"ious one The Plataloo$s li$e a noble estuary on the &aS but is in truth a oor affair wi"e exanse of &u""y water has neither gran"eur nor beauty t one ti&e of the "ay the two shoresboth of which are extre&ely low coul" just be "istinguishe"

fro& the "ec$ :n arri!ing at =onte Vi"eo 0 foun" thatthe Beagle woul" not sail for so&e ti&e so 0 reare" for ashort excursion in this art of Ban"a :riental E!erythingwhich 0 ha!e sai" about the country near =al"ona"o is alicableto =onte Vi"eoS but the lan" with the one excetionof the Green =ount 3M7 feet high fro& which it ta$esits na&e is far &ore le!el Very little of the un"ulatinggrassy lain is enclose"S but near the town there are a fewhe"geban$s co!ere" with aga!es cacti an" fennel

;o!e&ber 13th (e left =onte Vi"eo in the afternoon0 inten"e" to rocee" to Colonia "el -acra&iento situate"

on the northern ban$ of the Plata an" oosite to Buenos yres an" thence following u the <ruguay to the !illageof =erce"es on the +io ;egro one of the &any ri!ers of



this na&e in -outh &erica an" fro& this oint to return"irect to =onte Vi"eo (e slet at the house of &y gui"eat Canelones 0n the &orning we rose early in the hoesof being able to ri"e a goo" "istanceS but it was a !ainatte&t for all the ri!ers were floo"e" (e asse" in boatsthe strea&s of Canelones -t >ucia an" -an ose an" thus

lost &uch ti&e :n a for&er excursion 0 crosse" the >ucianear its &outh an" 0 was surrise" to obser!e how easilyour horses although not use" to swi& asse" o!er a wi"thof at least six hun"re" yar"s :n &entioning this at =onteVi"eo 0 was tol" that a !essel containing so&e &ounteban$san" their horses being wrec$e" in the Plata one horseswa& se!en &iles to the shore 0n the course of the "ay 0was a&use" by the "exterity with which a Gaucho force"a resti!e horse to swi& a ri!er ,e strie" off his clothesan" ju&ing on its bac$ ro"e into the water till it was outof its "ethS then sliing off o!er the cruer he caughthol" of the tail an" as often as the horse turne" roun"

the &an frightene" it bac$ by slashing water in its face s soon as the horse touche" the botto& on the other si"ethe &an ulle" hi&self on an" was fir&ly seate" bri"lein han" before the horse gaine" the ban$ na$e" &anon a na$e" horse is a fine sectacleS 0 ha" no i"ea how wellthe two ani&als suite" each other The tail of a horse is a!ery useful aen"ageS 0 ha!e asse" a ri!er in a boat withfour eole in it which was ferrie" across in the sa&e wayas the Gaucho 0f a &an an" horse ha!e to cross a broa"ri!er the best lan is for the &an to catch hol" of the o&&elor &ane an" hel hi&self with the other ar&

(e slet an" staye" the following "ay at the ost of Cufre 0n the e!ening the ost&an or lettercarrier arri!e",e was a "ay after his ti&e owing to the +io +o9ario beingfloo"e" 0t woul" not howe!er be of &uch conseLuenceSfor although he ha" asse" through so&e of the rincialtowns in Ban"a :riental his luggage consiste" of two letters%The !iew fro& the house was leasingS an un"ulatinggreen surface with "istant gli&ses of the Plata 0 fin"that 0 loo$ at this ro!ince with !ery "ifferent eyes fro&what 0 "i" uon &y first arri!al 0 recollect 0 then thoughtit singularly le!elS but now after galloing o!er the Pa&as&y only surrise is what coul" ha!e in"uce" &e e!er

to call it le!el The country is a series of un"ulations inthe&sel!es erhas not absolutely great but as co&are"to the lains of -t *e real &ountains *ro& theseineLualities there is an abun"ance of s&all ri!ulets an"the turf is green an" luxuriant

;o!e&ber 1/th (e crosse" the +o9ario which was"ee an" rai" an" assing the !illage of Colla arri!e"at &i""ay at Colonia "el -acra&iento The "istance istwenty leagues through a country co!ere" with fine grassbut oorly stoc$e" with cattle or inhabitants 0 was in!ite"to slee at Colonia an" to acco&any on the following

"ay a gentle&an to his estancia where there were so&eli&estone roc$s The town is built on a stony ro&ontoryso&ething in the sa&e &anner as at =onte Vi"eo 0t is



strongly fortifie" but both fortifications an" town suffere"&uch in the Bra9ilian war 0t is !ery ancientS an" theirregularity of the streets an" the surroun"ing gro!es of ol" orange an" each trees ga!e it a retty aearanceThe church is a curious ruinS it was use" as a ow"er&aga9ine an" was struc$ by lightning in one of the ten

thousan" thun"erstor&s of the +io Plata Twothir"s of the buil"ing were blown away to the !ery foun"ationS an"the rest stan"s a shattere" an" curious &onu&ent of theunite" owers of lightning an" gunow"er 0n the e!ening0 wan"ere" about the half"e&olishe" walls of the town 0twas the chief seat of the Bra9ilian warS a war &ost injuriousto this country not so &uch in its i&&e"iate effectsas in being the origin of a &ultitu"e of generals an" allother gra"es of officers =ore generals are nu&bere" butnot ai" in the <nite" Pro!inces of >a Plata than in the<nite" Uing"o& of Great Britain These gentle&en ha!elearne" to li$e ower an" "o not object to a little

s$ir&ishing ,ence there are &any always on the watch tocreate "isturbance an" to o!erturn a go!ern&ent which as yethas ne!er reste" on any stale foun"ation 0 notice" howe!erboth here an" in other laces a !ery general interestin the ensuing election for the Presi"entS an" this aearsa goo" sign for the roserity of this little country Theinhabitants "o not reLuire &uch e"ucation in their reresentati!esS 0 hear" so&e &en "iscussing the &erits of thosefor ColoniaS an" it was sai" that Nalthough they were not&en of business they coul" all sign their na&es5N with thisthey see&e" to thin$ e!ery reasonable &an ought to besatisfie"

1Ith +o"e with &y host to his estancia at the rroyo"e -an uan 0n the e!ening we too$ a ri"e roun" theestate5 it containe" two sLuare leagues an" a half an" wassituate" in what is calle" a rinconS that is one si"e wasfronte" by the Plata an" the two others guar"e" by i&assablebroo$s There was an excellent ort for little !esselsan" an abun"ance of s&all woo" which is !aluableas sulying fuel to Buenos yres 0 was curious to $nowthe !alue of so co&lete an estancia :f cattle there were8777 an" it woul" well suort three or four ti&es thatnu&berS of &ares I77 together with 1M7 bro$enin horses

an" H77 shee There was lenty of water an" li&estonea rough house excellent corrals an" a each orchar" *or all this he ha" been offere" 6777 Poun"s an" he only wante"M77 Poun"s a""itional an" robably woul" sell it for less Thechief trouble with an estancia is "ri!ing the cattle twice awee$ to a central sot in or"er to &a$e the& ta&e an" to countthe& This latter oeration woul" be thought "ifficultwhere there are ten or fifteen thousan" hea" together 0tis &anage" on the rincile that the cattle in!ariably "i!i"ethe&sel!es into little troos of fro& forty to one hun"re"Each troo is recogni9e" by a few eculiarly &ar$e"ani&als an" its nu&ber is $nown5 so that one being lost

out of ten thousan" it is ercei!e" by its absence fro& oneof the troillas During a stor&y night the cattle all &ingletogetherS but the next &orning the troillas searate as



beforeS so that each ani&al &ust $now its fellow out of tenthousan" others

:n two occasions 0 &et with in this ro!ince so&e oxenof a !ery curious bree" calle" nata or niata They aear externally to hol" nearly the sa&e relation to other cattle

which bull or ug "ogs "o to other "ogs Their forehea"is !ery short an" broa" with the nasal en" turne" u an"the uer li &uch "rawn bac$S their lower jaws rojectbeyon" the uer an" ha!e a correson"ing uwar" cur!eShence their teeth are always exose" Their nostrils areseate" high u an" are !ery oenS their eyes roject outwar"s(hen wal$ing they carry their hea"s low on a shortnec$S an" their hin"er legs are rather longer co&are"with the front legs than is usual Their bare teeth their short hea"s an" uturne" nostrils gi!e the& the &ost lu"icrousselfconfi"ent air of "efiance i&aginable

-ince &y return 0 ha!e rocure" a s$eleton hea"through the $in"ness of &y frien" Catain -uli!an + ;which is now "eosite" in the College of -urgeons 214 Don* =uni9 of >uxan has $in"ly collecte" for &e all theinfor&ation which he coul" resecting this bree" *ro& hisaccount it see&s that about eighty or ninety years ago theywere rare an" $et as curiosities at Buenos yres Thebree" is uni!ersally belie!e" to ha!e originate" a&ongstthe 0n"ians southwar" of the PlataS an" that it was withthe& the co&&onest $in" E!en to this "ay those reare"in the ro!inces near the Plata show their less ci!ili9e"origin in being fiercer than co&&on cattle an" in the cow

easily "eserting her first calf if !isite" too often or &oleste" 0t is a singular fact that an al&ost si&ilar structureto the abnor&al 264 one of the niata bree" characteri9es as 0a& infor&e" by Dr *alconer that great extinct ru&inantof 0n"ia the -i!atheriu& The bree" is !ery @true@S an" aniata bull an" cow in!ariably ro"uce niata cal!es niatabull with a co&&on cow or the re!erse cross ro"uces offsringha!ing an inter&e"iate character but with the niatacharacters strongly "islaye"5 accor"ing to -enor =uni9there is the clearest e!i"ence contrary to the co&&on belief of agriculturists in analogous cases that the niata cow whencrosse" with a co&&on bull trans&its her eculiarities &ore

strongly than the niata bull when crosse" with a co&&oncow (hen the asture is tolerably long the niata cattlefee" with the tongue an" alate as well as co&&on cattleSbut "uring the great "roughts when so &any ani&als erishthe niata bree" is un"er a great "isa"!antage an" woul"be exter&inate" if not atten"e" toS for the co&&on cattleli$e horses are able just to $ee ali!e by browsing withtheir lis on twigs of trees an" ree"sS this the niatas cannotso well "o as their lis "o not join an" hence they are foun"to erish before the co&&on cattle This stri$es &e as agoo" illustration of how little we are able to ju"ge fro& theor"inary habits of life on what circu&stances occurring

only at long inter!als the rarity or extinction of a secies&ay be "eter&ine"



;o!e&ber 1.th Passing the !alley of >as Vacas weslet at a house of a ;orth &erican who wor$e" a li&e$iln on the rroyo "e las Vi!oras 0n the &orning we ro"eto a rotecting hea"lan" on the ban$s of the ri!er calle"Punta Gor"a :n the way we trie" to fin" a jaguar Therewere lenty of fresh trac$s an" we !isite" the trees on

which they are sai" to sharen their clawsS but we "i" notsuccee" in "isturbing one *ro& this oint the +io <ruguayresente" to our !iew a noble !olu&e of water *ro&the clearness an" rai"ity of the strea& its aearance wasfar suerior to that of its neighbour the Parana :n theoosite coast se!eral branches fro& the latter ri!er entere"the <ruguay s the sun was shining the two colours of the waters coul" be seen Luite "istinct

0n the e!ening we rocee"e" on our roa" towar"s =erce"eson the +io ;egro t night we as$e" er&ission toslee at an estancia at which we haene" to arri!e 0t was

a !ery large estate being ten leagues sLuare an" the owner is one of the greatest lan"owners in the country ,is nehewha" charge of it an" with hi& there was a catain inthe ar&y who the other "ay ran away fro& Buenos yresConsi"ering their station their con!ersation was rather a&using They exresse" as was usual unboun"e" astonish&entat the globe being roun" an" coul" scarcely cre"itthat a hole woul" if "ee enough co&e out on the other si"e They ha" howe!er hear" of a country where therewere six &onths of light an" six of "ar$ness an" wherethe inhabitants were !ery tall an" thin% They were curiousabout the rice an" con"ition of horses an" cattle in Englan"

<on fin"ing out we "i" not catch our ani&als withthe la9o they crie" out Nh then you use nothing butthe bolas5N the i"ea of an enclose" country was Luite newto the& The catain at last sai" he ha" one Luestion toas$ &e which he shoul" be !ery &uch oblige" if 0 woul"answer with all truth 0 tre&ble" to thin$ how "eely scientificit woul" be5 it was N(hether the la"ies of Buenos yres were not the han"so&est in the worl"N 0 relie" li$ea renega"e NChar&ingly soN ,e a""e" N0 ha!e one other Luestion5 Do la"ies in any other art of the worl" wear such large co&bsQN 0 sole&nly assure" hi& that they "i"not They were absolutely "elighte" The catain exclai&e"

N>oo$ there% a &an who has seen half the worl"says it is the caseS we always thought so but now we $nowitN =y excellent ju"g&ent in co&bs an" beauty rocure"&e a &ost hositable recetionS the catain force" &e tota$e his be" an" he woul" slee on his reca"o

61st -tarte" at sunrise an" ro"e slowly "uring thewhole "ay The geological nature of this art of the ro!incewas "ifferent fro& the rest an" closely rese&ble" thatof the Pa&as 0n conseLuence there were i&&ense be"sof the thistle as well as of the car"oon5 the whole countryin"ee" &ay be calle" one great be" of these lants The

two sorts grow searate each lant in co&any with itsown $in" The car"oon is as high as a horse's bac$ but thePa&as thistle is often higher than the crown of the ri"er's



hea" To lea!e the roa" for a yar" is out of the LuestionSan" the roa" itself is artly an" in so&e cases entirelyclose" Pasture of course there is noneS if cattle or horsesonce enter the be" they are for the ti&e co&letely lost,ence it is !ery ha9ar"ous to atte&t to "ri!e cattle atthis season of the yearS for when ja"e" enough to face the

thistles they rush a&ong the& an" are seen no &ore 0nthese "istricts there are !ery few estancias an" these feware situate" in the neighbourhoo" of "a& !alleys wherefortunately neither of these o!erwhel&ing lants can exist s night ca&e on before we arri!e" at our journey's en"we slet at a &iserable little ho!el inhabite" by the ooresteole The extre&e though rather for&al courtesy of our host an" hostess consi"ering their gra"e of life was Luite"elightful

;o!e&ber 66n" rri!e" at an estancia on the BerLuelobelonging to a !ery hositable English&an to who& 0 ha"

a letter of intro"uction fro& &y frien" =r >u&b 0 staye"here three "ays :ne &orning 0 ro"e with &y host to the-ierra "el Pe"ro *laco about twenty &iles u the +io;egro ;early the whole country was co!ere" with goo"though coarse grass which was as high as a horse's bellySyet there were sLuare leagues without a single hea" of cattleThe ro!ince of Ban"a :riental if well stoc$e" woul" suortan astonishing nu&ber of ani&als at resent the annualexort of hi"es fro& =onte Vi"eo a&ounts to threehun"re" thousan"S an" the ho&e consu&tion fro& wasteis !ery consi"erable n NestancieroN tol" &e that he oftenha" to sen" large her"s of cattle a long journey to a salting

establish&ent an" that the tire" beasts were freLuentlyoblige" to be $ille" an" s$inne"S but that he coul" ne!er ersua"e the Gauchos to eat of the& an" e!ery e!eninga fresh beast was slaughtere" for their suers% The !iewof the +io ;egro fro& the -ierra was &ore icturesLue thanany other which 0 saw in this ro!ince The ri!er broa""ee an" rai" woun" at the foot of a roc$y reciitouscliff5 a belt of woo" followe" its course an" the hori9onter&inate" in the "istant un"ulations of the turflain

(hen in this neighbourhoo" 0 se!eral ti&es hear" of the -ierra "e las Cuentas5 a hill "istant &any &iles to the

northwar" The na&e signifies hill of bea"s 0 was assure"that !ast nu&bers of little roun" stones of !arious colourseach with a s&all cylin"rical hole are foun" there *or&erlythe 0n"ians use" to collect the& for the urose of &a$ing nec$laces an" bracelets a taste 0 &ay obser!ewhich is co&&on to all sa!age nations as well as to the &ostolishe" 0 "i" not $now what to un"erstan" fro& thisstory but uon &entioning it at the Cae of Goo" ,oeto Dr n"rew -&ith he tol" &e that he recollecte" fin"ingon the southeastern coast of frica about one hun"re"&iles to the eastwar" of -t ohn's ri!er so&e Luart9 crystalswith their e"ges blunte" fro& attrition an" &ixe" with

gra!el on the seabeach Each crystal was about fi!e linesin "ia&eter an" fro& an inch to an inch an" a half inlength =any of the& ha" a s&all canal exten"ing fro&



one extre&ity to the other erfectly cylin"rical an" of asi9e that rea"ily a"&itte" a coarse threa" or a iece of finecatgut Their colour was re" or "ull white The nati!eswere acLuainte" with this structure in crystals 0 ha!e&entione" these circu&stances because although no crystalli9e"bo"y is at resent $nown to assu&e this for& it &ay

lea" so&e future tra!eller to in!estigate the real nature of such stones

(hile staying at this estancia 0 was a&use" with what0 saw an" hear" of the sheher""ogs of the country 284 (henri"ing it is a co&&on thing to &eet a large floc$ of sheeguar"e" by one or two "ogs at the "istance of so&e &ilesfro& any house or &an 0 often won"ere" how so fir& afrien"shi ha" been establishe" The &etho" of e"ucationconsists in searating the uy while !ery young fro&the bitch an" in accusto&ing it to its future co&anions

n ewe is hel" three or four ti&es a "ay for the little thingto suc$ an" a nest of wool is &a"e for it in the sheeenSat no ti&e is it allowe" to associate with other "ogs or withthe chil"ren of the fa&ily The uy is &oreo!er generallycastrate"S so that when grown u it can scarcelyha!e any feelings in co&&on with the rest of its $in" *ro&this e"ucation it has no wish to lea!e the floc$ an" justas another "og will "efen" its &aster &an so will thesethe shee 0t is a&using to obser!e when aroaching afloc$ how the "og i&&e"iately a"!ances bar$ing an" theshee all close in his rear as if roun" the ol"est ra& These"ogs are also easily taught to bring ho&e the floc$ at a

certain hour in the e!ening Their &ost troubleso&e faultwhen young is their "esire of laying with the sheeS for in their sort they so&eti&es gallo their oor subjects &ostun&ercifully

The sheher""og co&es to the house e!ery "ay for so&e&eat an" as soon as it is gi!en hi& he s$ul$s away as if asha&e" of hi&self :n these occasions the house"ogs are!ery tyrannical an" the least of the& will attac$ an" ursuethe stranger The &inute howe!er the latter has reache"the floc$ he turns roun" an" begins to bar$ an" then allthe house"ogs ta$e !ery Luic$ly to their heels 0n a si&ilar

&anner a whole ac$ of the hungry wil" "ogs will scarcelye!er an" 0 was tol" by so&e ne!er !enture to attac$ afloc$ guar"e" by e!en one of these faithful sheher"s Thewhole account aears to &e a curious instance of the liabilityof the affections in the "ogS an" yet whether wil" or howe!er e"ucate" he has a feeling of resect or fear for those that are fulfilling their instinct of association *or we can un"erstan" on no rincile the wil" "ogs being"ri!en away by the single one with its floc$ excet that theyconsi"er fro& so&e confuse" notion that the one thusassociate" gains ower as if in co&any with its own $in"* Cu!ier has obser!e" that all ani&als that rea"ily enter

into "o&estication consi"er &an as a &e&ber of their ownsociety an" thus fulfil their instinct of association 0nthe abo!e case the sheher""og ran$s the shee as its fellow



brethren an" thus gains confi"enceS an" the wil" "ogsthough $nowing that the in"i!i"ual shee are not "ogs butare goo" to eat yet artly consent to this !iew when seeingthe& in a floc$ with a sheher""og at their hea"

:ne e!ening a N"o&i"orN a sub"uer of horses ca&e

for the urose of brea$ingin so&e colts 0 will "escribethe rearatory stes for 0 belie!e they ha!e not been&entione" by other tra!ellers troo of wil" young horsesis "ri!en into the corral or large enclosure of sta$es an"the "oor is shut (e will suose that one &an alone hasto catch an" &ount a horse which as yet ha" ne!er feltbri"le or sa""le 0 concei!e excet by a Gaucho such a featwoul" be utterly i&racticable The Gaucho ic$s out afullgrown coltS an" as the beast rushes roun" the circushe throws his la9o so as to catch both the front legs 0nstantlythe horse rolls o!er with a hea!y shoc$ an" whilststruggling on the groun" the Gaucho hol"ing the la9o

tight &a$es a circle so as to catch one of the hin" legs just beneath the fetloc$ an" "raws it close to the two frontlegs5 he then hitches the la9o so that the three are boun"together Then sitting on the horse's nec$ he fixes a strongbri"le without a bit to the lower jaw5 this he "oes by assinga narrow thong through the eyeholes at the en" of thereins an" se!eral ti&es roun" both jaw an" tongue Thetwo front legs are now tie" closely together with a strongleathern thong fastene" by a sli$not The la9o whichboun" the three together being then loose" the horse riseswith "ifficulty The Gaucho now hol"ing fast the bri"lefixe" to the lower jaw lea"s the horse outsi"e the corral 0f

a secon" &an is resent otherwise the trouble is &uchgreater he hol"s the ani&al's hea" whilst the first uts onthe horsecloths an" sa""le an" girths the whole togetherDuring this oeration the horse fro& "rea" an" astonish&entat thus being boun" roun" the waist throws hi&self o!er an" o!er again on the groun" an" till beaten isunwilling to rise t last when the sa""ling is finishe" theoor ani&al can har"ly breathe fro& fear an" is white withfoa& an" sweat The &an now reares to &ount by ressinghea!ily on the stirru so that the horse &ay not loseits balanceS an" at the &o&ent that he throws his leg o!er the ani&al's bac$ he ulls the sli$not bin"ing the front

legs an" the beast is free -o&e N"o&i"orsN ull the $notwhile the ani&al is lying on the groun" an" stan"ing o!er the sa""le allow hi& to rise beneath the& The horse wil"with "rea" gi!es a few &ost !iolent boun"s an" then startsoff at full gallo5 when Luite exhauste" the &an by atiencebrings hi& bac$ to the corral where ree$ing hot an"scarcely ali!e the oor beast is let free Those ani&alswhich will not gallo away but obstinately throw the&sel!eson the groun" are by far the &ost troubleso&e This rocessis tre&en"ously se!ere but in two or three trials the horseis ta&e" 0t is not howe!er for so&e wee$s that the ani&alis ri""en with the iron bit an" soli" ring for it &ust learn

to associate the will of its ri"er with the feel of the reinbefore the &ost owerful bri"le can be of any ser!ice



ni&als are so abun"ant in these countries that hu&anityan" selfinterest are not closely unite"S therefore 0fear it is that the for&er is here scarcely $nown :ne "ayri"ing in the Pa&as with a !ery resectable NestancieroN&y horse being tire" lagge" behin" The &an often shoute"to &e to sur hi& (hen 0 re&onstrate" that it was a ity

for the horse was Luite exhauste" he crie" out N(hy notQ ne!er &in" sur hi& it is &y horseN 0 ha" then so&e"ifficulty in &a$ing hi& co&rehen" that it was for thehorse's sa$e an" not on his account that 0 "i" not chooseto use &y surs ,e exclai&e" with a loo$ of great surriseNh Don Carlos Lue cosa%N 0t was clear that suchan i"ea ha" ne!er before entere" his hea"

The Gauchos are well $nown to be erfect ri"ers Thei"ea of being thrown let the horse "o what it li$esS ne!er enters their hea" Their criterion of a goo" ri"er is a &anwho can &anage an unta&e" colt or who if his horse falls

alights on his own feet or can erfor& other such exloits0 ha!e hear" of a &an betting that he woul" throw his horse"own twenty ti&es an" that nineteen ti&es he woul" notfall hi&self 0 recollect seeing a Gaucho ri"ing a !erystubborn horse which three ti&es successi!ely reare" sohigh as to fall bac$war"s with great !iolence The &an ju"ge" with unco&&on coolness the roer &o&ent for sliing off not an instant before or after the right ti&eSan" as soon as the horse got u the &an ju&e" on his bac$an" at last they starte" at a gallo The Gaucho ne!er aearsto exert any &uscular force 0 was one "ay watchinga goo" ri"er as we were galloing along at a rai" ace

an" thought to &yself N-urely if the horse starts youaear so careless on your seat you &ust fallN t this &o&enta &ale ostrich srang fro& its nest right beneath thehorse's nose5 the young colt boun"e" on one si"e li$e a stagSbut as for the &an all that coul" be sai" was that he starte"an" too$ fright with his horse

0n Chile an" Peru &ore ains are ta$en with the &outhof the horse than in >a Plata an" this is e!i"ently aconseLuence of the &ore intricate nature of the country 0nChile a horse is not consi"ere" erfectly bro$en till he canbe brought u stan"ing in the &i"st of his full see" on

any articular sot for instance on a cloa$ thrown onthe groun"5 or again he will charge a wall an" rearingscrae the surface with his hoofs 0 ha!e seen an ani&alboun"ing with sirit yet &erely reine" by a forefinger an"thu&b ta$en at full gallo across a courtyar" an" then&a"e to wheel roun" the ost of a !eran"a with great see"but at so eLual a "istance that the ri"er with outstretche"ar& all the while $et one finger rubbing the ost Then&a$ing a "e&i!olte in the air with the other ar& outstretche"in a li$e &anner he wheele" roun" with astonishingforce in an oosite "irection

-uch a horse is well bro$enS an" although this at first&ay aear useless it is far otherwise 0t is only carryingthat which is "aily necessary into erfection (hen a bulloc$



is chec$e" an" caught by the la9o it will so&eti&esgallo roun" an" roun" in a circle an" the horse beingalar&e" at the great strain if not well bro$en will notrea"ily turn li$e the i!ot of a wheel 0n conseLuence &any&en ha!e been $ille"S for if the la9o once ta$es a twistroun" a &an's bo"y it will instantly fro& the ower of the

two oose" ani&als al&ost cut hi& in twain :n thesa&e rincile the races are &anage"S the course is onlytwo or three hun"re" yar"s long the wish being to ha!ehorses that can &a$e a rai" "ash The racehorses aretraine" not only to stan" with their hoofs touching a linebut to "raw all four feet together so as at the first sringto bring into lay the full action of the hin"Luarters 0nChile 0 was tol" an anec"ote which 0 belie!e was trueS an"it offers a goo" illustration of the use of a wellbro$enani&al resectable &an ri"ing one "ay &et two others oneof who& was &ounte" on a horse which he $new to ha!ebeen stolen fro& hi&self ,e challenge" the&S they answere"

hi& by "rawing their sabres an" gi!ing chase The&an on his goo" an" fleet beast $et just ahea"5 as heasse" a thic$ bush he wheele" roun" it an" brought uhis horse to a "ea" chec$ The ursuers were oblige" toshoot on one si"e an" ahea" Then instantly "ashing onright behin" the& he burie" his $nife in the bac$ of onewoun"e" the other reco!ere" his horse fro& the "yingrobber an" ro"e ho&e *or these feats of horse&anshitwo things are necessary5 a &ost se!ere bit li$e the =a&elu$ethe ower of which though sel"o& use" the horse$nows full wellS an" large blunt surs that can be alie"either as a &ere touch or as an instru&ent of extre&e ain

0 concei!e that with English surs the slightest touch of which ric$s the s$in it woul" be i&ossible to brea$ in ahorse after the -outh &erican fashion

t an estancia near >as Vacas large nu&bers of &aresare wee$ly slaughtere" for the sa$e of their hi"es althoughworth only fi!e aer "ollars or about half a crown aiece0t see&s at first strange that it can answer to $ill &aresfor such a trifleS but as it is thought ri"iculous in thiscountry e!er to brea$ in or ri"e a &are they are of no !alueexcet for bree"ing The only thing for which 0 e!er saw&ares use" was to trea" out wheat fro& the ear for which

urose they were "ri!en roun" a circular enclosure wherethe wheatshea!es were strewe" The &an e&loye" for slaughtering the &ares haene" to be celebrate" for his"exterity with the la9o -tan"ing at the "istance of twel!eyar"s fro& the &outh of the corral he has lai" a wager that he woul" catch by the legs e!ery ani&al without &issingone as it rushe" ast hi& There was another &anwho sai" he woul" enter the corral on foot catch a &arefasten her front legs together "ri!e her out throw her "own$ill s$in an" sta$e the hi"e for "rying which latter is ate"ious jobS an" he engage" that he woul" erfor& thiswhole oeration on twentytwo ani&als in one "ay :r he

woul" $ill an" ta$e the s$in off fifty in the sa&e ti&e Thiswoul" ha!e been a ro"igious tas$ for it is consi"ere" agoo" "ay's wor$ to s$in an" sta$e the hi"es of fifteen or



sixteen ani&als

;o!e&ber 6Hth 0 set out on &y return in a "irect linefor =onte Vi"eo ,a!ing hear" of so&e giant's bones ata neighbouring far&house on the -aran"is a s&all strea&entering the +io ;egro 0 ro"e there acco&anie" by &y

host an" urchase" for the !alue of eighteen ence the hea"of the Toxo"on 234 (hen foun" it was Luite erfectS butthe boys $noc$e" out so&e of the teeth with stones an" thenset u the hea" as a &ar$ to throw at By a &ost fortunatechance 0 foun" a erfect tooth which exactly fitte" one of the soc$ets in this s$ull e&be""e" by itself on the ban$sof the +io Tercero at the "istance of about 1I7 &iles fro&this lace 0 foun" re&ains of this extraor"inary ani&alat two other laces so that it &ust for&erly ha!e been co&&on0 foun" here also so&e large ortions of the ar&our of a gigantic ar&a"illoli$e ani&al an" art of the greathea" of a =ylo"on The bones of this hea" are so fresh

that they contain accor"ing to the analysis by =r T +ee$sse!en er cent of ani&al &atterS an" when lace" in asiritla& they burn with a s&all fla&e The nu&ber of the re&ains e&be""e" in the gran" estuary "eosit whichfor&s the Pa&as an" co!ers the granitic roc$s of Ban"a:riental &ust be extraor"inarily great 0 belie!e a straightline "rawn in any "irection through the Pa&as woul" cutthrough so&e s$eleton or bones Besi"es those which 0foun" "uring &y short excursions 0 hear" of &any othersan" the origin of such na&es as Nthe strea& of the ani&alNNthe hill of the giantN is ob!ious t other ti&es 0 hear"of the &ar!ellous roerty of certain ri!ers which ha" the

ower of changing s&all bones into largeS or as so&e&aintaine" the bones the&sel!es grew s far as 0 a& awarenot one of these ani&als erishe" as was for&erly suose"in the &arshes or &u""y ri!erbe"s of the resent lan" buttheir bones ha!e been exose" by the strea&s intersecting thesubaLueous "eosit in which they were originally e&be""e"(e &ay conclu"e that the whole area of the Pa&as is onewi"e seulchre of these extinct gigantic Lua"rue"s

By the &i""le of the "ay on the 6Ith we arri!e" at=onte Vi"eo ha!ing been two "ays an" a half on the roa"The country for the whole way was of a !ery unifor& character

so&e arts being rather &ore roc$y an" hilly thannear the Plata ;ot far fro& =onte Vi"eo we asse"through the !illage of >as Pietras so na&e" fro& so&elarge roun"e" &asses of syenite 0ts aearance was rather retty 0n this country a few figtrees roun" a grou of houses an" a site ele!ate" a hun"re" feet abo!e the generalle!el ought always to be calle" icturesLue

During the last six &onths 0 ha!e ha" an oortunity of seeing a little of the character of the inhabitants of thesero!inces The Gauchos or countryr&en are !ery suerior

to those who resi"e in the towns The Gaucho is in!ariably&ost obliging olite an" hositable5 0 "i" not &eet withe!en one instance of ru"eness or inhositality ,e is &o"est



both resecting hi&self an" country but at the sa&eti&e a sirite" bol" fellow :n the other han" &any robberiesare co&&itte" an" there is &uch bloo"she"5 thehabit of constantly wearing the $nife is the chief causeof the latter 0t is la&entable to hear how &any li!es arelost in trifling Luarrels 0n fighting each arty tries to

&ar$ the face of his a"!ersary by slashing his nose or eyesSas is often atteste" by "ee an" horri"loo$ing scars +obberiesare a natural conseLuence of uni!ersal ga&bling&uch "rin$ing an" extre&e in"olence t =erce"es 0 as$e"two &en why they "i" not wor$ :ne gra!ely sai" the "ayswere too longS the other that he was too oor The nu&ber of horses an" the rofusion of foo" are the "estruction of all in"ustry =oreo!er there are so &any feast"aysS an"again nothing can succee" without it be begun when the&oon is on the increaseS so that half the &onth is lost fro&these two causes

Police an" justice are Luite inefficient 0f a &an who isoor co&&its &ur"er an" is ta$en he will be i&risone"an" erhas e!en shotS but if he is rich an" has frien"she &ay rely on it no !ery se!ere conseLuence will ensue0t is curious that the &ost resectable inhabitants of thecountry in!ariably assist a &ur"erer to escae5 they see&to thin$ that the in"i!i"ual sins against the go!ern&entan" not against the eole tra!eller has no rotectionbesi"es his firear&sS an" the constant habit of carryingthe& is the &ain chec$ to &ore freLuent robberiesThe character of the higher an" &ore e"ucate" classeswho resi"e in the towns arta$es but erhas in a lesser

"egree of the goo" arts of the Gaucho but is 0 fear staine"by &any !ices of which he is free -ensuality &oc$ery of all religion an" the grossest corrution are far fro&unco&&on ;early e!ery ublic officer can be bribe" Thehea" &an in the ostoffice sol" forge" go!ern&ent fran$sThe go!ernor an" ri&e &inister oenly co&bine" to lun"er the state ustice where gol" ca&e into lay washar"ly execte" by any one 0 $new an English&an whowent to the Chief ustice he tol" &e that not thenun"erstan"ing the ways of the lace he tre&ble" as he entere"the roo& an" sai" N-ir 0 ha!e co&e to offer you two hun"re"aer "ollars !alue about fi!e oun"s sterling if

you will arrest before a certain ti&e a &an who has cheate"&e 0 $now it is against the law but &y lawyer na&inghi& reco&&en"e" &e to ta$e this steN The Chief ustices&ile" acLuiescence than$e" hi& an" the &an beforenight was safe in rison (ith this entire want of rincilein &any of the lea"ing &en with the country full of illai" turbulent officers the eole yet hoe that a"e&ocratic for& of go!ern&ent can succee"%

:n first entering society in these countries two or threefeatures stri$e one as articularly re&ar$able The olitean" "ignifie" &anners er!a"ing e!ery ran$ of life the

excellent taste "islaye" by the wo&en in their "resses an"the eLuality a&ongst all ran$s t the +io Colora"o so&e&en who $et the hu&blest shos use" to "ine with General



+osas son of a &ajor at Bahia Blanca gaine" hisli!elihoo" by &a$ing aer cigars an" he wishe" to acco&any&e as gui"e or ser!ant to Buenos yres but hisfather objecte" on the score of the "anger alone =anyofficers in the ar&y can neither rea" nor write yet all &eetin society as eLuals 0n Entre +ios the -ala consiste" of

only six reresentati!es :ne of the& $et a co&&on shoan" e!i"ently was not "egra"e" by the office ll this iswhat woul" be execte" in a new countryS ne!ertheless theabsence of gentle&en by rofession aears to an English&anso&ething strange

(hen sea$ing of these countries the &anner in whichthey ha!e been brought u by their unnatural arent -ainshoul" always be borne in &in" :n the whole erhas&ore cre"it is "ue for what has been "one than bla&e for that which &ay be "eficient 0t is i&ossible to "oubt butthat the extre&e liberalis& of these countries &ust ulti&ately

lea" to goo" results The !ery general toleration of foreign religions the regar" ai" to the &eans of e"ucationthe free"o& of the ress the facilities offere" to allforeigners an" esecially as 0 a& boun" to a"" to e!ery onerofessing the hu&blest retensions to science shoul" berecollecte" with gratitu"e by those who ha!e !isite" -anish-outh &erica

Dece&ber Hth The Beagle saile" fro& the +io Platane!er again to enter its &u""y strea& :ur course was"irecte" to Port Desire on the coast of Patagonia Beforerocee"ing any further 0 will here ut together a few

obser!ations &a"e at sea

-e!eral ti&es when the shi has been so&e &iles off the&outh of the Plata an" at other ti&es when off the shoresof ;orthern Patagonia we ha!e been surroun"e" by insects:ne e!ening when we were about ten &iles fro& the Bayof -an Blas !ast nu&bers of butterflies in ban"s or floc$sof countless &yria"s exten"e" as far as the eye coul" rangeE!en by the ai" of a telescoe it was not ossible to see asace free fro& butterflies The sea&en crie" out Nit wassnowing butterfliesN an" such in fact was the aearance=ore secies than one were resent but the &ain art belonge"

to a $in" !ery si&ilar to but not i"entical with theco&&on English Colias e"usa -o&e &oths an" hy&enoteraacco&anie" the butterfliesS an" a fine beetle Caloso&aflew on boar" :ther instances are $nown of thisbeetle ha!ing been caught far out at seaS an" this is the&ore re&ar$able as the greater nu&ber of the Carabi"aesel"o& or ne!er ta$e wing The "ay ha" been fine an" cal&an" the one re!ious to it eLually so with light an" !ariableairs ,ence we cannot suose that the insects were blownoff the lan" but we &ust conclu"e that they !oluntarily too$flight The great ban"s of the Colias see& at first to affor"an instance li$e those on recor" of the &igrations of another

butterfly Vanessa car"uiS 2M4 but the resence of other insects&a$es the case "istinct an" e!en less intelligible Beforesunset a strong bree9e srung u fro& the north an" this



&ust ha!e cause" tens of thousan"s of the butterflies an"other insects to ha!e erishe"

:n another occasion when se!enteen &iles off Cae Corrientes0 ha" a net o!erboar" to catch elagic ani&als<on "rawing it u to &y surrise 0 foun" a consi"erable

nu&ber of beetles in it an" although in the oen sea they"i" not aear &uch injure" by the salt water 0 lost so&eof the seci&ens but those which 0 reser!e" belonge"to the genera Coly&betes ,y"roorus ,y"robius two secies;otahus Cynucus "i&onia an" -carabaeus tfirst 0 thought that these insects ha" been blown fro& theshoreS but uon reflecting that out of the eight secies four were aLuatic an" two others artly so in their habits itaeare" to &e &ost robable that they were floate" into thesea by a s&all strea& which "rains a la$e near Cae Corrientes:n any suosition it is an interesting circu&stanceto fin" li!e insects swi&&ing in the oen ocean se!enteen

&iles fro& the nearest oint of lan" There are se!eralaccounts of insects ha!ing been blown off the Patagonianshore Catain Coo$ obser!e" it as "i" &ore lately CatainUing of the "!enture The cause robably is "ue to thewant of shelter both of trees an" hills so that an insect onthe wing with an offshore bree9e woul" be !ery at tobe blown out to sea The &ost re&ar$able instance 0 ha!e$nown of an insect being caught far fro& the lan" was thatof a large grasshoer cry"iu& which flew on boar"when the Beagle was to win"war" of the Cae "e Ver"0slan"s an" when the nearest oint of lan" not "irectlyoose" to the tra"ewin" was Cae Blanco on the coast of

frica 8/7 &iles "istant 2H4

:n se!eral occasions when the Beagle has been withinthe &outh of the Plata the rigging has been coate" withthe web of the Gossa&er -i"er :ne "ay ;o!e&ber 1st1I86 0 ai" articular attention to this subject The weather ha" been fine an" clear an" in the &orning the air was fullof atches of the flocculent web as on an autu&nal "ay inEnglan" The shi was sixty &iles "istant fro& the lan" inthe "irection of a stea"y though light bree9e Vast nu&bersof a s&all si"er about onetenth of an inch in length an" of a "us$y re" colour were attache" to the webs There &ust

ha!e been 0 shoul" suose so&e thousan"s on the shi Thelittle si"er when first co&ing in contact with the riggingwas always seate" on a single threa" an" not on the flocculent&ass This latter see&s &erely to be ro"uce" by theentangle&ent of the single threa"s The si"ers were all of one secies but of both sexes together with young onesThese latter were "istinguishe" by their s&aller si9e an"&ore "us$y colour 0 will not gi!e the "escrition of thissi"er but &erely state that it "oes not aear to &e to beinclu"e" in any of >atreille's genera The little aeronaut assoon as it arri!e" on boar" was !ery acti!e running aboutso&eti&es letting itself fall an" then reascen"ing the sa&e

threa"S so&eti&es e&loying itself in &a$ing a s&all an"!ery irregular &esh in the corners between the roes 0tcoul" run with facility on the surface of the water (hen



"isturbe" it lifte" u its front legs in the attitu"e of attention :n its first arri!al it aeare" !ery thirsty an"with exserte" &axillae "ran$ eagerly of "ros of water thissa&e circu&stance has been obser!e" by -trac$5 &ay it not be inconseLuence of the little insect ha!ing asse" through a "ryan" rarefie" at&oshereQ 0ts stoc$ of web see&e" inexhaustible

(hile watching so&e that were susen"e" by asingle threa" 0 se!eral ti&es obser!e" that the slightestbreath of air bore the& away out of sight in a hori9ontalline

:n another occasion 6Mth un"er si&ilar circu&stances0 reeate"ly obser!e" the sa&e $in" of s&all si"ereither when lace" or ha!ing crawle" on so&e little e&inenceele!ate its ab"o&en sen" forth a threa" an" thensail away hori9ontally but with a rai"ity which was Luiteunaccountable 0 thought 0 coul" ercei!e that the si"erbefore erfor&ing the abo!e rearatory stes connecte"

its legs together with the &ost "elicate threa"s but 0 a& notsure whether this obser!ation was correct

:ne "ay at -t *e 0 ha" a better oortunity of obser!ingso&e si&ilar facts si"er which was about threetenthsof an inch in length an" which in its general aearancerese&ble" a Citigra"e therefore Luite "ifferent fro& thegossa&er while stan"ing on the su&&it of a ost "arte"forth four or fi!e threa"s fro& its sinners These glitteringin the sunshine &ight be co&are" to "i!erging rays of lightS they were not howe!er straight but in un"ulationsli$e fil&s of sil$ blown by the win" They were &ore than a

yar" in length an" "i!erge" in an ascen"ing "irection fro&the orifices The si"er then su""enly let go its hol" of theost an" was Luic$ly borne out of sight The "ay was hotan" aarently cal&S yet un"er such circu&stances theat&oshere can ne!er be so tranLuil as not to affect a !ane so"elicate as the threa" of a si"er's web 0f "uring a war&"ay we loo$ either at the sha"ow of any object cast on aban$ or o!er a le!el lain at a "istant lan"&ar$ the effectof an ascen"ing current of heate" air is al&ost always e!i"ent5such uwar" currents it has been re&ar$e" are alsoshown by the ascent of soabubbles which will not rise inan in"oors roo& ,ence 0 thin$ there is not &uch "ifficulty

in un"erstan"ing the ascent of the fine lines rojecte" fro&a si"er's sinners an" afterwar"s of the si"er itselfS the"i!ergence of the lines has been atte&te" to be exlaine" 0belie!e by =r =urray by their si&ilar electrical con"itionThe circu&stance of si"ers of the sa&e secies but of "ifferent sexes an" ages being foun" on se!eral occasions atthe "istance of &any leagues fro& the lan" attache" in !astnu&bers to the lines ren"ers it robable that the habit of sailing through the air is as characteristic of this tribe asthat of "i!ing is of the rgyroneta (e &ay then reject>atreille's suosition that the gossa&er owes its originin"ifferently to the young of se!eral genera of si"ers5

although as we ha!e seen the young of other si"ers "oossess the ower of erfor&ing aerial !oyages 2/4



During our "ifferent assages south of the Plata 0 oftentowe" astern a net &a"e of bunting an" thus caught &anycurious ani&als :f Crustacea there were &any strangean" un"escribe" genera :ne which in so&e resects isallie" to the ;otoo"s or those crabs which ha!e their osterior legs lace" al&ost on their bac$s for the urose

of a"hering to the un"er si"e of roc$s is !ery re&ar$ablefro& the structure of its hin" air of legs The enulti&ate joint instea" of ter&inating in a si&le claw en"s in threebristleli$e aen"ages of "issi&ilar lengths the longesteLualling that of the entire leg These claws are !ery thinan" are serrate" with the finest teeth "irecte" bac$war"s5their cur!e" extre&ities are flattene" an" on this art fi!e&ost &inute cus are lace" which see& to act in the sa&e&anner as the suc$ers on the ar&s of the cuttlefish sthe ani&al li!es in the oen sea an" robably wants a laceof rest 0 suose this beautiful an" &ost ano&alous structureis a"ate" to ta$e hol" of floating &arine ani&als

0n "ee water far fro& the lan" the nu&ber of li!ingcreatures is extre&ely s&all5 south of the latitu"e 8M "egs0 ne!er succee"e" in catching anything besi"es so&e beroean" a few secies of &inute ento&ostracous crustacea0n shoaler water at the "istance of a few &iles fro& thecoast !ery &any $in"s of crustacea an" so&e other ani&alsare nu&erous but only "uring the night Between latitu"esMH an" M/ "egs south of Cae ,orn the net was utastern se!eral ti&esS it ne!er howe!er brought u anythingbesi"es a few of two extre&ely &inute secies of Ento&ostracaRet whales an" seals etrels an" albatross are excee"ingly

abun"ant throughout this art of the ocean 0t has alwaysbeen a &ystery to &e on what the albatross which li!es far fro& the shore can subsistS 0 resu&e that li$e the con"orit is able to fast longS an" that one goo" feast on the carcassof a utri" whale lasts for a long ti&e The central an"intertroical arts of the tlantic swar& with Pteroo"aCrustacea an" +a"iata an" with their "e!ourers the flyingfish an" again with their "e!ourers the bonitos an" albicoresS0 resu&e that the nu&erous lower elagic ani&alsfee" on the 0nfusoria which are now $nown fro& theresearches of Ehrenberg to aboun" in the oen ocean5 buton what in the clear blue water "o these 0nfusoria subsistQ

(hile sailing a little south of the Plata on one !ery "ar$night the sea resente" a won"erful an" &ost beautifulsectacle There was a fresh bree9e an" e!ery art of thesurface which "uring the "ay is seen as foa& now glowe"with a ale light The !essel "ro!e before her bows twobillows of liLui" hoshorus an" in her wa$e she was followe"by a &il$y train s far as the eye reache" the crestof e!ery wa!e was bright an" the s$y abo!e the hori9onfro& the reflecte" glare of these li!i" fla&es was not soutterly obscure as o!er the !ault of the hea!ens

s we rocee" further southwar" the sea is sel"o&hoshorescentS an" off Cae ,orn 0 "o not recollect &ore thanonce ha!ing seen it so an" then it was far fro& being



brilliant This circu&stance robably has a close connectionwith the scarcity of organic beings in that art of the ocean fter the elaborate aer 2I4 by Ehrenberg on thehoshorescence of the sea it is al&ost suerfluous on &y artto &a$e any obser!ations on the subject 0 &ay howe!er a"" that the sa&e torn an" irregular articles of gelatinous

&atter "escribe" by Ehrenberg see& in the southern aswell as in the northern he&ishere to be the co&&on causeof this heno&enon The articles were so &inute as easilyto ass through fine gau9eS yet &any were "istinctly !isibleby the na$e" eye The water when lace" in a tu&bler an"agitate" ga!e out sar$s but a s&all ortion in a watchglass scarcely e!er was lu&inous Ehrenberg states thatthese articles all retain a certain "egree of irritability =yobser!ations so&e of which were &a"e "irectly after ta$ingu the water ga!e a "ifferent result 0 &ay also &entionthat ha!ing use" the net "uring one night 0 allowe" it tobeco&e artially "ry an" ha!ing occasion twel!e hours

afterwar"s to e&loy it again 0 foun" the whole surfacesar$le" as brightly as when first ta$en out of the water0t "oes not aear robable in this case that the articlescoul" ha!e re&aine" so long ali!e :n one occasion ha!ing$et a jellyfish of the genus Dianaea till it was "ea" thewater in which it was lace" beca&e lu&inous (hen thewa!es scintillate with bright green sar$s 0 belie!e it isgenerally owing to &inute crustacea But there can be no"oubt that !ery &any other elagic ani&als when ali!e arehoshorescent

:n two occasions 0 ha!e obser!e" the sea lu&inous at

consi"erable "eths beneath the surface ;ear the &outhof the Plata so&e circular an" o!al atches fro& two tofour yar"s in "ia&eter an" with "efine" outlines shone witha stea"y but ale lightS while the surroun"ing water onlyga!e out a few sar$s The aearance rese&ble" the reflectionof the &oon or so&e lu&inous bo"yS for the e"ges weresinuous fro& the un"ulations of the surface The shiwhich "rew thirteen feet of water asse" o!er without"isturbing these atches Therefore we &ust suose that so&eani&als were congregate" together at a greater "eth thanthe botto& of the !essel

;ear *ernan"o ;oronha the sea ga!e out light in flashesThe aearance was !ery si&ilar to that which &ight beexecte" fro& a large fish &o!ing rai"ly through a lu&inousflui" To this cause the sailors attribute" itS at theti&e howe!er 0 entertaine" so&e "oubts on account of thefreLuency an" rai"ity of the flashes 0 ha!e alrea"yre&ar$e" that the heno&enon is !ery &uch &ore co&&onin war& than in col" countriesS an" 0 ha!e so&eti&es i&agine"that a "isturbe" electrical con"ition of the at&osherewas &ost fa!ourable to its ro"uction Certainly 0thin$ the sea is &ost lu&inous after a few "ays of &orecal& weather than or"inary "uring which ti&e it has

swar&e" with !arious ani&als :bser!ing that the water charge" with gelatinous articles is in an i&ure state an"that the lu&inous aearance in all co&&on cases is ro"uce"



by the agitation of the flui" in contact with the at&oshere0 a& incline" to consi"er that the hoshorescence isthe result of the "eco&osition of the organic articles bywhich rocess one is te&te" al&ost to call it a $in" of resiration the ocean beco&es urifie"

Dece&ber 68r" (e arri!e" at Port Desire situate" inlat 3/ "egs on the coast of Patagonia The cree$ runs for about twenty &iles inlan" with an irregular wi"th TheBeagle anchore" a few &iles within the entrance in front of the ruins of an ol" -anish settle&ent

The sa&e e!ening 0 went on shore The first lan"ing inany new country is !ery interesting an" esecially when as inthis case the whole asect bears the sta& of a &ar$e" an"in"i!i"ual character t the height of between two an"three hun"re" feet abo!e so&e &asses of orhyry a wi"elain exten"s which is truly characteristic of Patagonia

The surface is Luite le!el an" is co&ose" of wellroun"e"shingle &ixe" with a whitish earth ,ere an" there scattere"tufts of brown wiry grass are suorte" an" still &orerarely so&e low thorny bushes The weather is "ry an"leasant an" the fine blue s$y is but sel"o& obscure" (henstan"ing in the &i""le of one of these "esert lains an"loo$ing towar"s the interior the !iew is generally boun"e"by the escar&ent of another lain rather higher but eLuallyle!el an" "esolateS an" in e!ery other "irection the hori9onis in"istinct fro& the tre&bling &irage which see&s to risefro& the heate" surface

0n such a country the fate of the -anish settle&ent wassoon "eci"e"S the "ryness of the cli&ate "uring the greater art of the year an" the occasional hostile attac$s of thewan"ering 0n"ians co&elle" the colonists to "esert their halffinishe" buil"ings The style howe!er in which theywere co&&ence" shows the strong an" liberal han" of -ainin the ol" ti&e The result of all the atte&ts to coloni9e thissi"e of &erica south of 31 "egs has been &iserable Port*a&ine exresses by its na&e the lingering an" extre&esufferings of se!eral hun"re" wretche" eole of who& onealone sur!i!e" to relate their &isfortunes t -t oseh'sBay on the coast of Patagonia a s&all settle&ent was &a"eS

but "uring one -un"ay the 0n"ians &a"e an attac$ an" &assacre"the whole arty exceting two &en who re&aine"cati!es "uring &any years t the +io ;egro 0 con!erse"with one of these &en now in extre&e ol" age

The 9oology of Patagonia is as li&ite" as its flora 2.4 :nthe ari" lains a few blac$ beetles ,etero&era &ight beseen slowly crawling about an" occasionally a li9ar" "arte"fro& si"e to si"e :f bir"s we ha!e three carrion haw$san" in the !alleys a few finches an" insectfee"ers n ibisTheristicus &elanos a secies sai" to be foun" in central frica is not unco&&on on the &ost "esert arts5 in

their sto&achs 0 foun" grasshoers cica"ae s&all li9ar"san" e!en scorions 2174 t one ti&e of the year these bir"sgo in floc$s at another in airs their cry is !ery lou" an"



singular li$e the neighing of the guanaco

The guanaco or wil" lla&a is the characteristic Lua"rue"of the lains of PatagoniaS it is the -outh &ericanreresentati!e of the ca&el of the East 0t is an elegantani&al in a state of nature with a long slen"er nec$ an"

fine legs 0t is !ery co&&on o!er the whole of the te&eratearts of the continent as far south as the islan"s near Cae,orn 0t generally li!es in s&all her"s of fro& half a "o9ento thirty in eachS but on the ban$s of the -t Cru9 we sawone her" which &ust ha!e containe" at least fi!e hun"re"

They are generally wil" an" extre&ely wary =r -to$estol" &e that he one "ay saw through a glass a her" of theseani&als which e!i"ently ha" been frightene" an" were runningaway at full see" although their "istance was so greatthat he coul" not "istinguish the& with his na$e" eye Thesorts&an freLuently recei!es the first notice of their

resence by hearing fro& a long "istance their eculiar shrillneighing note of alar& 0f he then loo$s attenti!ely he willrobably see the her" stan"ing in a line on the si"e of so&e"istant hill :n aroaching nearer a few &ore sLueals aregi!en an" off they set at an aarently slow but really Luic$canter along so&e narrow beaten trac$ to a neighbouringhill 0f howe!er by chance he abrutly &eets a single ani&alor se!eral together they will generally stan" &otionlessan" intently ga9e at hi&S then erhas &o!e on a few yar"sturn roun" an" loo$ again (hat is the cause of this "ifferencein their shynessQ Do they &ista$e a &an in the "istancefor their chief ene&y the u&aQ :r "oes curiosity

o!erco&e their ti&i"ityQ That they are curious is certainSfor if a erson lies on the groun" an" lays strange anticssuch as throwing u his feet in the air they will al&ostalways aroach by "egrees to reconnoitre hi& 0t was anartifice that was reeate"ly ractise" by our sorts&en withsuccess an" it ha" &oreo!er the a"!antage of allowing se!eralshots to be fire" which were all ta$en as arts of theerfor&ance :n the &ountains of Tierra "el *uego 0 ha!e&ore than once seen a guanaco on being aroache" notonly neigh an" sLueal but rance an" lea about in the &ostri"iculous &anner aarently in "efiance as a challengeThese ani&als are !ery easily "o&esticate" an" 0 ha!e seen

so&e thus $et in northern Patagonia near a house thoughnot un"er any restraint They are in this state !ery bol" an"rea"ily attac$ a &an by stri$ing hi& fro& behin" with both$nees 0t is asserte" that the &oti!e for these attac$s is jealousy on account of their fe&ales The wil" guanacoshowe!er ha!e no i"ea of "efenceS e!en a single "og willsecure one of these large ani&als till the hunts&an can co&eu 0n &any of their habits they are li$e shee in a floc$Thus when they see &en aroaching in se!eral "irectionson horsebac$ they soon beco&e bewil"ere" an" $now notwhich way to run This greatly facilitates the 0n"ian &etho"of hunting for they are thus easily "ri!en to a central oint

an" are enco&asse"

The guanacos rea"ily ta$e to the water5 se!eral ti&es at



Port Val"es they were seen swi&&ing fro& islan" to islan"Byron in his !oyage says he saw the& "rin$ing salt water-o&e of our officers li$ewise saw a her" aarently "rin$ingthe briny flui" fro& a salina near Cae Blanco 0 i&aginein se!eral arts of the country if they "o not "rin$ saltwater they "rin$ none at all 0n the &i""le of the "ay they

freLuently roll in the "ust in saucershae" hollows The&ales fight togetherS two one "ay asse" Luite close to &esLuealing an" trying to bite each otherS an" se!eral wereshot with their hi"es "eely score" ,er"s so&eti&es aear to set out on exloring arties5 at Bahia Blanca wherewithin thirty &iles of the coast these ani&als are extre&elyunfreLuent 0 one "ay saw the trac$s of thirty or forty whichha" co&e in a "irect line to a &u""y saltwater cree$ Theythen &ust ha!e ercei!e" that they were aroaching thesea for they ha" wheele" with the regularity of ca!alry an"ha" returne" bac$ in as straight a line as they ha" a"!ance"The guanacos ha!e one singular habit which is to &e Luite

inexlicableS na&ely that on successi!e "ays they "ro their "ung in the sa&e "efine" hea 0 saw one of these heaswhich was eight feet in "ia&eter an" was co&ose" of alarge Luantity This habit accor"ing to = "':rbigny isco&&on to all the secies of the genusS it is !ery useful tothe Peru!ian 0n"ians who use the "ung for fuel an" arethus sa!e" the trouble of collecting it

The guanacos aear to ha!e fa!ourite sots for lying"own to "ie :n the ban$s of the -t Cru9 in certaincircu&scribe" saces which were generally bushy an" all near the ri!er the groun" was actually white with bones :n one

such sot 0 counte" between ten an" twenty hea"s 0 articularlyexa&ine" the bonesS they "i" not aear as so&escattere" ones which 0 ha" seen gnawe" or bro$en as if "ragge" together by beasts of rey The ani&als in &ostcases &ust ha!e crawle" before "ying beneath an" a&ongstthe bushes =r Bynoe infor&s &e that "uring a for&er !oyage he obser!e" the sa&e circu&stance on the ban$s of the +io Gallegos 0 "o not at all un"erstan" the reason of this but 0 &ay obser!e that the woun"e" guanacos at the-t Cru9 in!ariably wal$e" towar"s the ri!er t -t agoin the Cae "e Ver" 0slan"s 0 re&e&ber ha!ing seen in ara!ine a retire" corner co!ere" with bones of the goatS we

at the ti&e exclai&e" that it was the burial groun" of all thegoats in the islan" 0 &ention these trifling circu&stancesbecause in certain cases they &ight exlain the occurrenceof a nu&ber of uninjure" bones in a ca!e or burie" un"er allu!ial accu&ulationsS an" li$ewise the cause why certainani&als are &ore co&&only e&be""e" than others in se"i&entary"eosits

:ne "ay the yawl was sent un"er the co&&an" of =rChaffers with three "ays' ro!isions to sur!ey the uer artof the harbour 0n the &orning we searche" for so&ewateringlaces &entione" in an ol" -anish chart (e foun" one

cree$ at the hea" of which there was a tric$ling rill thefirst we ha" seen of brac$ish water ,ere the ti"e co&elle"us to wait se!eral hoursS an" in the inter!al 0 wal$e"



so&e &iles into the interior The lain as usual consiste"of gra!el &ingle" with soil rese&bling chal$ in aearancebut !ery "ifferent fro& it in nature *ro& the softness of these &aterials it was worn into &any gulleys There wasnot a tree an" exceting the guanaco which stoo" on thehillto a watchful sentinel o!er its her" scarcely an ani&al

or a bir" ll was stillness an" "esolation Ret in assingo!er these scenes without one bright object near anill"efine" but strong sense of leasure is !i!i"ly excite":ne as$e" how &any ages the lain ha" thus laste" an" how&any &ore it was "oo&e" thus to continue

N;one can rely all see&s eternal nowThe wil"erness has a &ysterious tongue(hich teaches awful "oubtN 2114

0n the e!ening we saile" a few &iles further u an" thenitche" the tents for the night By the &i""le of the next

"ay the yawl was agroun" an" fro& the shoalness of thewater coul" not rocee" any higher The water being foun"artly fresh =r Chaffers too$ the "ingey an" went u twoor three &iles further where she also groun"e" but in afreshwater ri!er The water was &u""y an" though thestrea& was &ost insignificant in si9e it woul" be "ifficult toaccount for its origin excet fro& the &elting snow on theCor"illera t the sot where we bi!ouac$e" we were surroun"e"by bol" cliffs an" stee innacles of orhyry 0 "onot thin$ 0 e!er saw a sot which aeare" &ore seclu"e"fro& the rest of the worl" than this roc$y cre!ice in thewi"e lain

The secon" "ay after our return to the anchorage a artyof officers an" &yself went to ransac$ an ol" 0n"ian gra!ewhich 0 ha" foun" on the su&&it of a neighbouring hillTwo i&&ense stones each robably weighing at least acoule of tons ha" been lace" in front of a le"ge of roc$about six feet high t the botto& of the gra!e on the har"roc$ there was a layer of earth about a foot "ee which&ust ha!e been brought u fro& the lain below bo!e it aa!e&ent of flat stones was lace" on which others wereile" so as to fill u the sace between the le"ge an" the twogreat bloc$s To co&lete the gra!e the 0n"ians ha" contri!e"

to "etach fro& the le"ge a huge frag&ent an" tothrow it o!er the ile so as to rest on the two bloc$s (eun"er&ine" the gra!e on both si"es but coul" not fin" anyrelics or e!en bones The latter robably ha" "ecaye" longsince in which case the gra!e &ust ha!e been of extre&eantiLuity for 0 foun" in another lace so&e s&aller heasbeneath which a !ery few cru&bling frag&ents coul" yet be"istinguishe" as ha!ing belonge" to a &an *alconer statesthat where an 0n"ian "ies he is burie" but that subseLuentlyhis bones are carefully ta$en u an" carrie" let the "istancebe e!er so great to be "eosite" near the seacoast Thiscusto& 0 thin$ &ay be accounte" for by recollecting that

before the intro"uction of horses these 0n"ians &ust ha!ele" nearly the sa&e life as the *uegians now "o an" thereforegenerally ha!e resi"e" in the neighbourhoo" of the sea



The co&&on reju"ice of lying where one's ancestors ha!elain woul" &a$e the now roa&ing 0n"ians bring the lesserishable art of their "ea" to their ancient burialgroun"on the coast

anuary .th 1I83 Before it was "ar$ the Beagle anchore"

in the fine sacious harbour of Port -t ulian situate"about one hun"re" an" ten &iles to the south of Port Desire(e re&aine" here eight "ays The country is nearly si&ilar to that of Port Desire but erhas rather &ore sterile :ne"ay a arty acco&anie" Catain *it9 +oy on a long wal$roun" the hea" of the harbour (e were ele!en hours withouttasting any water an" so&e of the arty were Luiteexhauste" *ro& the su&&it of a hill since well na&e"Thirsty ,ill a fine la$e was sie" an" two of the artyrocee"e" with concerte" signals to show whether it was freshwater (hat was our "isaoint&ent to fin" a snowwhiteexanse of salt crystalli9e" in great cubes% (e attribute"

our extre&e thirst to the "ryness of the at&oshereS butwhate!er the cause &ight be we were excee"ingly gla" latein the e!ening to get bac$ to the boats lthough we coul"nowhere fin" "uring our whole !isit a single "ro of freshwater yet so&e &ust existS for by an o"" chance 0 foun" onthe surface of the salt water near the hea" of the bay aColy&betes not Luite "ea" which &ust ha!e li!e" in so&enot far "istant ool Three other insects a Cincin"ela li$ehybri"a a Cy&in"is an" a ,aralus which all li!e on &u""yflats occasionally o!erflowe" by the sea an" one other foun" "ea" on the lain co&lete the list of the beetles goo"si9e" fly Tabanus was extre&ely nu&erous an" tor&ente"

us by its ainful bite The co&&on horsefly whichis so troubleso&e in the sha"y lanes of Englan" belongs tothis sa&e genus (e here ha!e the u99le that so freLuentlyoccurs in the case of &usLuitoes on the bloo" of whatani&als "o these insects co&&only fee"Q The guanaco isnearly the only war&bloo"e" Lua"rue" an" it is foun" inLuite inconsi"erable nu&bers co&are" with the &ultitu"eof flies

The geology of Patagonia is interesting Differently fro&Euroe where the tertiary for&ations aear to ha!e accu&ulate"in bays here along hun"re"s of &iles of coast we

ha!e one great "eosit inclu"ing &any tertiary shells allaarently extinct The &ost co&&on shell is a &assi!egigantic oyster so&eti&es e!en a foot in "ia&eter Thesebe"s are co!ere" by others of a eculiar soft white stoneinclu"ing &uch gysu& an" rese&bling chal$ but really of a u&iceous nature 0t is highly re&ar$able fro& beingco&ose" to at least onetenth of its bul$ of 0nfusoriaProfessor Ehrenberg has alrea"y ascertaine" in it thirtyoceanic for&s This be" exten"s for M77 &iles along the coastan" robably for a consi"erably greater "istance t Port-t ulian its thic$ness is &ore than I77 feet% These whitebe"s are e!erywhere cae" by a &ass of gra!el for&ing

robably one of the largest be"s of shingle in the worl"5 itcertainly exten"s fro& near the +io Colora"o to between H77an" /77 nautical &iles southwar" at -anta Cru9 a ri!er a



little south of -t ulian it reaches to the foot of theCor"illeraS half way u the ri!er its thic$ness is &ore than677 feetS it robably e!erywhere exten"s to this great chainwhence the wellroun"e" ebbles of orhyry ha!e been"eri!e"5 we &ay consi"er its a!erage brea"th as 677 &ilesan" its a!erage thic$ness as about M7 feet 0f this great be"

of ebbles without inclu"ing the &u" necessarily "eri!e"fro& their attrition was ile" into a &oun" it woul" for& agreat &ountain chain% (hen we consi"er that all theseebbles countless as the grains of san" in the "esert ha!ebeen "eri!e" fro& the slow falling of &asses of roc$ on theol" coastlines an" ban$s of ri!ers an" that these frag&entsha!e been "ashe" into s&aller ieces an" that each of the&has since been slowly rolle" roun"e" an" far transorte"the &in" is stuefie" in thin$ing o!er the long absolutelynecessary lase of years Ret all this gra!el has beentransorte" an" robably roun"e" subseLuently to the"eosition of the white be"s an" long subseLuently to the

un"erlying be"s with the tertiary shells

E!erything in this southern continent has been effecte"on a gran" scale5 the lan" fro& the +io Plata to Tierra "el*uego a "istance of 1677 &iles has been raise" in &ass an"in Patagonia to a height of between 877 an" 377 feet withinthe erio" of the now existing seashells The ol" an"weathere" shells left on the surface of the uraise" lain stillartially retain their colours The urising &o!e&ent hasbeen interrute" by at least eight long erio"s of rest "uringwhich the sea ate "eely bac$ into the lan" for&ing atsuccessi!e le!els the long lines of cliffs or escar&ents

which searate the "ifferent lains as they rise li$e stes onebehin" the other The ele!atory &o!e&ent an" the eatingbac$ower of the sea "uring the erio"s of rest ha!e beeneLuable o!er long lines of coastS for 0 was astonishe" tofin" that the steli$e lains stan" at nearly correson"ingheights at far "istant oints The lowest lain is .7 feethighS an" the highest which 0 ascen"e" near the coast is.M7 feetS an" of this only relics are left in the for& of flatgra!elcae" hills The uer lain of -anta Cru9 sloesu to a height of 8777 feet at the foot of the Cor"illera 0ha!e sai" that within the erio" of existing seashellsPatagonia has been uraise" 877 to 377 feet5 0 &ay a"" that

within the erio" when icebergs transorte" boul"ers o!er the uer lain of -anta Cru9 the ele!ation has been at least1M77 feet ;or has Patagonia been affecte" only by uwar"&o!e&ents5 the extinct tertiary shells fro& Port -t ulianan" -anta Cru9 cannot ha!e li!e" accor"ing to Professor E*orbes in a greater "eth of water than fro& 37 to 6M7 feetSbut they are now co!ere" with sea"eosite" strata fro& I77to 1777 feet in thic$ness5 hence the be" of the sea on whichthese shells once li!e" &ust ha!e sun$ "ownwar"s se!eralhun"re" feet to allow of the accu&ulation of the suerincu&bentstrata (hat a history of geological changes "oes thesi&lyconstructe" coast of Patagonia re!eal%

t Port -t ulian 2164 in so&e re" &u" caing the gra!elon the .7feet lain 0 foun" half the s$eleton of the



=acrauchenia Patachonica a re&ar$able Lua"rue" full as largeas a ca&el 0t belongs to the sa&e "i!ision of the Pachy"er&atawith the rhinoceros tair an" alaeotheriu&S butin the structure of the bones of its long nec$ it shows a clear relation to the ca&el or rather to the guanaco an" lla&a*ro& recent seashells being foun" on two of the higher

stefor&e" lains which &ust ha!e been &o"elle" an"uraise" before the &u" was "eosite" in which the =acraucheniawas ento&be" it is certain that this curious Lua"rue"li!e" long after the sea was inhabite" by its resentshells 0 was at first &uch surrise" how a large Lua"rue"coul" so lately ha!e subsiste" in lat 3. "egs 1M' on thesewretche" gra!el lains with their stunte" !egetationS butthe relationshi of the =acrauchenia to the Guanaco nowan inhabitant of the &ost sterile arts artly exlains this"ifficulty

The relationshi though "istant between the =acrauchenia

an" the Guanaco between the Toxo"on an" theCaybara the closer relationshi between the &any extinctE"entata an" the li!ing sloths anteaters an" ar&a"illosnow so e&inently characteristic of -outh &erican 9oology an" the still closer relationshi between the fossil an"li!ing secies of Cteno&ys an" ,y"rochaerus are &ostinteresting facts This relationshi is shown won"erfully aswon"erfully as between the fossil an" extinct =arsuialani&als of ustralia by the great collection lately broughtto Euroe fro& the ca!es of Bra9il by == >un" an" Clausen0n this collection there are extinct secies of all thethirtytwo genera exceting four of the terrestrial Lua"rue"s

now inhabiting the ro!inces in which the ca!es occurSan" the extinct secies are &uch &ore nu&erous than thosenow li!ing5 there are fossil anteaters ar&a"illos tairseccaries guanacos oossu&s an" nu&erous -outh &ericangnawers an" &on$eys an" other ani&als This won"erfulrelationshi in the sa&e continent between the "ea" an"the li!ing will 0 "o not "oubt hereafter throw &ore lighton the aearance of organic beings on our earth an" their "isaearance fro& it than any other class of facts

0t is i&ossible to reflect on the change" state of the &erican continent without the "eeest astonish&ent *or&erly

it &ust ha!e swar&e" with great &onsters5 now wefin" &ere ig&ies co&are" with the antece"ent allie"races 0f Buffon ha" $nown of the gigantic sloth an"ar&a"illoli$e ani&als an" of the lost Pachy"er&ata he &ightha!e sai" with a greater se&blance of truth that the creati!eforce in &erica ha" lost its ower rather than that it ha"ne!er ossesse" great !igour The greater nu&ber if not allof these extinct Lua"rue"s li!e" at a late erio" an" werethe conte&oraries of &ost of the existing seashells -incethey li!e" no !ery great change in the for& of the lan" canha!e ta$en lace (hat then has exter&inate" so &anysecies an" whole generaQ The &in" at first is irresistibly

hurrie" into the belief of so&e great catastroheS but thusto "estroy ani&als both large an" s&all in -outhern Patagoniain Bra9il on the Cor"illera of Peru in ;orth &erica



u to Behring's -traits we &ust sha$e the entire fra&ewor$of the globe n exa&ination &oreo!er of the geology of >a Plata an" Patagonia lea"s to the belief that all thefeatures of the lan" result fro& slow an" gra"ual changes 0taears fro& the character of the fossils in Euroe sia ustralia an" in ;orth an" -outh &erica that those con"itions

which fa!our the life of the @larger@ Lua"rue"s werelately coextensi!e with the worl"5 what those con"itionswere no one has yet e!en conjecture" 0t coul" har"ly ha!ebeen a change of te&erature which at about the sa&e ti&e"estroye" the inhabitants of troical te&erate an" arcticlatitu"es on both si"es of the globe 0n ;orth &erica weositi!ely $now fro& =r >yell that the large Lua"rue"sli!e" subseLuently to that erio" when boul"ers werebrought into latitu"es at which icebergs now ne!er arri!e5fro& conclusi!e but in"irect reasons we &ay feel sure thatin the southern he&ishere the =acrauchenia also li!e"long subseLuently to the icetransorting boul"ererio" Di"

&an after his first inroa" into -outh &erica "estroy ashas been suggeste" the unwiel"y =egatheriu& an" theother E"entataQ (e &ust at least loo$ to so&e other causefor the "estruction of the little tucutuco at Bahia Blanca an"of the &any fossil &ice an" other s&all Lua"rue"s inBra9il ;o one will i&agine that a "rought e!en far se!erer than those which cause such losses in the ro!inces of >aPlata coul" "estroy e!ery in"i!i"ual of e!ery secies fro&-outhern Patagonia to Behring's -traits (hat shall we sayof the extinction of the horseQ Di" those lains fail of asture which ha!e since been o!errun by thousan"s an" hun"re"sof thousan"s of the "escen"ants of the stoc$ intro"uce"

by the -aniar"sQ ,a!e the subseLuently intro"uce"secies consu&e" the foo" of the great antece"ent racesQCan we belie!e that the Caybara has ta$en the foo" of theToxo"on the Guanaco of the =acrauchenia the existings&all E"entata of their nu&erous gigantic rototyesQ Certainlyno fact in the long history of the worl" is so startlingas the wi"e an" reeate" exter&inations of its inhabitants

;e!ertheless if we consi"er the subject un"er another oint of !iew it will aear less erlexing (e "o notstea"ily bear in &in" how rofoun"ly ignorant we are of thecon"itions of existence of e!ery ani&alS nor "o we always

re&e&ber that so&e chec$ is constantly re!enting the toorai" increase of e!ery organi9e" being left in a state of nature The suly of foo" on an a!erage re&ains constant yetthe ten"ency in e!ery ani&al to increase by roagation isgeo&etricalS an" its surrising effects ha!e nowhere been&ore astonishingly shown than in the case of the Euroeanani&als run wil" "uring the last few centuries in &ericaE!ery ani&al in a state of nature regularly bree"sS yet in asecies long establishe" any @great@ increase in nu&bers isob!iously i&ossible an" &ust be chec$e" by so&e &eans(e are ne!ertheless sel"o& able with certainty to tell inany gi!en secies at what erio" of life or at what erio"

of the year or whether only at long inter!als the chec$fallsS or again what is the recise nature of the chec$,ence robably it is that we feel so little surrise at one of



two secies closely allie" in habits being rare an" the other abun"ant in the sa&e "istrictS or again that one shoul" beabun"ant in one "istrict an" another filling the sa&e lacein the econo&y of nature shoul" be abun"ant in a neighbouring"istrict "iffering !ery little in its con"itions 0f as$e"how this is one i&&e"iately relies that it is "eter&ine" by

so&e slight "ifference in cli&ate foo" or the nu&ber of ene&ies5 yet how rarely if e!er we can oint out the recisecause an" &anner of action of the chec$% (e aretherefore "ri!en to the conclusion that causes generallyLuite inareciable by us "eter&ine whether a gi!en seciesshall be abun"ant or scanty in nu&bers

0n the cases where we can trace the extinction of asecies through &an either wholly or in one li&ite" "istrictwe $now that it beco&es rarer an" rarer an" is then lost5it woul" be "ifficult to oint out any just "istinction 2184between a secies "estroye" by &an or by the increase of its

natural ene&ies The e!i"ence of rarity rece"ing extinctionis &ore stri$ing in the successi!e tertiary strata as re&ar$e"by se!eral able obser!ersS it has often been foun" that a shell!ery co&&on in a tertiary stratu& is now &ost rare an" hase!en long been thought extinct 0f then as aears robablesecies first beco&e rare an" then extinct if the too rai"increase of e!ery secies e!en the &ost fa!oure" is stea"ilychec$e" as we &ust a"&it though how an" when it is har" tosay an" if we see without the s&allest surrise thoughunable to assign the recise reason one secies abun"antan" another closely allie" secies rare in the sa&e "istrict why shoul" we feel such great astonish&ent at the rarity being

carrie" one ste further to extinctionQ n action going onon e!ery si"e of us an" yet barely areciable &ight surelybe carrie" a little further without exciting our obser!ation(ho woul" feel any great surrise at hearing that the =agalonyxwas for&erly rare co&are" with the =egatheriu& or that one of the fossil &on$eys was few in nu&ber co&are" with one of thenow li!ing &on$eysQ an" yet in this co&arati!e rarity weshoul" ha!e the lainest e!i"ence of less fa!ourable con"itionsfor their existence To a"&it that secies generally beco&erare before they beco&e extinct to feel no surrise at theco&arati!e rarity of one secies with another an" yet tocall in so&e extraor"inary agent an" to &ar!el greatly when

a secies ceases to exist aears to &e &uch the sa&e asto a"&it that sic$ness in the in"i!i"ual is the relu"e to"eath to feel no surrise at sic$ness but when thesic$ &an "ies to won"er an" to belie!e that he "ie" through!iolence

214 =r (aterhouse has "rawn u a "etaile" "escrition of thishea" which 0 hoe he will ublish in so&e ournal

264 nearly si&ilar abnor&al but 0 "o not $now whether here"itary structure has been obser!e" in the car an"li$ewise in the croco"ile of the Ganges5 ,istoire "es no&alies

ar = 0si" Geoffroy -t ,ilaire to& i 633

284 = "':rbigny has gi!en nearly a si&ilar account of these



"ogs to& i 1/M

234 0 &ust exress &y obligations to =r Ueane at whose house0 was staying on the BerLuelo an" to =r >u&b at Buenos yresfor without their assistance these !aluable re&ains woul" ne!er ha!e reache" Englan"

2M4 >yell's Princiles of Geology !ol iii H8

2H4 The flies which freLuently acco&any a shi for so&e "ayson its assage fro& harbour to harbour wan"ering fro& the!essel are soon lost an" all "isaear

2/4 =r Blac$wall in his +esearches in Woology has &anyexcellent obser!ations on the habits of si"ers

2I4 n abstract is gi!en in ;o 0V of the =aga9ine of Woologyan" Botany

2.4 0 foun" here a secies of cactus "escribe" by Professor ,enslow un"er the na&e of :untia Darwinii =aga9ine of Woology an" Botany !ol i 3HH which was re&ar$ablefor the irritability of the sta&ens when 0 inserte" either aiece of stic$ or the en" of &y finger in the flower Theseg&ents of the erianth also close" on the istil but &oreslowly than the sta&ens Plants of this fa&ily generallyconsi"ere" as troical occur in ;orth &erica >ewis an"Clar$e's Tra!els 661 in the sa&e high latitu"e as herena&ely in both cases in 3/ "egs

2174 These insects were not unco&&on beneath stones 0 foun"one cannibal scorion Luietly "e!ouring another

2114 -helley >ines on =t Blanc

2164 0 ha!e lately hear" that Cat -uli!an +; has foun"nu&erous fossil bones e&be""e" in regular strata on the ban$sof the + Gallegos in lat M1 "egs 3' -o&e of the bonesare largeS others are s&all an" aear to ha!e belonge" toan ar&a"illo This is a &ost interesting an" i&ortant"isco!ery

2184 -ee the excellent re&ar$s on this subject by =r >yellin his Princiles of Geology

C,PTE+ 0

-;T C+<W PTG:;0 ;D T,E *>U>;D 0->;D-

-anta Cru9 Exe"ition u the +i!er 0n"ians 0&&ense-trea&s of Basaltic >a!a *rag&ents not transorte" by the+i!er Exca!ations of the Valley Con"or ,abits of

Cor"illera Erratic Boul"ers of great si9e 0n"ian +elics +eturn to the -hi *al$lan" 0slan"s (il" ,orses Cattle+abbits (olfli$e *ox *ire &a"e of Bones =anner of



,unting (il" Cattle Geology -trea&s of -tones -cenesof Violence Penguins Geese Eggs of Doris Co&oun" ni&als

P+0> 18 1I83 The Beagle anchore" within the &outh of the

-anta Cru9 This ri!er is situate" about sixty &iles south of Port -t ulian During the last !oyage Catain -to$es rocee"e"thirty &iles u it but then fro& the want of ro!isions wasoblige" to return Exceting what was "isco!ere" at that ti&escarcely anything was $nown about this large ri!er Catain *it9+oy now "eter&ine" to follow its course as far as ti&e woul"allow :n the 1Ith three whaleboats starte" carrying threewee$s' ro!isionsS an" the arty consiste" of twentyfi!esouls a force which woul" ha!e been sufficient to ha!e"efie" a host of 0n"ians (ith a strong floo"ti"e an" a fine"ay we &a"e a goo" run soon "ran$ so&e of the fresh wateran" were at night nearly abo!e the ti"al influence

The ri!er here assu&e" a si9e an" aearance which e!en atthe highest oint we ulti&ately reache" was scarcely"i&inishe" 0t was generally fro& three to four hun"re" yar"sbroa" an" in the &i""le about se!enteen feet "ee Therai"ity of the current which in its whole course runs atthe rate of fro& four to six $nots an hour is erhas its&ost re&ar$able feature The water is of a fine blue colourbut with a slight &il$y tinge an" not so transarent as atfirst sight woul" ha!e been execte" 0t flows o!er a be" of ebbles li$e those which co&ose the beach an" the surroun"inglains 0t runs in a win"ing course through a

!alley which exten"s in a "irect line westwar" This !alley!aries fro& fi!e to ten &iles in brea"thS it is boun"e" bystefor&e" terraces which rise in &ost arts one abo!e theother to the height of fi!e hun"re" feet an" ha!e on theoosite si"es a re&ar$able correson"ence

ril 1.th gainst so strong a current it was of course Luite i&ossible to row or sail5 conseLuently thethree boats were fastene" together hea" an" stern two han"sleft in each an" the rest ca&e on shore to trac$ s thegeneral arrange&ents &a"e by Catain *it9 +oy were !erygoo" for facilitating the wor$ of all an" as all ha" a share

in it 0 will "escribe the syste& The arty inclu"ing e!eryone was "i!i"e" into two sells each of which haule" at thetrac$ing line alternately for an hour an" a half The officersof each boat li!e" with ate the sa&e foo" an" sletin the sa&e tent with their crew so that each boat wasLuite in"een"ent of the others fter sunset the first le!elsot where any bushes were growing was chosen for our night's lo"ging Each of the crew too$ it in turns to becoo$ 0&&e"iately the boat was haule" u the coo$ &a"ehis fireS two others itche" the tentS the coxswain han"e"the things out of the boatS the rest carrie" the& u to thetents an" collecte" firewoo" By this or"er in half an hour

e!erything was rea"y for the night watch of two &enan" an officer was always $et whose "uty it was to loo$after the boats $ee u the fire an" guar" against 0n"ians



Each in the arty ha" his one hour e!ery night

During this "ay we trac$e" but a short "istance for therewere &any islets co!ere" by thorny bushes an" the channelsbetween the& were shallow

ril 67th (e asse" the islan"s an" set to wor$ :ur regular "ay's &arch although it was har" enough carrie"us on an a!erage only ten &iles in a straight line an" erhasfifteen or twenty altogether Beyon" the lace wherewe slet last night the country is co&letely @terra incognita@for it was there that Catain -to$es turne" bac$ (e sawin the "istance a great s&o$e an" foun" the s$eleton of ahorse so we $new that 0n"ians were in the neighbourhoo":n the next &orning 61st trac$s of a arty of horsean" &ar$s left by the trailing of the chu9os or long searswere obser!e" on the groun" 0t was generally thoughtthat the 0n"ians ha" reconnoitre" us "uring the night

-hortly afterwar"s we ca&e to a sot where fro& the freshfootstes of &en chil"ren an" horses it was e!i"ent thatthe arty ha" crosse" the ri!er

ril 66n" The country re&aine" the sa&e an" wasextre&ely uninteresting The co&lete si&ilarity of thero"uctions throughout Patagonia is one of its &ost stri$ingcharacters The le!el lains of ari" shingle suortthe sa&e stunte" an" "warf lantsS an" in the !alleys thesa&e thornbearing bushes grow E!erywhere we see thesa&e bir"s an" insects E!en the !ery ban$s of the ri!er an" of the clear strea&lets which entere" it were scarcely

enli!ene" by a brighter tint of green The curse of sterilityis on the lan" an" the water flowing o!er a be" of ebblesarta$es of the sa&e curse ,ence the nu&ber of waterfowlsis !ery scantyS for there is nothing to suort life inthe strea& of this barren ri!er

Patagonia oor as she is in so&e resects can howe!er boast of a greater stoc$ of s&all ro"ents 214 than erhas anyother country in the worl" -e!eral secies of &ice areexternally characteri9e" by large thin ears an" a !ery finefur These little ani&als swar& a&ongst the thic$ets in the!alleys where they cannot for &onths together taste a "ro

of water exceting the "ew They all see& to be cannibalsfor no sooner was a &ouse caught in one of &y tras thatit was "e!oure" by others s&all an" "elicately shae"fox which is li$ewise !ery abun"ant robably "eri!es itsentire suort fro& these s&all ani&als The guanaco isalso in his roer "istrict her"s of fifty or a hun"re" wereco&&onS an" as 0 ha!e state" we saw one which &ustha!e containe" at least fi!e hun"re" The u&a with thecon"or an" other carrionhaw$s in its train follows an"reys uon these ani&als The footstes of the u&a wereto be seen al&ost e!erywhere on the ban$s of the ri!erSan" the re&ains of se!eral guanacos with their nec$s

"islocate" an" bones bro$en showe" how they ha" &et their "eath



ril 63th >i$e the na!igators of ol" when aroachingan un$nown lan" we exa&ine" an" watche" for the &osttri!ial sign of a change The "rifte" trun$ of a tree or aboul"er of ri&iti!e roc$ was haile" with joy as if we ha"seen a forest growing on the flan$s of the Cor"illera Theto howe!er of a hea!y ban$ of clou"s which re&aine"

al&ost constantly in one osition was the &ost ro&isingsign an" e!entually turne" out a true harbinger t first theclou"s were &ista$en for the &ountains the&sel!es instea"of the &asses of !aour con"ense" by their icy su&&its

ril 6Hth (e this "ay &et with a &ar$e" change inthe geological structure of the lains *ro& the first starting0 ha" carefully exa&ine" the gra!el in the ri!er an"for the two last "ays ha" notice" the resence of a few s&allebbles of a !ery cellular basalt These gra"ually increase"in nu&ber an" in si9e but none were as large as a &an'shea" This &orning howe!er ebbles of the sa&e roc$

but &ore co&act su""enly beca&e abun"ant an" in thecourse of half an hour we saw at the "istance of fi!e of six &iles the angular e"ge of a great basaltic latfor&(hen we arri!e" at its base we foun" the strea& bubblinga&ong the fallen bloc$s *or the next twentyeight &ilesthe ri!ercourse was encu&bere" with these basaltic &asses bo!e that li&it i&&ense frag&ents of ri&iti!e roc$s"eri!e" fro& its surroun"ing boul"erfor&ation wereeLually nu&erous ;one of the frag&ents of any consi"erablesi9e ha" been washe" &ore than three or four &iles"own the ri!er below their arentsource5 consi"ering thesingular rai"ity of the great bo"y of water in the -anta

Cru9 an" that no still reaches occur in any art this exa&leis a &ost stri$ing one of the inefficiency of ri!ers intransorting e!en &o"eratelysi9e" frag&ents

The basalt is only la!a which has flowe" beneath the seaSbut the erutions &ust ha!e been on the gran"est scale tthe oint where we first &et this for&ation it was 167 feetin thic$nessS following u the ri!er course the surfacei&ercetibly rose an" the &ass beca&e thic$er so that atforty &iles abo!e the first station it was 867 feet thic$(hat the thic$ness &ay be close to the Cor"illera 0 ha!eno &eans of $nowing but the latfor& there attains a height

of about three thousan" feet abo!e the le!el of the seaSwe &ust therefore loo$ to the &ountains of that great chainfor its sourceS an" worthy of such a source are strea&s thatha!e flowe" o!er the gently incline" be" of the sea to a"istance of one hun"re" &iles t the first glance of thebasaltic cliffs on the oosite si"es of the !alley it wase!i"ent that the strata once were unite" (hat ower thenhas re&o!e" along a whole line of country a soli" &ass of !ery har" roc$ which ha" an a!erage thic$ness of nearlythree hun"re" feet an" a brea"th !arying fro& rather lessthan two &iles to four &ilesQ The ri!er though it has solittle ower in transorting e!en inconsi"erable frag&ents

yet in the lase of ages &ight ro"uce by its gra"ual erosionan effect of which it is "ifficult to ju"ge the a&ount Butin this case in"een"ently of the insignificance of such an



agency goo" reasons can be assigne" for belie!ing that this!alley was for&erly occuie" by an ar& of the sea 0t isnee"less in this wor$ to "etail the argu&ents lea"ing to thisconclusion "eri!e" fro& the for& an" the nature of thestefor&e" terraces on both si"es of the !alley fro& the&anner in which the botto& of the !alley near the n"es

exan"s into a great estuaryli$e lain with san"hilloc$son it an" fro& the occurrence of a few seashells lying inthe be" of the ri!er 0f 0 ha" sace 0 coul" ro!e that-outh &erica was for&erly here cut off by a strait joiningthe tlantic an" Pacific oceans li$e that of =agellanBut it &ay yet be as$e" how has the soli" basalt been&o!e"Q Geologists for&erly woul" ha!e brought into laythe !iolent action of so&e o!erwhel&ing "ebacleS but in thiscase such a suosition woul" ha!e been Luite ina"&issiblebecause the sa&e steli$e lains with existing seashellslying on their surface which front the long line of thePatagonian coast swee u on each si"e of the !alley of -anta

Cru9 ;o ossible action of any floo" coul" thus ha!e&o"elle" the lan" either within the !alley or along the oencoastS an" by the for&ation of such steli$e lains or terracesthe !alley itself ha" been hollowe" out lthough we$now that there are ti"es which run within the ;arrowsof the -trait of =agellan at the rate of eight $nots an houryet we &ust confess that it &a$es the hea" al&ost gi""y toreflect on the nu&ber of years century after century whichthe ti"es unai"e" by a hea!y surf &ust ha!e reLuire" toha!e corro"e" so !ast an area an" thic$ness of soli" basalticla!a ;e!ertheless we &ust belie!e that the strata un"er&ine"by the waters of this ancient strait were bro$en u

into huge frag&ents an" these lying scattere" on the beachwere re"uce" first to s&aller bloc$s then to ebbles an"lastly to the &ost i&alable &u" which the ti"es "rifte"far into the Eastern or (estern :cean

(ith the change in the geological structure of the lainsthe character of the lan"scae li$ewise altere" (hile ra&blingu so&e of the narrow an" roc$y "efiles 0 coul" al&ostha!e fancie" &yself transorte" bac$ again to the barren!alleys of the islan" of -t ago &ong the basaltic cliffs0 foun" so&e lants which 0 ha" seen nowhere else butothers 0 recognise" as being wan"erers fro& Tierra "el

*uego These orous roc$s ser!e as a reser!oir for thescanty rainwaterS an" conseLuently on the line where theigneous an" se"i&entary for&ations unite so&e s&allsrings &ost rare occurrences in Patagonia burst forthSan" they coul" be "istinguishe" at a "istance by thecircu&scribe" atches of bright green herbage

ril 6/th The be" of the ri!er beca&e rather narrower an" hence the strea& &ore rai" 0t here ran at the rateof six $nots an hour *ro& this cause an" fro& the &anygreat angular frag&ents trac$ing the boats beca&e both"angerous an" laborious

This "ay 0 shot a con"or 0t &easure" fro& ti to ti



of the wings eight an" a half feet an" fro& bea$ to tailfour feet This bir" is $nown to ha!e a wi"e geograhicalrange being foun" on the west coast of -outh &ericafro& the -trait of =agellan along the Cor"illera as far aseight "egrees north of the eLuator The stee cliff near the&outh of the +io ;egro is its northern li&it on the Patagonian

coastS an" they ha!e there wan"ere" about four hun"re" &iles fro& the great central line of their habitationsin the n"es *urther south a&ong the bol" reciicesat the hea" of Port Desire the con"or is not unco&&onSyet only a few stragglers occasionally !isit the seacoast line of cliff near the &outh of the -anta Cru9 isfreLuente" by these bir"s an" about eighty &iles u theri!er where the si"es of the !alley are for&e" by steebasaltic reciices the con"or reaears *ro& these factsit see&s that the con"ors reLuire eren"icular cliffs 0nChile they haunt "uring the greater art of the year thelower country near the shores of the Pacific an" at night

se!eral roost together in one treeS but in the early art of su&&er they retire to the &ost inaccessible arts of theinner Cor"illera there to bree" in eace

(ith resect to their roagation 0 was tol" by thecountry eole in Chile that the con"or &a$es no sort of nest but in the &onths of ;o!e&ber an" Dece&ber laystwo large white eggs on a shelf of bare roc$ 0t is sai" thatthe young con"ors cannot fly for an entire yearS an" longafter they are able they continue to roost by night an"hunt by "ay with their arents The ol" bir"s generally li!ein airsS but a&ong the inlan" basaltic cliffs of the -anta

Cru9 0 foun" a sot where scores &ust usually haunt :nco&ing su""enly to the brow of the reciice it was a gran"sectacle to see between twenty an" thirty of these greatbir"s start hea!ily fro& their restinglace an" wheel awayin &ajestic circles *ro& the Luantity of "ung on the roc$sthey &ust long ha!e freLuente" this cliff for roosting an"bree"ing ,a!ing gorge" the&sel!es with carrion on thelains below they retire to these fa!ourite le"ges to "igesttheir foo" *ro& these facts the con"or li$e the gallina9o&ust to a certain "egree be consi"ere" as a gregarious bir"0n this art of the country they li!e altogether on the guanacoswhich ha!e "ie" a natural "eath or as &ore co&&only

haens ha!e been $ille" by the u&as 0 belie!e fro&what 0 saw in Patagonia that they "o not on or"inary occasionsexten" their "aily excursions to any great "istancefro& their regular sleeinglaces

The con"ors &ay oftenti&es be seen at a great heightsoaring o!er a certain sot in the &ost graceful circles:n so&e occasions 0 a& sure that they "o this only for leasure but on others the Chileno country&an tells youthat they are watching a "ying ani&al or the u&a "e!ouringits rey 0f the con"ors gli"e "own an" then su""enlyall rise together the Chileno $nows that it is the u&a

which watching the carcass has srung out to "ri!e awaythe robbers Besi"es fee"ing on carrion the con"ors freLuentlyattac$ young goats an" la&bsS an" the sheher""ogs



are traine" whene!er they ass o!er to run out an"loo$ing uwar"s to bar$ !iolently The Chilenos "estroyan" catch nu&bers Two &etho"s are use"S one is to lacea carcass on a le!el iece of groun" within an enclosure of stic$s with an oening an" when the con"ors are gorge"to gallo u on horsebac$ to the entrance an" thus enclose

the&5 for when this bir" has not sace to run it cannotgi!e its bo"y sufficient &o&entu& to rise fro& the groun"The secon" &etho" is to &ar$ the trees in which freLuentlyto the nu&ber of fi!e or six together they roost an" theyat night to cli&b u an" noose the& They are such hea!esleeers as 0 ha!e &yself witnesse" that this is not a"ifficult tas$ t Valaraiso 0 ha!e seen a li!ing con"or sol"for sixence but the co&&on rice is eight or ten shillings:ne which 0 saw brought in ha" been tie" with roe an"was &uch injure"S yet the &o&ent the line was cut bywhich its bill was secure" although surroun"e" by eoleit began ra!enously to tear a iece of carrion 0n a gar"en

at the sa&e lace between twenty an" thirty were $et ali!eThey were fe" only once a wee$ but they aeare" in rettygoo" health 264 The Chileno country&en assert that the con"or will li!e an" retain its !igour between fi!e an" six wee$swithout eating5 0 cannot answer for the truth of this butit is a cruel exeri&ent which !ery li$ely has been trie"

(hen an ani&al is $ille" in the country it is well $nownthat the con"ors li$e other carrion!ultures soon gainintelligence of it an" congregate in an inexlicable &anner0n &ost cases it &ust not be o!erloo$e" that the bir"sha!e "isco!ere" their rey an" ha!e ic$e" the s$eleton

clean before the flesh is in the least "egree tainte"+e&e&bering the exeri&ents of = u"ubon on the littles&elling owers of carrionhaw$s 0 trie" in the abo!e&entione" gar"en the following exeri&ent5 the con"orswere tie" each by a roe in a long row at the botto& of awallS an" ha!ing fol"e" u a iece of &eat in white aer 0wal$e" bac$war"s an" forwar"s carrying it in &y han" atthe "istance of about three yar"s fro& the& but no noticewhate!er was ta$en 0 then threw it on the groun" withinone yar" of an ol" &ale bir"S he loo$e" at it for a &o&entwith attention but then regar"e" it no &ore (ith a stic$0 ushe" it closer an" closer until at last he touche" it with

his bea$S the aer was then instantly torn off with furyan" at the sa&e &o&ent e!ery bir" in the long row beganstruggling an" flaing its wings <n"er the sa&e circu&stancesit woul" ha!e been Luite i&ossible to ha!e "ecei!e"a "og The e!i"ence in fa!our of an" against the acutes&elling owers of carrion!ultures is singularly balance"Professor :wen has "e&onstrate" that the olfactory ner!esof the tur$eybu99ar" Cathartes aura are highly "e!eloe"an" on the e!ening when =r :wen's aer was rea"at the Woological -ociety it was &entione" by a gentle&anthat he ha" seen the carrionhaw$s in the (est 0n"ies ontwo occasions collect on the roof of a house when a corse

ha" beco&e offensi!e fro& not ha!ing been burie" in thiscase the intelligence coul" har"ly ha!e been acLuire" besight :n the other han" besi"es the exeri&ents of u"ubon



an" that one by &yself =r Bach&an has trie" in the<nite" -tates &any !arie" lans showing that neither thetur$eybu99ar" the secies "issecte" by Professor :wennor the gallina9o fin" their foo" by s&ell ,e co!ere" ortionsof highlyoffensi!e offal with a thin can!as cloth an"strewe" ieces of &eat on it5 these the carrion!ultures ate

u an" then re&aine" Luietly stan"ing with their bea$swithin the eighth of an inch of the utri" &ass without"isco!ering it s&all rent was &a"e in the can!as an"the offal was i&&e"iately "isco!ere"S the can!as was relace"by a fresh iece an" &eat again ut on it an" wasagain "e!oure" by the !ultures without their "isco!eringthe hi""en &ass on which they were tra&ling These factsare atteste" by the signatures of six gentle&en besi"es thatof =r Bach&an 284

:ften when lying "own to rest on the oen lains onloo$ing uwar"s 0 ha!e seen carrionhaw$s sailing through

the air at a great height (here the country is le!el 0 "onot belie!e a sace of the hea!ens of &ore than fifteen "egreesabo!e the hori9on is co&&only !iewe" with any attentionby a erson either wal$ing or on horsebac$ 0f suchbe the case an" the !ulture is on the wing at a height of between three an" four thousan" feet before it coul" co&ewithin the range of !ision its "istance in a straight linefro& the behol"er's eye woul" be rather &ore than twoBritish &iles =ight it not thus rea"ily be o!erloo$e"Q(hen an ani&al is $ille" by the sorts&an in a lonely !alley&ay he not all the while be watche" fro& abo!e by thesharsighte" bir"Q n" will not the &anner of its "escen"

roclai& throughout the "istrict to the whole fa&ily of carrionfee"ers that their rey is at han"Q

(hen the con"ors are wheeling in a floc$ roun" an"roun" any sot their flight is beautiful Excet when risingfro& the groun" 0 "o not recollect e!er ha!ing seen oneof these bir"s fla its wings ;ear >i&a 0 watche" se!eralfor nearly half an hour without once ta$ing off &y eyesthey &o!e" in large cur!es sweeing in circles "escen"ingan" ascen"ing without gi!ing a single fla s they gli"e"close o!er &y hea" 0 intently watche" fro& an obliLue ositionthe outlines of the searate an" great ter&inal feathers

of each wingS an" these searate feathers if there ha" beenthe least !ibratory &o!e&ent woul" ha!e aeare" as if blen"e" togetherS but they were seen "istinct against theblue s$y The hea" an" nec$ were &o!e" freLuently an"aarently with forceS an" the exten"e" wings see&e" tofor& the fulcru& on which the &o!e&ents of the nec$ bo"yan" tail acte" 0f the bir" wishe" to "escen" the wingswere for a &o&ent collase"S an" when again exan"e"with an altere" inclination the &o&entu& gaine" by therai" "escent see&e" to urge the bir" uwar"s with thee!en an" stea"y &o!e&ent of a aer $ite 0n the case of any bir" soaring its &otion &ust be sufficiently rai" so

that the action of the incline" surface of its bo"y on theat&oshere &ay counterbalance its gra!ity The force to$ee u the &o&entu& of a bo"y &o!ing in a hori9ontal



lane in the air in which there is so little friction cannotbe great an" this force is all that is wante" The &o!e&entsof the nec$ an" bo"y of the con"or we &ust suoseis sufficient for this ,owe!er this &ay be it is trulywon"erful an" beautiful to see so great a bir" hour after hourwithout any aarent exertion wheeling an" gli"ing o!er

&ountain an" ri!er

ril 6.th *ro& so&e high lan" we haile" with joythe white su&&its of the Cor"illera as they were seenoccasionally eeing through their "us$y en!eloe of clou"sDuring the few succee"ing "ays we continue" to get onslowly for we foun" the ri!ercourse !ery tortuous an"strewe" with i&&ense frag&ents of !arious ancient slateroc$s an" of granite The lain bor"ering the !alley hashere attaine" an ele!ation of about 1177 feet abo!e the ri!eran" its character was &uch altere" The wellroun"e" ebblesof orhyry were &ingle" with &any i&&ense angular

frag&ents of basalt an" of ri&ary roc$s The first of theseerratic boul"ers which 0 notice" was sixtyse!en &iles "istantfro& the nearest &ountainS another which 0 &easure"was fi!e yar"s sLuare an" rojecte" fi!e feet abo!e thegra!el 0ts e"ges were so angular an" its si9e so great that0 at first &istoo$ it for a roc$ @in situ@ an" too$ out &yco&ass to obser!e the "irection of its clea!age The lain herewas not Luite so le!el as that nearer the coast but yet inbetraye" no signs of any great !iolence <n"er thesecircu&stances it is 0 belie!e Luite i&ossible to exlain thetransortal of these gigantic &asses of roc$ so &any &ilesfro& their arentsource on any theory excet by that of

floating icebergs

During the two last "ays we &et with signs of horses an"with se!eral s&all articles which ha" belonge" to the 0n"ians such as arts of a &antle an" a bunch of ostrich feathers but they aeare" to ha!e been lying long on the groun"Between the lace where the 0n"ians ha" so lately crosse"the ri!er an" this neighbourhoo" though so &any &ilesaart the country aears to be Luite unfreLuente" t firstconsi"ering the abun"ance of the guanacos 0 was surrise"at thisS but it is exlaine" by the stony nature of the lainswhich woul" soon "isable an unsho" horse fro& ta$ing art

in the chase ;e!ertheless in two laces in this !ery centralregion 0 foun" s&all heas of stones which 0 "o not thin$coul" ha!e been acci"entally thrown together They werelace" on oints rojecting o!er the e"ge of the highest la!acliff an" they rese&ble" but on a s&all scale those near Port Desire

=ay 3th Catain *it9 +oy "eter&ine" to ta$e the boatsno higher The ri!er ha" a win"ing course an" was !eryrai"S an" the aearance of the country offere" no te&tationto rocee" any further E!erywhere we &et with thesa&e ro"uctions an" the sa&e "reary lan"scae (e were

now one hun"re" an" forty &iles "istant fro& the tlantican" about sixty fro& the nearest ar& of the Pacific The!alley in this uer art exan"e" into a wi"e basin boun"e"



on the north an" south by the basaltic latfor&s an" fronte"by the long range of the snowcla" Cor"illera But we!iewe" these gran" &ountains with regret for we wereoblige" to i&agine their nature an" ro"uctions instea" of stan"ing as we ha" hoe" on their su&&its Besi"es theuseless loss of ti&e which an atte&t to ascen" the ri!er an"

higher woul" ha!e cost us we ha" alrea"y been for so&e"ays on half allowance of brea" This although reallyenough for reasonable &en was after a har" "ay's &archrather scanty foo"5 a light sto&ach an" an easy "igestionare goo" things to tal$ about but !ery unleasant in ractice

Mth Before sunrise we co&&ence" our "escent (eshot "own the strea& with great rai"ity generally at therate of ten $nots an hour 0n this one "ay we effecte" whatha" cost us fi!ean"ahalf har" "ays' labour in ascen"ing:n the Ith we reache" the Beagle after our twentyone "ays'exe"ition E!ery one exceting &yself ha" cause to be

"issatisfie"S but to &e the ascent affor"e" a &ost interestingsection of the great tertiary for&ation of Patagonia

:n =arch 1st 1I88 an" again on =arch 1Hth 1I83 theBeagle anchore" in Ber$eley -oun" in East *al$lan" 0slan"This archielago is situate" in nearly the sa&e latitu"e withthe &outh of the -trait of =agellanS it co!ers a sace of one hun"re" an" twenty by sixty geograhical &iles an" islittle &ore than half the si9e of 0relan" fter the ossessionof these &iserable islan"s ha" been conteste" by *rance-ain an" Englan" they were left uninhabite" The go!ern&entof Buenos yres then sol" the& to a ri!ate in"i!i"ual

but li$ewise use" the& as ol" -ain ha" "one beforefor a enal settle&ent Englan" clai&e" her right an"sei9e" the& The English&an who was left in charge of the flag was conseLuently &ur"ere" British officer wasnext sent unsuorte" by any ower5 an" when we arri!e"we foun" hi& in charge of a oulation of which rather &ore than half were runaway rebels an" &ur"erers

The theatre is worthy of the scenes acte" on it n un"ulatinglan" with a "esolate an" wretche" asect is e!erywhereco!ere" by a eaty soil an" wiry grass of one &onotonousbrown colour ,ere an" there a ea$ or ri"ge

of grey Luart9 roc$ brea$s through the s&ooth surfaceE!ery one has hear" of the cli&ate of these regionsS it&ay be co&are" to that which is exerience" at the heightof between one an" two thousan" feet on the &ountains of ;orth (alesS ha!ing howe!er less sunshine an" less frostbut &ore win" an" rain 234

1Hth 0 will now "escribe a short excursion which&a"e roun" a art of this islan" 0n the &orning 0 starte"with six horses an" two Gauchos5 the latter were caital&en for the urose an" well accusto&e" to li!ing on their own resources The weather was !ery boisterous an" col"

with hea!y hailstor&s (e got on howe!er retty wellbut excet the geology nothing coul" be less interestingthan our "ay's ri"e The country is unifor&ly the sa&e



un"ulating &oorlan"S the surface being co!ere" by lightbrown withere" grass an" a few !ery s&all shrubs allsringing out of an elastic eaty soil 0n the !alleys herean" there &ight be seen a s&all floc$ of wil" geese an"e!erywhere the groun" was so soft that the snie were ableto fee" Besi"es these two bir"s there were few others

There is one &ain range of hills nearly two thousan" feetin height an" co&ose" of Luart9 roc$ the rugge" an" barrencrests of which ga!e us so&e trouble to cross :n thesouth si"e we ca&e to the best country for wil" cattleS we&et howe!er no great nu&ber for they ha" been lately&uch harasse"

0n the e!ening we ca&e across a s&all her" :ne of &yco&anions -t ago by na&e soon searate" a fat cow5he threw the bolas an" it struc$ her legs but faile" inbeco&ing entangle" Then "roing his hat to &ar$ the sotwhere the balls were left while at full gallo he uncoile"

his la9o an" after a &ost se!ere chase again ca&e u tothe cow an" caught her roun" the horns The other Gauchoha" gone on ahea" with the sare horses so that -t agoha" so&e "ifficulty in $illing the furious beast ,e &anage"to get her on a le!el iece of groun" by ta$ing a"!antageof her as often as she rushe" at hi&S an" when shewoul" not &o!e &y horse fro& ha!ing been traine" woul"canter u an" with his chest gi!e her a !iolent ush Butwhen on le!el groun" it "oes not aear an easy job for one &an to $ill a beast &a" with terror ;or woul" it beso if the horse when left to itself without its ri"er "i"not soon learn for its own safety to $ee the la9o tight

so that if the cow or ox &o!es forwar" the horse &o!es just as Luic$ly forwar"S otherwise it stan"s &otionlessleaning on one si"e This horse howe!er was a youngone an" woul" not stan" still but ga!e in to the cow as shestruggle" 0t was a"&irable to see with what "exterity -tago "o"ge" behin" the beast till at last he contri!e" togi!e the fatal touch to the &ain ten"on of the hin" legafter which without &uch "ifficulty he "ro!e his $nifeinto the hea" of the sinal &arrow an" the cow "roe"as if struc$ by lightning ,e cut off ieces of flesh withthe s$in to it but without any bones sufficient for our exe"ition (e then ro"e on to our sleeinglace an"

ha" for suer Ncarne con cueroN or &eat roaste" with thes$in on it This is as suerior to co&&on beef as !enisonis to &utton large circular iece ta$en fro& the bac$is roaste" on the e&bers with the hi"e "ownwar"s an" isthe for& of a saucer so that none of the gra!y is lost0f any worthy al"er&an ha" sue" with us that e!eningNcarne con cueroN without "oubt woul" soon ha!e beencelebrate" in >on"on

During the night it raine" an" the next "ay 1/th was!ery stor&y with &uch hail an" snow (e ro"e across theislan" to the nec$ of lan" which joins the +incon "el Toro

the great eninsula at the - ( extre&ity to the rest of the islan" *ro& the great nu&ber of cows which ha!ebeen $ille" there is a large roortion of bulls These wan"er



about single or two an" three together an" are !erysa!age 0 ne!er saw such &agnificent beastsS they eLualle"in the si9e of their huge hea"s an" nec$s the Grecian &arblescultures Cat -uli!an infor&s &e that the hi"e of ana!eragesi9e" bull weighs fortyse!en oun"s whereas ahi"e of this weight less thoroughly "rie" is consi"ere" as

a !ery hea!y one at =onte Vi"eo The young bulls generallyrun away for a short "istanceS but the ol" ones "o notstir a ste excet to rush at &an an" horseS an" &anyhorses ha!e been thus $ille" n ol" bull crosse" a boggystrea& an" too$ his stan" on the oosite si"e to usS wein !ain trie" to "ri!e hi& away an" failing were oblige"to &a$e a large circuit The Gauchos in re!enge "eter&ine"to e&asculate hi& an" ren"er hi& for the futurehar&less 0t was !ery interesting to see how art co&letely&astere" force :ne la9o was thrown o!er his horns as herushe" at the horse an" another roun" his hin" legs5 in a&inute the &onster was stretche" owerless on the groun"

fter the la9o has once been "rawn tightly roun" the hornsof a furious ani&al it "oes not at first aear an easy thingto "isengage it again without $illing the beast5 nor 0arehen" woul" it be so if the &an was by hi&self By theai" howe!er of a secon" erson throwing his la9o so as tocatch both hin" legs it is Luic$ly &anage"5 for the ani&alas long as its hin" legs are $et outstretche" is Luitehelless an" the first &an can with his han"s loosen his la9ofro& the horns an" then Luietly &ount his horseS but the&o&ent the secon" &an by bac$ing e!er so little relaxesthe strain the la9o slis off the legs of the struggling beastwhich then rises free sha$es hi&self an" !ainly rushes at

his antagonist

During our whole ri"e we saw only one troo of wil"horses These ani&als as well as the cattle were intro"uce"by the *rench in 1/H3 since which ti&e both ha!e greatlyincrease" 0t is a curious fact that the horses ha!e ne!er left the eastern en" of the islan" although there is no naturalboun"ary to re!ent the& fro& roa&ing an" that artof the islan" is not &ore te&ting than the rest The Gauchoswho& 0 as$e" though asserting this to be the casewere unable to account for it excet fro& the strong attach&entwhich horses ha!e to any locality to which they are

accusto&e" Consi"ering that the islan" "oes not aear fully stoc$e" an" that there are no beasts of rey 0 wasarticularly curious to $now what has chec$e" their originallyrai" increase That in a li&ite" islan" so&e chec$woul" sooner or later suer!ene is ine!itableS but why ha"the increase of the horse been chec$e" sooner than that of the cattleQ Cat -uli!an has ta$en &uch ains for &ein this inLuiry The Gauchos e&loye" here attribute itchiefly to the stallions constantly roa&ing fro& lace tolace an" co&elling the &ares to acco&any the& whether or not the young foals are able to follow :ne Gaucho tol"Cat -uli!an that he ha" watche" a stallion for a whole

hour !iolently $ic$ing an" biting a &are till he force"her to lea!e her foal to its fate Cat -uli!an can so far corroborate this curious account that he has se!eral ti&es



foun" young foals "ea" whereas he has ne!er foun" a "ea"calf =oreo!er the "ea" bo"ies of fullgrown horses are&ore freLuently foun" as if &ore subject to "isease or acci"ents than those of the cattle *ro& the softness of the groun" their hoofs often grow irregularly to a greatlength an" this causes la&eness The re"o&inant colours

are roan an" irongrey ll the horses bre" here both ta&ean" wil" are rather s&allsi9e" though generally in goo"con"itionS an" they ha!e lost so &uch strength that theyare unfit to be use" in ta$ing wil" cattle with the la9o5 inconseLuence it is necessary to go to the great exense of i&orting fresh horses fro& the Plata t so&e futureerio" the southern he&ishere robably will ha!e its bree"of *al$lan" onies as the northern has its -hetlan" bree"

The cattle instea" of ha!ing "egenerate" li$e the horsessee& as before re&ar$e" to ha!e increase" in si9eS an"they are &uch &ore nu&erous than the horses Cat -uli!an

infor&s &e that they !ary &uch less in the generalfor& of their bo"ies an" in the shae of their horns thanEnglish cattle 0n colour they "iffer &uchS an" it is are&ar$able circu&stance that in "ifferent arts of this ones&all islan" "ifferent colours re"o&inate +oun" =ount<sborne at a height of fro& 1777 to 1M77 feet abo!e the seaabout half of so&e of the her"s are &ouse or lea"coloure"a tint which is not co&&on in other arts of the islan";ear Port Pleasant "ar$ brown re!ails whereas south of Choiseul -oun" which al&ost "i!i"es the islan" into twoarts white beasts with blac$ hea"s an" feet are the &ostco&&on5 in all arts blac$ an" so&e sotte" ani&als &ay

be obser!e" Cat -uli!an re&ar$s that the "ifference inthe re!ailing colours was so ob!ious that in loo$ing for the her"s near Port Pleasant they aeare" fro& a long"istance li$e blac$ sots whilst south of Choiseul -oun"they aeare" li$e white sots on the hillsi"es Cat -uli!anthin$s that the her"s "o not &ingleS an" it is a singular fact that the &ousecoloure" cattle though li!ing on thehigh lan" cal!e about a &onth earlier in the season thatthe other coloure" beasts on the lower lan" 0t is interestingthus to fin" the once "o&esticate" cattle brea$inginto three colours of which so&e one colour woul" in allrobability ulti&ately re!ail o!er the others if the her"s

were left un"isturbe" for the next se!eral centuries

The rabbit is another ani&al which has been intro"uce"San" has succee"e" !ery wellS so that they aboun" o!er largearts of the islan" Ret li$e the horses they are confine"within certain li&itsS for they ha!e not crosse" the centralchain of hills nor woul" they ha!e exten"e" e!en so far asits base if as the Gauchos infor&e" &e s&all colonies hasnot been carrie" there 0 shoul" not ha!e suose" thatthese ani&als nati!es of northern frica coul" ha!e existe"in a cli&ate so hu&i" as this an" which enjoys so littlesunshine that e!en wheat riens only occasionally 0t is

asserte" that in -we"en which any one woul" ha!e thoughta &ore fa!ourable cli&ate the rabbit cannot li!e out of "oors The first few airs &oreo!er ha" here to content



against reexisting ene&ies in the fox an" so&e largehaw$s The *rench naturalists ha!e consi"ere" the blac$ !arietya "istinct secies an" calle" it >eus =agellanicus 2M4They i&agine" that =agellan when tal$ing of an ani&alun"er the na&e of NconejosN in the -trait of =agellanreferre" to this seciesS but he was allu"ing to a s&all ca!y

which to this "ay is thus calle" by the -aniar"s TheGauchos laughe" at the i"ea of the blac$ $in" being "ifferentfro& the grey an" they sai" that at all e!ents it ha"not exten"e" its range any further than the grey $in"S thatthe two were ne!er foun" searateS an" that they rea"ilybre" together an" ro"uce" iebal" offsring :f the latter 0 now ossess a seci&en an" it is &ar$e" about the hea""ifferently fro& the *rench secific "escrition Thiscircu&stance shows how cautious naturalists shoul" be in&a$ing seciesS for e!en Cu!ier on loo$ing at the s$ullof one of these rabbits thought it was robably "istinct%

The only Lua"rue" nati!e to the islan" 2H4S is a large wolfli$e fox Canis antarcticus which is co&&on to both Eastan" (est *al$lan" 0 ha!e no "oubt it is a eculiar seciesan" confine" to this archielagoS because &any sealersGauchos an" 0n"ians who ha!e !isite" these islan"s all&aintain that no such ani&al is foun" in any art of -outh &erica

=olina fro& a si&ilarity in habits thought that thiswas the sa&e with his NculeuSN 2/4 but 0 ha!e seen bothan" they are Luite "istinct These wol!es are well $nownfro& Byron's account of their ta&eness an" curiosity which

the sailors who ran into the water to a!oi" the& &istoo$for fierceness To this "ay their &anners re&ain the sa&eThey ha!e been obser!e" to enter a tent an" actually ullso&e &eat fro& beneath the hea" of a sleeing sea&an TheGauchos also ha!e freLuently in the e!ening $ille" the&by hol"ing out a iece of &eat in one han" an" in the other a $nife rea"y to stic$ the& s far as 0 a& aware thereis no other instance in any art of the worl" of so s&alla &ass of bro$en lan" "istant fro& a continent ossessingso large an aboriginal Lua"rue" eculiar to itself Their nu&bers ha!e rai"ly "ecrease"S they are alrea"y banishe"fro& that half of the islan" which lies to the eastwar" of

the nec$ of lan" between -t -al!a"or Bay an" Ber$eley-oun" (ithin a !ery few years after these islan"s shallha!e beco&e regularly settle" in all robability this for will be classe" with the "o"o as an ani&al which has erishe"fro& the face of the earth

t night 1/th we slet on the nec$ of lan" at the hea"of Choiseul -oun" which for&s the southwest eninsulaThe !alley was retty well sheltere" fro& the col" win"but there was !ery little brushwoo" for fuel The Gauchoshowe!er soon foun" what to &y great surrise &a"e nearlyas hot a fire as coalsS this was the s$eleton of a bulloc$

lately $ille" fro& which the flesh ha" been ic$e" by thecarrionhaw$s They tol" &e that in winter they often $ille" abeast cleane" the flesh fro& the bones with their $ni!es



an" then with these sa&e bones roaste" the &eat for their suers

1Ith 0t raine" "uring nearly the whole "ay t nightwe &anage" howe!er with our sa""lecloths to $ee oursel!esretty well "ry an" war&S but the groun" on which

we slet was on each occasion nearly in the state of a bogan" there was not a "ry sot to sit "own on after our "ay'sri"e 0 ha!e in another art state" how singular it is thatthere shoul" be absolutely no trees on these islan"s althoughTierra "el *uego is co!ere" by one large forest Thelargest bush in the islan" belonging to the fa&ily of Co&ositae is scarcely so tall as our gorse The best fuel isaffor"e" by a green little bush about the si9e of co&&onheath which has the useful roerty of burning while freshan" green 0t was !ery surrising to see the Gauchos inthe &i"st of rain an" e!erything soa$ing wet with nothing&ore than a tin"erbox an" a iece of rag i&&e"iately &a$e

a fire They sought beneath the tufts of grass an" bushelfor a few "ry twigs an" these they rubbe" into fibresS thensurroun"ing the& with coarser twigs so&ething li$e a bir"'snest they ut the rag with its sar$ of fire in the &i""lean" co!ere" it u The nest being then hel" u to thewin" by "egrees it s&o$e" &ore an" &ore an" at lastburst out in fla&es 0 "o not thin$ any other &etho" woul"ha!e ha" a chance of succee"ing with such "a& &aterials

1.th Each &orning fro& not ha!ing ri""en for so&eti&e re!iously 0 was !ery stiff 0 was surrise" to hear the Gauchos who ha!e fro& infancy al&ost li!e" on horsebac$

say that un"er si&ilar circu&stances they alwayssuffer -t ago tol" &e that ha!ing been confine" for three&onths by illness he went out hunting wil" cattle an" inconseLuence for the next two "ays his thighs were so stiff that he was oblige" to lie in be" This shows that the Gauchosalthough they "o not aear to "o so yet really &ustexert &uch &uscular effort in ri"ing The hunting willcattle in a country so "ifficult to ass as this is on accountof the swa&y groun" &ust be !ery har" wor$ TheGauchos say they often ass at full see" o!er groun" whichwoul" be i&assable at a slower aceS in the sa&e &anner as a &an is able to s$ate o!er thin ice (hen hunting the

arty en"ea!ours to get as close as ossible to the her" withoutbeing "isco!ere" Each &an carries four or fi!e air of the bolasS these he throws one after the other at as &anycattle which when once entangle" are left for so&e "aystill they beco&e a little exhauste" by hunger an" strugglingThey are then let free an" "ri!en towar"s a s&all her" of ta&e ani&als which ha!e been brought to the sot on urose*ro& their re!ious treat&ent being too &uch terrifie"to lea!e the her" they are easily "ri!en if their strength last out to the settle&ent

The weather continue" so !ery ba" that we "eter&ine

to &a$e a ush an" try to reach the !essel before night*ro& the Luantity of rain which ha" fallen the surfaceof the whole country was swa&y 0 suose &y horse fell



at least a "o9en ti&es an" so&eti&es the whole six horseswere floun"ering in the &u" together ll the little strea&sare bor"ere" by soft eat which &a$es it !ery "ifficult for the horses to lea the& without falling To co&lete our "isco&forts we were oblige" to cross the hea" of a cree$of the sea in which the water was as high as our horses'

bac$sS an" the little wa!es owing to the !iolence of thewin" bro$e o!er us an" &a"e us !ery wet an" col" E!enthe ironfra&e" Gauchos rofesse" the&sel!es gla" whenthey reache" the settle&ent after our little excursion

The geological structure of these islan"s is in &ostresects si&le The lower country consists of clayslatean" san"stone containing fossils !ery closely relate" to butnot i"entical with those foun" in the -ilurian for&ationsof EuroeS the hills are for&e" of white granular Luart9roc$ The strata of the latter are freLuently arche" witherfect sy&&etry an" the aearance of so&e of the &asses

is in conseLuence &ost singular Pernety 2I4 has "e!ote"se!eral ages to the "escrition of a ,ill of +uins thesuccessi!e strata of which he has justly co&are" to theseats of an a&hitheatre The Luart9 roc$ &ust ha!e beenLuite asty when it un"erwent such re&ar$able flexureswithout being shattere" into frag&ents s the Luart9insensibly asses into the san"stone it see&s robable thatthe for&er owes its origin to the san"stone ha!ing beenheate" to such a "egree that it beca&e !isci" an" uon coolingcrystalli9e" (hile in the soft state it &ust ha!e beenushe" u through the o!erlying be"s

0n &any arts of the islan" the botto&s of the !alleys areco!ere" in an extraor"inary &anner by &yria"s of greatloose angular frag&ents of the Luart9 roc$ for&ing Nstrea&sof stonesN These ha!e been &entione" with surrise bee!ery !oyager since the ti&e of Pernety The bloc$s arenot waterworn their angles being only a little blunte"S they!ary in si9e fro& one or two feet in "ia&eter to ten or e!en&ore than twenty ti&es as &uch They are not throwntogether into irregular iles but are srea" out into le!elsheets or great strea&s 0t is not ossible to ascertain their thic$ness but the water of s&all strea&lets can be hear"tric$ling through the stones &any feet below the surface

The actual "eth is robably great because the cre!icesbetween the lower frag&ents &ust long ago ha!e been fille"u with san" The wi"th of these sheets of stones !arie"fro& a few hun"re" feet to a &ileS but the eaty soil "ailyencroaches on the bor"ers an" e!en for&s islets where!er a few frag&ents haen to lie close together 0n a !alleysouth of Ber$eley -oun" which so&e of our arty calle"the Ngreat !alley of frag&entsN it was necessary to crossan uninterrute" ban" half a &ile wi"e by ju&ing fro&one ointe" stone to another -o large were the frag&entsthat being o!erta$en by a shower of rain 0 rea"ily foun"shelter beneath one of the&

Their little inclination is the &ost re&ar$able circu&stancein these Nstrea&s of stonesN :n the hillsi"es 0 ha!e



seen the& sloing at an angle of ten "egrees with the hori9onSbut in so&e of the le!el broa"botto&e" !alleys theinclination is only just sufficient to be clearly ercei!e":n so rugge" a surface there was no &eans of &easuring theangle but to gi!e a co&&on illustration 0 &ay say that thesloe woul" not ha!e chec$e" the see" of an English &ailcoach

0n so&e laces a continuous strea& of these frag&entsfollowe" u the course of a !alley an" e!enexten"e" to the !ery crest of the hill :n these crests huge&asses excee"ing in "i&ensions any s&all buil"ing see&e"to stan" arreste" in their hea"long course5 there also thecur!e" strata of the archways lay ile" on each other li$ethe ruins of so&e !ast an" ancient cathe"ral 0n en"ea!ouringto "escribe these scenes of !iolence one is te&te" to assfro& one si&ile to another (e &ay i&agine that strea&sof white la!a ha" flowe" fro& &any arts of the &ountainsinto the lower country an" that when soli"ifie" they ha" beenrent by so&e enor&ous con!ulsion into &yria"s of frag&ents

The exression Nstrea&s of stonesN which i&&e"iatelyoccurre" to e!ery one con!eys the sa&e i"ea Thesescenes are on the sot ren"ere" &ore stri$ing by the contrastof the low roun"e" for&s of the neighbouring hills

0 was intereste" by fin"ing on the highest ea$ of onerange about /77 feet abo!e the sea a great arche" frag&entlying on its con!ex si"e or bac$ "ownwar"s =ustwe belie!e that it was fairly itche" u in the air an" thusturne"Q :r with &ore robability that there existe" for&erlya art of the sa&e range &ore ele!ate" than the ointon which this &onu&ent of a great con!ulsion of nature now

lies s the frag&ents in the !alleys are neither roun"e"nor the cre!ices fille" u with san" we &ust infer that theerio" of !iolence was subseLuent to the lan" ha!ing beenraise" abo!e the waters of the sea 0n a trans!erse sectionwithin these !alleys the botto& is nearly le!el or rises but!ery little towar"s either si"e ,ence the frag&ents aear to ha!e tra!elle" fro& the hea" of the !alleyS but in realityit see&s &ore robable that they ha!e been hurle" "own fro&the nearest sloesS an" that since by a !ibratory &o!e&entof o!erwhel&ing force 2.4 the frag&ents ha!e been le!elle"into one continuous sheet 0f "uring the earthLua$e 2174 whichin 1I8M o!erthrew Concecion in Chile it was thought won"erful

that s&all bo"ies shoul" ha!e been itche" a fewinches fro& the groun" what &ust we say to a &o!e&entwhich has cause" frag&ents &any tons in weight to &o!eonwar"s li$e so &uch san" on a !ibrating boar" an" fin"their le!elQ 0 ha!e seen in the Cor"illera of the n"es thee!i"ent &ar$s where stuen"ous &ountains ha!e been bro$eninto ieces li$e so &uch thin crust an" the strata thrown of their !ertical e"gesS but ne!er "i" any scene li$e theseNstrea&s of stonesN so forcibly con!ey to &y &in" the i"eaof a con!ulsion of which in historical recor"s we &ight in!ain see$ for any counterart5 yet the rogress of $nowle"gewill robably so&e "ay gi!e a si&le exlanation of this

heno&enon as it alrea"y has of the so longthoughtinexlicable transortal of the erratic boul"ers which arestrewe" o!er the lains of Euroe



0 ha!e little to re&ar$ on the 9oology of these islan"sha!e before "escribe" the carrion!ulture of PolyborusThere are so&e other haw$s owls an" a few s&all lan"bir"sThe waterfowl are articularly nu&erous an" they&ust for&erly fro& the accounts of the ol" na!igators

ha!e been &uch &ore so :ne "ay 0 obser!e" a cor&orantlaying with a fish which it ha" caught Eight ti&essuccessi!ely the bir" let its rey go then "i!e" after it an"although in "ee water brought it each ti&e to the surface0n the Woological Gar"ens 0 ha!e seen the otter treat a fishin the sa&e &anner &uch as a cat "oes a &ouse5 0 "o not$now of any other instance where "a&e ;ature aears sowilfully cruel nother "ay ha!ing lace" &yself betweena enguin teno"ytes "e&ersa an" the water 0 was &ucha&use" by watching its habits 0t was a bra!e bir"S an" tillreaching the sea it regularly fought an" "ro!e &e bac$war"s;othing less than hea!y blows woul" ha!e stoe" hi&S e!ery

inch he gaine" he fir&ly $et stan"ing close before &e erectan" "eter&ine" (hen thus oose" he continually rolle"his hea" fro& si"e to si"e in a !ery o"" &anner as if theower of "istinct !ision lay only in the anterior an" basalart of each eye This bir" is co&&only calle" the jac$assenguin fro& its habit while on shore of throwing its hea"bac$war"s an" &a$ing a lou" strange noise !ery li$e thebraying of an assS but while at sea an" un"isturbe" its noteis !ery "ee an" sole&n an" is often hear" in the nightti&e0n "i!ing its little wings are use" as finsS but on the lan"as front legs (hen crawling it &ay be sai" on four legsthrough the tussoc$s or on the si"e of a grassy cliff it &o!es

so !ery Luic$ly that it &ight easily be &ista$en for aLua"rue" (hen at sea an" fishing it co&es to the surface for the urose of breathing with such a sring an" "i!es againso instantaneously that 0 "efy any one at first sight to besure that it was not a fish leaing for sort

Two $in"s of geese freLuent the *al$lan"s The ulan"secies nas =agellanica is co&&on in airs an" in s&allfloc$s throughout the islan" They "o not &igrate but buil"on the s&all outlying islets This is suose" to be fro&fear of the foxes5 an" it is erhas fro& the sa&e causethat these bir"s though !ery ta&e by "ay are shy an" will

in the "us$ of the e!ening They li!e entirely on !egetable&atter

The roc$goose so calle" fro& li!ing exclusi!ely on theseabeach nas antarctica is co&&on both here an" onthe west coast of &erica as far north as Chile 0n the "eean" retire" channels of Tierra "el *uego the snowwhitegan"er in!ariably acco&anie" by his "ar$er consort an"stan"ing close by each other on so&e "istant roc$y oint isa co&&on feature in the lan"scae

0n these islan"s a great loggerhea"e" "uc$ or goose nas

brachytera which so&eti&es weighs twentytwo oun"sis !ery abun"ant These bir"s were in for&er "ays calle"fro& their extraor"inary &anner of a""ling an" slashing



uon the water racehorsesS but now they are na&e" &uch&ore aroriately stea&ers Their wings are too s&all an"wea$ to allow of flight but by their ai" artly swi&&ing an"artly flaing the surface of the water they &o!e !eryLuic$ly The &anner is so&ething li$e that by which theco&&on house"uc$ escaes when ursue" by a "ogS but 0

a& nearly sure that the stea&er &o!es its wings alternatelyinstea" of both together as in other bir"s These clu&syloggerhea"e" "uc$s &a$e such a noise an" slashing that theeffect is excee"ingly curious

Thus we fin" in -outh &erica three bir"s which use their wings for other uroses besi"es flightS the enguins as finsthe stea&er as a""les an" the ostrich as sails5 an" the tery9 of ;ew Wealan" as well as its gigantic extinctrototye the Deinornis ossess only ru"i&entaryreresentati!es of wings The stea&er is able to "i!e onlyto a !ery short "istance 0t fee"s entirely on shellfish

fro& the $el an" ti"al roc$s5 hence the bea$ an" hea" for the urose of brea$ing the& are surrisingly hea!y an"strong5 the hea" is so strong that 0 ha!e scarcely been ableto fracture it with &y geological ha&&erS an" all our sorts&ensoon "isco!ere" how tenacious these bir"s were of life (hen inthe e!ening lu&ing the&sel!es in a floc$ they &a$e the sa&eo"" &ixture of soun"s which bullfrogs "o within the troics

0n Tierra "el *uego as well as in the *al$lan" 0slan"s&a"e &any obser!ations on the lower &arine ani&als 2114 butthey are of little general interest 0 will &ention only oneclass of facts relating to certain 9oohytes in the &ore highly

organi9e" "i!ision of that class -e!eral genera *lustraEschara Cellaria Crisia an" others agree in ha!ing singular &o!eable organs li$e those of *lustra a!icularia foun"in the Euroean seas attache" to their cells The organ inthe greater nu&ber of cases !ery closely rese&bles the hea"of a !ultureS but the lower &an"ible can be oene" &uchwi"er than in a real bir"'s bea$ The hea" itself ossesse"consi"erable owers of &o!e&ent by &eans of a short nec$0n one 9oohyte the hea" itself was fixe" but the lower jawfree5 in another it was relace" by a triangular hoo" withbeautifullyfitte" tra"oor which e!i"ently answere" to thelower &an"ible 0n the greater nu&ber of secies each cell

was ro!i"e" with one hea" but in others each cell ha" two

The young cells at the en" of the branches of these corallinescontain Luite i&&ature olyi yet the !ulturehea"attache" to the& though s&all are in e!ery resect erfect(hen the olyus was re&o!e" by a nee"le fro& any of thecells these organs "i" not aear in the least affecte" (henone of the !ultureli$e hea"s was cut off fro& the cell thelower &an"ible retaine" its ower of oening an" closingPerhas the &ost singular art of their structure is thatwhen there were &ore than two rows of cells on a branchthe central cells were furnishe" with these aen"ages of

only onefourth the si9e of the outsi"e ones Their &o!e&ents!arie" accor"ing to the seciesS but in so&e 0 ne!er saw the least &otionS while others with the lower &an"ible



generally wi"e oen oscillate" bac$war"s an" forwar"s atthe rate of about fi!e secon"s each turn others &o!e" rai"lyan" by starts (hen touche" with a nee"le the bea$generally sei9e" the oint so fir&ly that the whole branch&ight be sha$en

These bo"ies ha!e no relation whate!er with the ro"uctionof the eggs or ge&&ules as they are for&e" before theyoung olyi aear in the cells at the en" of the growingbranchesS as they &o!e in"een"ently of the olyi an" "onot aear to be in any way connecte" with the&S an" asthey "iffer in si9e on the outer an" inner rows of cells 0 ha!elittle "oubt that in their functions they are relate" rather to the horny axis of the branches than to the olyi in thecells The fleshy aen"age at the lower extre&ity of theseaen "escribe" at Bahia Blanca also for&s art of the9oohyte as a whole in the sa&e &anner as the roots of atree for& art of the whole tree an" not of the in"i!i"ual

leaf or flowerbu"s

0n another elegant little coralline CrisiaQ each cell wasfurnishe" with a longtoothe" bristle which ha" the ower of &o!ing Luic$ly Each of these bristles an" each of the!ultureli$e hea"s generally &o!e" Luite in"een"ently of the others but so&eti&es all on both si"es of a branchso&eti&es only those on one si"e &o!e" together coinstantaneously so&eti&es each &o!e" in regular or"er oneafter another 0n these actions we aarently behol" as erfecta trans&ission of will in the 9oohyte though co&ose" of thousan"s of "istinct olyi as in any single ani&al The

case in"ee" is not "ifferent fro& that of the seaens whichwhen touche" "rew the&sel!es into the san" on the coast of Bahia Blanca 0 will state one other instance of unifor&action though of a !ery "ifferent nature in a 9oohyteclosely allie" to Clytia an" therefore !ery si&ly organi9e",a!ing $et a large tuft of it in a basin of saltwater whenit was "ar$ 0 foun" that as often as 0 rubbe" any art of abranch the whole beca&e strongly hoshorescent with agreen light5 0 "o not thin$ 0 e!er saw any object &orebeautifully so But the re&ar$able circu&stance was that theflashes of light always rocee"e" u the branches fro& thebase towar"s the extre&ities

The exa&ination of these co&oun" ani&als was always!ery interesting to &e (hat can be &ore re&ar$able thatto see a lantli$e bo"y ro"ucing an egg caable of swi&&ingabout an" of choosing a roer lace to a"here towhich then srouts into branches each crow"e" with innu&erable"istinct ani&als often of co&licate" organi9ationsThe branches &oreo!er as we ha!e just seen so&eti&esossess organs caable of &o!e&ent an" in"een"ent of theolyi -urrising as this union of searate in"i!i"uals inco&&on stoc$ &ust always aear e!ery tree "islays thesa&e fact for bu"s &ust be consi"ere" as in"i!i"ual lants

0t is howe!er natural to consi"er a olyus furnishe" witha &outh intestines an" other organs as a "istinct in"i!i"ualwhereas the in"i!i"uality of a leafbu" is not easily realise"



so that the union of searate in"i!i"uals in a co&&on bo"yis &ore stri$ing in a coralline than in a tree :ur concetionof a co&oun" ani&al where in so&e resects the in"i!i"ualityof each is not co&lete" &ay be ai"e" by reflectingon the ro"uction of two "istinct creatures by bisecting asingle one with a $nife or where ;ature herself erfor&s

the tas$ of bisection (e &ay consi"er the olyi in a9oohyte or the bu"s in a tree as cases where the "i!isionof the in"i!i"ual has not been co&letely effecte" Certainlyin the case of trees an" ju"ging fro& analogy in that of corallines the in"i!i"uals roagate" by bu"s see& &oreinti&ately relate" to each other than eggs or see"s are totheir arents 0t see&s now retty well establishe" thatlants roagate" by bu"s all arta$e of a co&&on "urationof lifeS an" it is fa&iliar to e!ery one what singular an"nu&erous eculiarities are trans&itte" with certainty bybu"s layers an" grafts which by se&inal roagation ne!er or only casually reaear

214 The "esserts of -yria are characteri9e" accor"ing toVolney to& i 8M1 by woo"y bushes nu&erous ratsga9elles an" hares 0n the lan"scae of Patagonia the guanacorelaces the ga9elle an" the agouti the hare

264 0 notice" that se!eral hours before any one of the con"ors"ie" all the lice with which it was infeste" crawle" to theoutsi"e feathers 0 was assure" that this always haens

284 >on"on's =aga9ine of ;at ,ist !ol !ii

234 *ro& accounts ublishe" since our !oyage an" &oreesecially fro& se!eral interesting letters fro& Cat -uli!an+ ; e&loye" on the sur!ey it aears that we too$ anexaggerate" !iew of the ba"ness of the cli&ate on theseislan"s But when 0 reflect on the al&ost uni!ersal co!eringof eat an" on the fact of wheat sel"o& riening here 0 canhar"ly belie!e that the cli&ate in su&&er is so fine an" "ryas it has lately been reresente"

2M4 >esson's Woology of the Voyage of the CoLuille to& i 1HI ll the early !oyagers an" esecially Bougain!ille"istinctly state that the wolfli$e fox was the only nati!e

ani&al on the islan" The "istinction of the rabbit as asecies is ta$en fro& eculiarities in the fur fro& theshae of the hea" an" fro& the shortness of the ears 0 &ayhere obser!e that the "ifference between the 0rish an" Englishhare rests uon nearly si&ilar characters only &ore strongly&ar$e"

2H4 0 ha!e reason howe!er to susect that there is a fiel"&ouse The co&&on Euroean rat an" &ouse ha!e roa&e" far fro&the habitations of the settlers The co&&on hog has also runwil" on one isletS all are of a blac$ colour5 the boars are!ery fierce an" ha!e great trun$s

2/4 The NculeuN is the Canis =agellanicus brought ho&e byCatain Uing fro& the -trait of =agellan 0t is co&&on in



Chile

2I4 Pernety Voyage aux 0sles =alouines M6H

2.4 N;ous n'a!ons as ete &oins saisis "'etonne&ent a la !ue"e l'inno&brable Luantite "e ierres "e touts gran"eurs

boule!ersees les unes sur les autres et ceen"ent rangeesco&&e si elles a!oient ete a&oncelees neglige&&ent our re&lir "es ra!ins :n ne se lassoit as "'a"&irer les effetsro"igieux "e la natureN Pernety M6H

2174 n inhabitant of =en"o9a an" hence well caable of ju"ging assure" &e that "uring the se!eral years he ha"resi"e" on these islan"s he ha" ne!er felt the slightestshoc$ of an earthLua$e

2114 0 was surrise" to fin" on counting the eggs of a largewhite Doris this seaslug was three an" a half inches long

how extraor"inarily nu&erous they were *ro& two to fi!e eggseach threethousan"ths of an inch in "ia&eter were containe"in sherical little case These were arrange" two "ee intrans!erse rows for&ing a ribbon The ribbon a"here" by itse"ge to the roc$ in an o!al sire :ne which 0 foun" &easure"nearly twenty inches in length an" half in brea"th By countinghow &any balls were containe" in a tenth of an inch in therow an" how &any rows in an eLual length of the ribbon onthe &ost &o"erate co&utation there were six hun"re" thousan"eggs Ret this Doris was certainly not !ery co&&onS although0 was often searching un"er the stones 0 saw only se!enin"i!i"uals ;o fallacy is &ore co&&on with naturalists

than that the nu&bers of an in"i!i"ual secies "een" onits owers of roagation

C,PTE+

T0E++ DE> *<EG:

Tierra "el *uego first arri!al Goo" -uccess Bay n ccount of the *uegians on boar" 0nter!iew (ith the-a!ages -cenery of the *orests Cae ,orn (igwa&

Co!e =iserable Con"ition of the -a!ages *a&ines Cannibals =atrici"e +eligious *eelings GreatGale Beagle Channel Ponsonby -oun" Buil" (igwa&san" settle the *uegians Bifurcation of the BeagleChannel Glaciers +eturn to the -hi -econ" Visitin the -hi to the -ettle&ent ELuality of Con"itiona&ongst the ;ati!es

DECE=BE+ 1/th 1I86 ,a!ing now finishe" withPatagonia an" the *al$lan" 0slan"s 0 will "escribeour first arri!al in Tierra "el *uego little after

noon we "ouble" Cae -t Diego an" entere" the fa&ousstrait of >e =aire (e $et close to the *uegian shore butthe outline of the rugge" inhositable -tatenlan" was !isible



a&i"st the clou"s 0n the afternoon we anchore" in the Bayof Goo" -uccess (hile entering we were salute" in a &anner beco&ing the inhabitants of this sa!age lan" grouof *uegians artly conceale" by the entangle" forest wereerche" on a wil" oint o!erhanging the seaS an" as weasse" by they srang u an" wa!ing their tattere" cloa$s

sent forth a lou" an" sonorous shout The sa!ages followe"the shi an" just before "ar$ we saw their fire an" againhear" their wil" cry The harbour consists of a fine ieceof water half surroun"e" by low roun"e" &ountains of clayslate which are co!ere" to the water's e"ge by one "ensegloo&y forest single glance at the lan"scae was sufficientto show &e how wi"ely "ifferent it was fro& anything0 ha" e!er behel" t night it blew a gale of win" an"hea!y sLualls fro& the &ountains swet ast us 0t woul"ha!e been a ba" ti&e out at sea an" we as well as others&ay call this Goo" -uccess Bay

0n the &orning the Catain sent a arty to co&&unicatewith the *uegians (hen we ca&e within hail one of thefour nati!es who were resent a"!ance" to recei!e us an"began to shout &ost !ehe&ently wishing to "irect us whereto lan" (hen we were on shore the arty loo$e" rather alar&e" but continue" tal$ing an" &a$ing gestures withgreat rai"ity 0t was without excetion the &ost curiousan" interesting sectacle 0 e!er behel"5 0 coul" not ha!ebelie!e" how wi"e was the "ifference between sa!age an"ci!ili9e" &an5 it is greater than between a wil" an""o&esticate" ani&al inas&uch as in &an there is a greater ower of i&ro!e&ent The chief so$es&an was ol" an"

aeare" to be the hea" of the fa&ilyS the three others wereowerful young &en about six feet high The wo&en an"chil"ren ha" been sent away These *uegians are a !ery"ifferent race fro& the stunte" &iserable wretches farther westwar"S an" they see& closely allie" to the fa&ous Patagoniansof the -trait of =agellan Their only gar&ent consistsof a &antle &a"e of guanaco s$in with the wool outsi"e5this they wear just thrown o!er their shoul"ers lea!ingtheir ersons as often exose" as co!ere" Their s$in is of a "irty coeryre" colour

The ol" &an ha" a fillet of white feathers tie" roun" his

hea" which artly confine" his blac$ coarse an" entangle"hair ,is face was crosse" by two broa" trans!erse barsSone ainte" bright re" reache" fro& ear to ear an" inclu"e"the uer liS the other white li$e chal$ exten"e" abo!ean" arallel to the first so that e!en his eyeli"s were thuscoloure" The other two &en were orna&ente" by strea$sof blac$ ow"er &a"e of charcoal The arty altogether closely rese&ble" the "e!ils which co&e on the stage in laysli$e Der *reischut9

Their !ery attitu"es were abject an" the exression of their countenances "istrustful surrise" an" startle" fter

we ha" resente" the& with so&e scarlet cloth which theyi&&e"iately tie" roun" their nec$s they beca&e goo" frien"sThis was shown by the ol" &an atting our breasts



an" &a$ing a chuc$ling $in" of noise as eole "o whenfee"ing chic$ens 0 wal$e" with the ol" &an an" this"e&onstration of frien"shi was reeate" se!eral ti&esS it wasconclu"e" by three har" slas which were gi!en &e on thebreast an" bac$ at the sa&e ti&e ,e then bare" his boso&for &e to return the co&li&ent which being "one he

see&e" highly lease" The language of these eoleaccor"ing to our notions scarcely "eser!es to be calle"articulate Catain Coo$ has co&are" it to a &an clearing histhroat but certainly no Euroean e!er cleare" his throatwith so &any hoarse guttural an" clic$ing soun"s

They are excellent &i&ics5 as often as we coughe" or yawne" or &a"e any o"" &otion they i&&e"iately i&itate"us -o&e of our arty began to sLuint an" loo$ awryS butone of the young *uegians whose whole face was ainte"blac$ exceting a white ban" across his eyes succee"e" in&a$ing far &ore hi"eous gri&aces They coul" reeat with

erfect correctness each wor" in any sentence we a""resse"the& an" they re&e&bere" such wor"s for so&e ti&e Retwe Euroeans all $now how "ifficult it is to "istinguishaart the soun"s in a foreign language (hich of us for instance coul" follow an &erican 0n"ian through a sentenceof &ore than three wor"sQ ll sa!ages aear to ossess toan unco&&on "egree this ower of &i&icry 0 was tol"al&ost in the sa&e wor"s of the sa&e lu"icrous habit a&ongthe CaffresS the ustralians li$ewise ha!e long been notoriousfor being able to i&itate an" "escribe the gait of any&an so that he &ay be recogni9e" ,ow can this faculty beexlaine"Q is it a conseLuence of the &ore ractise" habits

of ercetion an" $eener senses co&&on to all &en in asa!age state as co&are" with those long ci!ili9e"Q

(hen a song was struc$ u by our arty 0 thought the*uegians woul" ha!e fallen "own with astonish&ent (itheLual surrise they !iewe" our "ancingS but one of theyoung &en when as$e" ha" no objection to a little walt9ing>ittle accusto&e" to Euroeans as they aeare" to be yetthey $new an" "rea"e" our firear&sS nothing woul" te&tthe& to ta$e a gun in their han"s They begge" for $ni!escalling the& by the -anish wor" NcuchillaN They exlaine"also what they wante" by acting as if they ha" a

iece of blubber in their &outh an" then reten"ing to cutinstea" of tear it

0 ha!e not as yet notice" the *uegians who& we ha" onboar" During the for&er !oyage of the "!enture an"Beagle in 1I6H to 1I87 Catain *it9 +oy sei9e" on a artyof nati!es as hostages for the loss of a boat which ha"been stolen to the great jeoar"y of a arty e&loye" onthe sur!eyS an" so&e of these nati!es as well as a chil"who& he bought for a earlbutton he too$ with hi& toEnglan" "eter&ining to e"ucate the& an" instruct the& inreligion at his own exense To settle these nati!es in their

own country was one chief in"uce&ent to Catain *it9 +oyto un"erta$e our resent !oyageS an" before the "&iraltyha" resol!e" to sen" out this exe"ition Catain *it9 +oy



ha" generously chartere" a !essel an" woul" hi&self ha!eta$en the& bac$ The nati!es were acco&anie" by a &issionary+ =atthewsS of who& an" of the nati!es Catain*it9 +oy has ublishe" a full an" excellent account Two&en one of who& "ie" in Englan" of the s&allox a boyan" a little girl were originally ta$enS an" we ha" now on

boar" Ror$ =inster e&&y Button whose na&e exresseshis urchase&oney an" *uegia Bas$et Ror$ =inster was a fullgrown short thic$ owerful &an5 his "isositionwas reser!e" taciturn &orose an" when excite" !iolentlyassionateS his affections were !ery strong towar"s a fewfrien"s on boar"S his intellect goo" e&&y Button was auni!ersal fa!ourite but li$ewise assionateS the exressionof his face at once showe" his nice "isosition ,e was&erry an" often laughe" an" was re&ar$ably sy&atheticwith any one in ain5 when the water was rough 0 was oftena little seasic$ an" he use" to co&e to &e an" say in alainti!e !oice NPoor oor fellow%N but the notion after

his aLuatic life of a &an being seasic$ was too lu"icrousan" he was generally oblige" to turn on one si"e to hi"e as&ile or laugh an" then he woul" reeat his NPoor oor fellow%N ,e was of a atriotic "isositionS an" he li$e" toraise his own tribe an" country in which he truly sai" therewere Nlenty of treesN an" he abuse" all the other tribes5he stoutly "eclare" that there was no De!il in his lan"e&&y was short thic$ an" fat but !ain of his ersonalaearanceS he use" always to wear glo!es his hair wasneatly cut an" he was "istresse" if his wellolishe" shoeswere "irtie" ,e was fon" of a"&iring hi&self in a loo$ingglassS an" a &erryface" little 0n"ian boy fro& the +io

;egro who& we ha" for so&e &onths on boar" soon ercei!e"this an" use" to &oc$ hi&5 e&&y who was alwaysrather jealous of the attention ai" to this little boy "i" notat all li$e this an" use" to say with rather a conte&tuoustwist of his hea" NToo &uch s$ylar$N 0t see&s yet won"erfulto &e when 0 thin$ o!er all his &any goo" Lualitiesthat he shoul" ha!e been of the sa&e race an" "oubtlessarta$en of the sa&e character with the &iserable "egra"e"sa!ages who& we first &et here >astly *uegia Bas$et wasa nice &o"est reser!e" young girl with a rather leasing butso&eti&es sullen exression an" !ery Luic$ in learning anythingesecially languages This she showe" in ic$ing u

so&e Portuguese an" -anish when left on shore for onlya short ti&e at +io "e aneiro an" =onte Vi"eo an" in her $nowle"ge of English Ror$ =inster was !ery jealous of any attention ai" to herS for it was clear he "eter&ine" to&arry her as soon as they were settle" on shore

lthough all three coul" both sea$ an" un"erstan" agoo" "eal of English it was singularly "ifficult to obtain&uch infor&ation fro& the& concerning the habits of their country&enS this was artly owing to their aarent "ifficultyin un"erstan"ing the si&lest alternati!e E!ery oneaccusto&e" to !ery young chil"ren $nows how sel"o& one

can get an answer e!en to so si&le a Luestion as whether athing is blac$ or whiteS the i"ea of blac$ or white see&salternately to fill their &in"s -o it was with these *uegians



an" hence it was generally i&ossible to fin" out by crossLuestioning whether one ha" rightly un"erstoo" anythingwhich they ha" asserte" Their sight was re&ar$ably acuteSit is well $nown that sailors fro& long ractice can &a$eout a "istant object &uch better than a lan"s&anS but bothRor$ an" e&&y were &uch suerior to any sailor on boar"5

se!eral ti&es they ha!e "eclare" what so&e "istant objecthas been an" though "oubte" by e!ery one they ha!e ro!e"right when it has been exa&ine" through a telescoe Theywere Luite conscious of this owerS an" e&&y when heha" any little Luarrel with the officer on watch woul" sayN=e see shi &e no tellN

0t was interesting to watch the con"uct of the sa!ageswhen we lan"e" towar"s e&&y Button5 they i&&e"iatelyercei!e" the "ifference between hi& an" oursel!es an" hel"&uch con!ersation one with another on the subject Theol" &an a""resse" a long harangue to e&&y which it

see&s was to in!ite hi& to stay with the& But e&&yun"erstoo" !ery little of their language an" was &oreo!erthoroughly asha&e" of his country&en (hen Ror$ =inster afterwar"s ca&e on shore they notice" hi& in thesa&e way an" tol" hi& he ought to sha!eS yet he ha" nottwenty "warf hairs on his face whilst we all wore our untri&&e" bear"s They exa&ine" the colour of his s$in an"co&are" it with ours :ne of our ar&s being bare" theyexresse" the li!eliest surrise an" a"&iration at itswhiteness just in the sa&e way in which 0 ha!e seen theourangoutang "o at the Woological Gar"ens (e thought that they&istoo$ two or three of the officers who were rather shorter

an" fairer though a"orne" with large bear"s for the la"iesof our arty The tallest a&ongst the *uegians was e!i"ently&uch lease" at his height being notice" (hen lace"bac$ to bac$ with the tallest of the boat's crew hetrie" his best to e"ge on higher groun" an" to stan" ontitoe ,e oene" his &outh to show his teeth an" turne"his face for a si"e !iewS an" all this was "one with suchalacrity that 0 "are say he thought hi&self the han"so&est&an in Tierra "el *uego fter our first feeling of gra!eastonish&ent was o!er nothing coul" be &ore lu"icrousthan the o"" &ixture of surrise an" i&itation which thesesa!ages e!ery &o&ent exhibite"

The next "ay 0 atte&te" to enetrate so&e way into thecountry Tierra "el *uego &ay be "escribe" as a &ountainouslan" artly sub&erge" in the sea so that "ee inletsan" bays occuy the lace where !alleys shoul" exist The&ountain si"es excet on the exose" western coast areco!ere" fro& the water's e"ge uwar"s by one great forestThe trees reach to an ele!ation of between 1777 an" 1M77feet an" are succee"e" by a ban" of eat with &inute alinelantsS an" this again is succee"e" by the line of eretualsnow which accor"ing to Catain Uing in the -trait of

=agellan "escen"s to between 8777 an" 3777 feet To fin"an acre of le!el lan" in any art of the country is &ost rare0 recollect only one little flat iece near Port *a&ine an"



another of rather larger extent near Goeree +oa" 0n bothlaces an" e!erywhere else the surface is co!ere" by athic$ be" of swa&y eat E!en within the forest thegroun" is conceale" by a &ass of slowly utrefying !egetable&atter which fro& being soa$e" with water yiel"s to thefoot

*in"ing it nearly hoeless to ush &y way through thewoo" 0 followe" the course of a &ountain torrent t firstfro& the waterfalls an" nu&ber of "ea" trees 0 coul" har"lycrawl alongS but the be" of the strea& soon beca&e a little&ore oen fro& the floo"s ha!ing swet the si"es 0 continue"slowly to a"!ance for an hour along the bro$en an"roc$y ban$s an" was a&ly reai" by the gran"eur of thescene The gloo&y "eth of the ra!ine well accor"e" withthe uni!ersal signs of !iolence :n e!ery si"e were lyingirregular &asses of roc$ an" tornu treesS other treesthough still erect were "ecaye" to the heart an" rea"y to

fall The entangle" &ass of the thri!ing an" the fallenre&in"e" &e of the forests within the troics yet there wasa "ifference5 for in these still solitu"es Death instea" of >ife see&e" the re"o&inant sirit 0 followe" the watercoursetill 0 ca&e to a sot where a great sli ha" cleare" astraight sace "own the &ountain si"e By this roa" 0ascen"e" to a consi"erable ele!ation an" obtaine" a goo"!iew of the surroun"ing woo"s The trees all belong toone $in" the *agus betuloi"esS for the nu&ber of the other secies of *agus an" of the (inter's Bar$ is Luiteinconsi"erable This beech $ees its lea!es throughout the yearSbut its foliage is of a eculiar brownishgreen colour with

a tinge of yellow s the whole lan"scae is thus coloure"it has a so&bre "ull aearanceS nor is it often enli!ene"by the rays of the sun

Dece&ber 67th :ne si"e of the harbour is for&e" by ahill about 1M77 feet high which Catain *it9 +oy has calle"after -ir Ban$s in co&&e&oration of his "isastrousexcursion which ro!e" fatal to two &en of his arty an"nearly so to Dr -olan"er The snowstor& which was thecause of their &isfortune haene" in the &i""le of anuarycorreson"ing to our uly an" in the latitu"e of Durha&%0 was anxious to reach the su&&it of this &ountain

to collect aline lantsS for flowers of any $in" in the lower arts are few in nu&ber (e followe" the sa&e watercourseas on the re!ious "ay till it "win"le" away an" wewere then co&elle" to crawl blin"ly a&ong the treesThese fro& the effects of the ele!ation an" of the i&etuouswin"s were low thic$ an" croo$e" t length we reache"that which fro& a "istance aeare" li$e a caret of finegreen turf but which to our !exation turne" out to be aco&act &ass of little beechtrees about four or fi!e feethigh They were as thic$ together as box in the bor"er of a gar"en an" we were oblige" to struggle o!er the flat buttreacherous surface fter a little &ore trouble we gaine"

the eat an" then the bare slate roc$

ri"ge connecte" this hill with another "istant so&e



&iles an" &ore lofty so that atches of snow were lyingon it s the "ay was not far a"!ance" 0 "eter&ine" towal$ there an" collect lants along the roa" 0t woul" ha!ebeen !ery har" wor$ ha" it not been for a wellbeaten an"straight ath &a"e by the guanacosS for these ani&als li$eshee always follow the sa&e line (hen we reache" the

hill we foun" it the highest in the i&&e"iate neighbourhoo"an" the waters flowe" to the sea in oosite "irections (eobtaine" a wi"e !iew o!er the surroun"ing country5 to thenorth a swa&y &oorlan" exten"e" but to the south weha" a scene of sa!age &agnificence well beco&ing Tierra"el *uego There was a "egree of &ysterious gran"eur in &ountain behin" &ountain with the "ee inter!ening!alleys all co!ere" by one thic$ "us$y &ass of forest Theat&oshere li$ewise in this cli&ate where gale succee"sgale with rain hail an" sleet see&s blac$er than anywhereelse 0n the -trait of =agellan loo$ing "ue southwar" fro&Port *a&ine the "istant channels between the &ountains

aeare" fro& their gloo&iness to lea" beyon" the confinesof this worl"

Dece&ber 61st The Beagle got un"er way5 an" on thesuccee"ing "ay fa!oure" to an unco&&on "egree by a fineeasterly bree9e we close" in with the Barne!elts an" runningast Cae Deceit with its stony ea$s about threeo'cloc$ "ouble" the weatherbeaten Cae ,orn The e!eningwas cal& an" bright an" we enjoye" a fine !iew of thesurroun"ing isles Cae ,orn howe!er "e&an"e" his tributean" before night sent us a gale of win" "irectly in our teeth(e stoo" out to sea an" on the secon" "ay again &a"e the

lan" when we saw on our weatherbow this notorious ro&ontoryin its roer for& !eile" in a &ist an" its "i&outline surroun"e" by a stor& of win" an" water Greatblac$ clou"s were rolling across the hea!ens an" sLuallsof rain with hail swet by us with such extre&e !iolencethat the Catain "eter&ine" to run into (igwa& Co!eThis is a snug little harbour not far fro& Cae ,ornS an"here at Christ&ase!e we anchore" in s&ooth water Theonly thing which re&in"e" us of the gale outsi"e was e!erynow an" then a uff fro& the &ountains which &a"e theshi surge at her anchors

Dece&ber 6Mth Close by the Co!e a ointe" hill calle"Uater's Pea$ rises to the height of 1/77 feet The surroun"ingislan"s all consist of conical &asses of greenstoneassociate" so&eti&es with less regular hills of ba$e" an"altere" clayslate This art of Tierra "el *uego &ay beconsi"ere" as the extre&ity of the sub&erge" chain of &ountains alrea"y allu"e" to The co!e ta$es its na&e of N(igwa&N fro& so&e of the *uegian habitationsS but e!erybay in the neighbourhoo" &ight be so calle" with eLualroriety The inhabitants li!ing chiefly uon shellfish areoblige" constantly to change their lace of resi"enceS butthey return at inter!als to the sa&e sots as is e!i"ent fro&

the iles of ol" shells which &ust often a&ount to &anytons in freight These heas can be "istinguishe" at a long"istance by the bright green colour of certain lants which



in!ariably grow on the& &ong these &ay be enu&erate"the wil" celery an" scur!y grass two !ery ser!iceable lantsthe use of which has not been "isco!ere" by the nati!es

The *uegian wigwa& rese&bles in si9e an" "i&ensionsa haycoc$ 0t &erely consists of a few bro$en branches

stuc$ in the groun" an" !ery i&erfectly thatche" on onesi"e with a few tufts of grass an" rushes The whole cannotbe the wor$ of an hour an" it is only use" for a few "ays t Goeree +oa"s 0 saw a lace where one of these na$e"&en ha" slet which absolutely offere" no &ore co!er thanthe for& of a hare The &an was e!i"ently li!ing by hi&selfan" Ror$ =inster sai" he was N!ery ba" &anN an"that robably he ha" stolen so&ething :n the west coasthowe!er the wigwa&s are rather better for they are co!ere"with seals$ins (e were "etaine" here se!eral "ays by theba" weather The cli&ate is certainly wretche"5 the su&&er solstice was now asse" yet e!ery "ay snow fell on the

hills an" in the !alleys there was rain acco&anie" bysleet The ther&o&eter generally stoo" about 3M "egs but inthe night fell to 8I or 37 "egs *ro& the "a& an" boisterousstate of the at&oshere not cheere" by a glea& of sunshineone fancie" the cli&ate e!en worse than it really was

(hile going one "ay on shore near (ollaston 0slan" weulle" alongsi"e a canoe with six *uegians These were the&ost abject an" &iserable creatures 0 anywhere behel" :nthe east coast the nati!es as we ha!e seen ha!e guanacocloa$s an" on the west they ossess seals$ins &ongstthese central tribes the &en generally ha!e an otters$in or

so&e s&all scra about as large as a oc$ethan"$erchiefwhich is barely sufficient to co!er their bac$s as low "ownas their loins 0t is lace" across the breast by strings an"accor"ing as the win" blows it is shifte" fro& si"e to si"eBut these *uegians in the canoe were Luite na$e" an" e!enone fullgrown wo&an was absolutely so 0t was raininghea!ily an" the fresh water together with the sray tric$le""own her bo"y 0n another harbour not far "istant awo&an who was suc$ling a recentlyborn chil" ca&e one"ay alongsi"e the !essel an" re&aine" there out of &erecuriosity whilst the sleet fell an" thawe" on her na$e"boso& an" on the s$in of her na$e" baby% These oor

wretches were stunte" in their growth their hi"eous facesbe"aube" with white aint their s$ins filthy an" greasytheir hair entangle" their !oices "iscor"ant an" their gestures !iolent Viewing such &en one can har"ly &a$e one'sself belie!e that they are fellowcreatures an" inhabitantsof the sa&e worl" 0t is a co&&on subject of conjecturewhat leasure in life so&e of the lower ani&als can enjoy5how &uch &ore reasonably the sa&e Luestion &ay be as$e"with resect to these barbarians% t night fi!e or sixhu&an beings na$e" an" scarcely rotecte" fro& the win"an" rain of this te&estuous cli&ate slee on the wetgroun" coile" u li$e ani&als (hene!er it is low water

winter or su&&er night or "ay they &ust rise to ic$ shellfishfro& the roc$sS an" the wo&en either "i!e to collectseaeggs or sit atiently in their canoes an" with a baite"



hairline without any hoo$ jer$ out little fish 0f a seal is$ille" or the floating carcass of a utri" whale is "isco!ere"it is a feastS an" such &iserable foo" is assiste" by a fewtasteless berries an" fungi

They often suffer fro& fa&ine5 0 hear" =r >ow a sealing&aster

inti&ately acLuainte" with the nati!es of thiscountry gi!e a curious account of the state of a arty of one hun"re" an" fifty nati!es on the west coast who were!ery thin an" in great "istress succession of gales re!ente"the wo&en fro& getting shellfish on the roc$s an"they coul" not go out in their canoes to catch seal s&allarty of these &en one &orning set out an" the other 0n"ians exlaine" to hi& that they were going a four "ays' journey for foo"5 on their return >ow went to &eet the&an" he foun" the& excessi!ely tire" each &an carryinga great sLuare iece of utri" whale'sblubber with a holein the &i""le through which they ut their hea"s li$e the

Gauchos "o through their onchos or cloa$s s soon asthe blubber was brought into a wigwa& an ol" &an cut off thin slices an" &uttering o!er the& broile" the& for a&inute an" "istribute" the& to the fa&ishe" arty who"uring this ti&e reser!e" a rofoun" silence =r >owbelie!es that whene!er a whale is cast on shore the nati!esbury large ieces of it in the san" as a resource in ti&e of fa&ineS an" a nati!e boy who& he ha" on boar" oncefoun" a stoc$ thus burie" The "ifferent tribes when atwar are cannibals *ro& the concurrent but Luite in"een"ente!i"ence of the boy ta$en by =r >ow an" of e&&y Button it is certainly true that when resse" in

winter by hunger they $ill an" "e!our their ol" wo&enbefore they $ill their "ogs5 the boy being as$e" by =r>ow why they "i" this answere" NDoggies catch ottersol" wo&en noN This boy "escribe" the &anner in whichthey are $ille" by being hel" o!er s&o$e an" thus cho$e"She i&itate" their screa&s as a jo$e an" "escribe" the artsof their bo"ies which are consi"ere" best to eat ,orri"as such a "eath by the han"s of their frien"s an" relati!es&ust be the fears of the ol" wo&en when hunger beginsto ress are &ore ainful to thin$ ofS we are tol" that theythen often run away into the &ountains but that they areursue" by the &en an" brought bac$ to the slaughterhouse

at their own firesi"es%

Catain *it9 +oy coul" ne!er ascertain that the *uegiansha!e any "istinct belief in a future life They so&eti&esbury their "ea" in ca!es an" so&eti&es in the &ountainforestsS we "o not $now what cere&onies they erfor&e&&y Button woul" not eat lan"bir"s because Neat "ea"&enN5 they are unwilling e!en to &ention their "ea" frien"s(e ha!e no reason to belie!e that they erfor& any sort of religious worshiS though erhas the &uttering of the ol"&an before he "istribute" the utri" blubber to his fa&ishe"arty &ay be of this nature Each fa&ily or tribe has a

wi9ar" or conjuring "octor whose office we coul" ne!er clearly ascertain e&&y belie!e" in "rea&s though not as0 ha!e sai" in the "e!il5 0 "o not thin$ that our *uegians



were &uch &ore suerstitious than so&e of the sailorsS for an ol" Luarter&aster fir&ly belie!e" that the successi!ehea!y gales which we encountere" off Cae ,orn werecause" by our ha!ing the *uegians on boar" The nearestaroach to a religious feeling which 0 hear" of was shownby Ror$ =inster who when =r Bynoe shot so&e !ery

young "uc$lings as seci&ens "eclare" in the &ost sole&n&anner N:h =r Bynoe &uch rain snow blow &uchNThis was e!i"ently a retributi!e unish&ent for wastinghu&an foo" 0n a wil" an" excite" &anner he also relate"that his brother one "ay whilst returning to ic$ u so&e"ea" bir"s which he ha" left on the coast obser!e" so&efeathers blown by the win" ,is brother sai" Ror$ i&itatinghis &anner N(hat thatQN an" crawling onwar"she eee" o!er the cliff an" saw Nwil" &anN ic$ing hisbir"sS he crawle" a little nearer an" then hurle" "own agreat stone an" $ille" hi& Ror$ "eclare" for a long ti&eafterwar"s stor&s rage" an" &uch rain an" snow fell

s far as we coul" &a$e out he see&e" to consi"er theele&ents the&sel!es as the a!enging agents5 it is e!i"ent inthis case how naturally in a race a little &ore a"!ance"in culture the ele&ents woul" beco&e ersonifie" (hatthe Nba" wil" &enN were has always aeare" to &e &ost&ysterious5 fro& what Ror$ sai" when we foun" the laceli$e the for& of a hare where a single &an ha" slet thenight before 0 shoul" ha!e thought that they were thie!eswho ha" been "ri!en fro& their tribesS but other obscureseeches &a"e &e "oubt thisS 0 ha!e so&eti&es i&agine"that the &ost robable exlanation was that they wereinsane

The "ifferent tribes ha!e no go!ern&ent or chiefS yeteach is surroun"e" by other hostile tribes sea$ing "ifferent"ialects an" searate" fro& each other only by a "eserte"bor"er or neutral territory5 the cause of their warfare aearsto be the &eans of subsistence Their country is abro$en &ass of wil" roc$s lofty hills an" useless forests5an" these are !iewe" through &ists an" en"less stor&s Thehabitable lan" is re"uce" to the stones on the beachS insearch of foo" they are co&elle" unceasingly to wan"er fro& sot to sot an" so stee is the coast that they canonly &o!e about in their wretche" canoes They cannot

$now the feeling of ha!ing a ho&e an" still less that of "o&estic affectionS for the husban" is to the wife a brutal&aster to a laborious sla!e (as a &ore horri" "ee" e!er eretrate" than that witnesse" on the west coast by Byronwho saw a wretche" &other ic$ u her blee"ing "yinginfantboy who& her husban" ha" &ercilessly "ashe" on thestones for "roing a bas$et of seaeggs% ,ow little canthe higher owers of the &in" be brought into lay5 what isthere for i&agination to icture for reason to co&are or ju"g&ent to "eci"e uonQ to $noc$ a li&et fro& the roc$"oes not reLuire e!en cunning that lowest ower of the&in" Their s$ill in so&e resects &ay be co&are" to the

instinct of ani&alsS for it is not i&ro!e" by exerience5the canoe their &ost ingenious wor$ oor as it is hasre&aine" the sa&e as we $now fro& Dra$e for the last two



hun"re" an" fifty years

(hilst behol"ing these sa!ages one as$s whence ha!ethey co&eQ (hat coul" ha!e te&te" or what change co&elle"a tribe of &en to lea!e the fine regions of the northto tra!el "own the Cor"illera or bac$bone of &erica to

in!ent an" buil" canoes which are not use" by the tribesof Chile Peru an" Bra9il an" then to enter on one of the&ost inhositable countries within the li&its of the globeQ lthough such reflections &ust at first sei9e on the &in" yetwe &ay feel sure that they are artly erroneous There isno reason to belie!e that the *uegians "ecrease in nu&berStherefore we &ust suose that they enjoy a sufficient shareof hainess of whate!er $in" it &ay be to ren"er lifeworth ha!ing ;ature by &a$ing habit o&niotent an" itseffects here"itary has fitte" the *uegian to the cli&ate an"the ro"uctions of his &iserable country

fter ha!ing been "etaine" six "ays in (igwa& Co!e by!ery ba" weather we ut to sea on the 87th of Dece&berCatain *it9 +oy wishe" to get westwar" to lan" Ror$ an"*uegia in their own country (hen at sea we ha" a constantsuccession of gales an" the current was against us5 we"rifte" to M/ "egs 68' south :n the 11th of anuary 1I88by carrying a ress of sail we fetche" within a few &iles of the great rugge" &ountain of Ror$ =inster so calle" byCatain Coo$ an" the origin of the na&e of the el"er *uegianwhen a !iolent sLuall co&elle" us to shorten sailan" stan" out to sea The surf was brea$ing fearfully on

the coast an" the sray was carrie" o!er a cliff esti&ate"to 677 feet in height :n the 16th the gale was !ery hea!yan" we "i" not $now exactly where we were5 it was a &ostunleasant soun" to hear constantly reeate" N$ee a goo"loo$out to leewar"N :n the 18th the stor& rage" with itsfull fury5 our hori9on was narrowly li&ite" by the sheetsof sray borne by the win" The sea loo$e" o&inous li$ea "reary wa!ing lain with atches of "rifte" snow5 whilstthe shi laboure" hea!ily the albatross gli"e" with itsexan"e" wings right u the win" t noon a great sea bro$eo!er us an" fille" one of the whale boats which wasoblige" to be instantly cut away The oor Beagle tre&ble"

at the shoc$ an" for a few &inutes woul" not obey her hel&Sbut soon li$e a goo" shi that she was she righte" an" ca&eu to the win" again ,a" another sea followe" the firstour fate woul" ha!e been "eci"e" soon an" for e!er (eha" now been twentyfour "ays trying in !ain to get westwar"Sthe &en were worn out with fatigue an" they ha" notha" for &any nights or "ays a "ry thing to ut on Catain*it9 +oy ga!e u the atte&t to get westwar" by the outsi"ecoast 0n the e!ening we ran in behin" *alse Cae ,ornan" "roe" our anchor in fortyse!en fatho&s fire flashingfro& the win"lass as the chain rushe" roun" it ,ow "elightfulwas that still night after ha!ing been so long in!ol!e"

in the "in of the warring ele&ents%

anuary 1Mth 1I88 The Beagle anchore" in Goeree



+oa"s Catain *it9 +oy ha!ing resol!e" to settle the *uegiansaccor"ing to their wishes in Ponsonby -oun" four boats were eLuie" to carry the& there through the BeagleChannel This channel which was "isco!ere" by Catain*it9 +oy "uring the last !oyage is a &ost re&ar$able featurein the geograhy of this or in"ee" of any other country5 it

&ay be co&are" to the !alley of >ochness in -cotlan" withits chain of la$es an" friths 0t is about one hun"re" an"twenty &iles long with an a!erage brea"th not subject toany !ery great !ariation of about two &ilesS an" is throughoutthe greater art so erfectly straight that the !iewboun"e" on each si"e by a line of &ountains gra"ually beco&esin"istinct in the long "istance 0t crosses the southernart of Tierra "el *uego in an east an" west line an"in the &i""le is joine" at right angles on the south si"e byan irregular channel which has been calle" Ponsonby -oun"This is the resi"ence of e&&y Button's tribe an" fa&ily

1.th Three whaleboats an" the yawl with a arty of twentyeight starte" un"er the co&&an" of Catain *it9+oy 0n the afternoon we entere" the eastern &outh of thechannel an" shortly afterwar"s foun" a snug little co!econceale" by so&e surroun"ing islets ,ere we itche" our tents an" lighte" our fires ;othing coul" loo$ &ore co&fortablethan this scene The glassy water of the little harbourwith the branches of the trees hanging o!er the roc$ybeach the boats at anchor the tents suorte" by the crosse"oars an" the s&o$e curling u the woo"e" !alley for&e" aicture of Luiet retire&ent The next "ay 67th we s&oothlygli"e" onwar"s in our little fleet an" ca&e to a &ore inhabite"

"istrict *ew if any of these nati!es coul" e!er ha!e seen a white &anS certainly nothing coul" excee" their astonish&ent at the aarition of the four boats *ires werelighte" on e!ery oint hence the na&e of Tierra "el *uegoor the lan" of fire both to attract our attention an" tosrea" far an" wi"e the news -o&e of the &en ran for &iles along the shore 0 shall ne!er forget how wil" an"sa!age one grou aeare"5 su""enly four or fi!e &en ca&eto the e"ge of an o!erhanging cliffS they were absolutelyna$e" an" their long hair strea&e" about their facesS theyhel" rugge" staffs in their han"s an" sringing fro& thegroun" they wa!e" their ar&s roun" their hea"s an" sent

forth the &ost hi"eous yells

t "innerti&e we lan"e" a&ong a arty of *uegians t first they were not incline" to be frien"lyS for until theCatain ulle" in ahea" of the other boats they $et their slings in their han"s (e soon howe!er "elighte" the& bytrifling resents such as tying re" tae roun" their hea"sThey li$e" our biscuit5 but one of the sa!ages touche" withhis finger so&e of the &eat reser!e" in tin cases which 0was eating an" feeling it soft an" col" showe" as &uch "isgustat it as 0 shoul" ha!e "one at utri" blubber e&&ywas thoroughly asha&e" of his country&en an" "eclare" his

own tribe were Luite "ifferent in which he was wofully&ista$en 0t was as easy to lease as it was "ifficult tosatisfy these sa!ages Roung an" ol" &en an" chil"ren ne!er



cease" reeating the wor" Nya&&erschoonerN which &eansNgi!e &eN fter ointing to al&ost e!ery object one after the other e!en to the buttons on our coats an" saying their fa!ourite wor" in as &any intonations as ossible they woul"then use it in a neuter sense an" !acantly reeatNya&&erschoonerN fter ya&&erschoonering for any article !ery

eagerly they woul" by a si&le artifice oint to their youngwo&en or little chil"ren as &uch as to say N0f you willnot gi!e it &e surely you will to such as theseN

t night we en"ea!oure" in !ain to fin" an uninhabite"co!eS an" at last were oblige" to bi!ouac not far fro& aarty of nati!es They were !ery inoffensi!e as long as theywere few in nu&bers but in the &orning 61st being joine"by others they showe" sy&to&s of hostility an" we thoughtthat we shoul" ha!e co&e to a s$ir&ish n Euroeanlabours un"er great "isa"!antages when treating with sa!agesli$e these who ha!e not the least i"ea of the ower of

firear&s 0n the !ery act of le!elling his &us$et he aearsto the sa!age far inferior to a &an ar&e" with a bow an"arrow a sear or e!en a sling ;or is it easy to teach the&our sueriority excet by stri$ing a fatal blow >i$e wil"beasts they "o not aear to co&are nu&bersS for eachin"i!i"ual if attac$e" instea" of retiring will en"ea!our to"ash your brains out with a stone as certainly as a tiger un"er si&ilar circu&stances woul" tear you Catain *it9+oy on one occasion being !ery anxious fro& goo" reasonsto frighten away a s&all arty first flourishe" a cutlass near the& at which they only laughe"S he then twice fire" hisistol close to a nati!e The &an both ti&es loo$e" astoun"e"

an" carefully but Luic$ly rubbe" his hea"S he thenstare" awhile an" gabble" to his co&anions but he ne!er see&e" to thin$ of running away (e can har"ly ut oursel!esin the osition of these sa!ages an" un"erstan" their actions 0n the case of this *uegian the ossibility of sucha soun" as the reort of a gun close to his ear coul" ne!er ha!e entere" his &in" ,e erhas literally "i" not for asecon" $now whether it was a soun" or a blow an" therefore!ery naturally rubbe" his hea" 0n a si&ilar &annerwhen a sa!age sees a &ar$ struc$ by a bullet it &ay be so&eti&e before he is able at all to un"erstan" how it is effecte"Sfor the fact of a bo"y being in!isible fro& its !elocity woul"

erhas be to hi& an i"ea totally inconcei!able =oreo!erthe extre&e force of a bullet that enetrates a har" substancewithout tearing it &ay con!ince the sa!age that ithas no force at all Certainly 0 belie!e that &any sa!agesof the lowest gra"e such as these of Tierra "el *uego ha!eseen objects struc$ an" e!en s&all ani&als $ille" by the&us$et without being in the least aware how "ea"ly aninstru&ent it is

66n" fter ha!ing asse" an un&oleste" night in whatwoul" aear to be neutral territory between e&&y's tribean" the eole who& we saw yester"ay we saile" leasantly

along 0 "o not $now anything which shows &ore clearlythe hostile state of the "ifferent tribes than these wi"ebor"er or neutral tracts lthough e&&y Button well $new the



force of our arty he was at first unwilling to lan" a&i"stthe hostile tribe nearest to his own ,e often tol" us howthe sa!age :ens &en Nwhen the leaf re"N crosse" the &ountainsfro& the eastern coast of Tierra "el *uego an" &a"einroa"s on the nati!es of this art of the country 0t was&ost curious to watch hi& when thus tal$ing an" see his

eyes glea&ing an" his whole face assu&e a new an" wil"exression s we rocee"e" along the Beagle Channel thescenery assu&e" a eculiar an" !ery &agnificent characterSbut the effect was &uch lessene" fro& the lowness of theoint of !iew in a boat an" fro& loo$ing along the !alleyan" thus losing all the beauty of a succession of ri"ges The&ountains were here about three thousan" feet high an"ter&inate" in shar an" jagge" oints They rose in oneunbro$en swee fro& the water's e"ge an" were co!ere" tothe height of fourteen or fifteen hun"re" feet by the "us$ycoloure" forest 0t was &ost curious to obser!e as far asthe eye coul" range how le!el an" truly hori9ontal the line

on the &ountain si"e was at which trees cease" to grow5 itrecisely rese&ble" the highwater &ar$ of "riftwee" on aseabeach

t night we slet close to the junction of Ponsonby -oun"with the Beagle Channel s&all fa&ily of *uegians whowere li!ing in the co!e were Luiet an" inoffensi!e an" soon joine" our arty roun" a bla9ing fire (e were well clothe"an" though sitting close to the fire were far fro& too war&Syet these na$e" sa!ages though further off were obser!e"to our great surrise to be strea&ing with ersiration atun"ergoing such a roasting They see&e" howe!er !ery

well lease" an" all joine" in the chorus of the sea&en'ssongs5 but the &anner in which they were in!ariably a littlebehin"han" was Luite lu"icrous

During the night the news ha" srea" an" early in the&orning 68r" a fresh arty arri!e" belonging to the Te$eni$aor e&&y's tribe -e!eral of the& ha" run so fast thattheir noses were blee"ing an" their &ouths frothe" fro&the rai"ity with which they tal$e"S an" with their na$e"bo"ies all be"aube" with blac$ white 214 an" re" they loo$e"li$e so &any "e&oniacs who ha" been fighting (e thenrocee"e" acco&anie" by twel!e canoes each hol"ing four

or fi!e eole "own Ponsonby -oun" to the sot where oor e&&y execte" to fin" his &other an" relati!es ,e ha"alrea"y hear" that his father was "ea"S but as he ha" ha"a N"rea& in his hea"N to that effect he "i" not see& tocare &uch about it an" reeate"ly co&forte" hi&self withthe !ery natural reflection N=e no hel itN ,e was notable to learn any articulars regar"ing his father's "eath ashis relations woul" not sea$ about it

e&&y was now in a "istrict well $nown to hi& an"gui"e" the boats to a Luiet retty co!e na&e" (oollyasurroun"e" by islets e!ery one of which an" e!ery oint ha"

its roer nati!e na&e (e foun" here a fa&ily of e&&y'stribe but not his relations5 we &a"e frien"s with the&San" in the e!ening they sent a canoe to infor& e&&y's



&other an" brothers The co!e was bor"ere" by so&e acresof goo" sloing lan" not co!ere" as elsewhere either byeat or by foresttrees Catain *it9 +oy originally inten"e"as before state" to ha!e ta$en Ror$ =inster an"*uegia to their own tribe on the west coastS but as theyexresse" a wish to re&ain here an" as the sot was singularly

fa!ourable Catain *it9 +oy "eter&ine" to settle here thewhole arty inclu"ing =atthews the &issionary *i!e "ayswere sent in buil"ing for the& three large wigwa&s inlan"ing their goo"s in "igging two gar"ens an" sowingsee"s

The next &orning after our arri!al the 63th the *uegiansbegan to our in an" e&&y's &other an" brothersarri!e" e&&y recognise" the stentorian !oice of one of his brothers at a ro"igious "istance The &eeting was lessinteresting than that between a horse turne" out into a fiel"when he joins an ol" co&anion There was no "e&onstration

of affectionS they si&ly stare" for a short ti&e ateach otherS an" the &other i&&e"iately went to loo$ after her canoe (e hear" howe!er through Ror$ that the&other has been inconsolable for the loss of e&&y an" ha"searche" e!erywhere for hi& thin$ing that he &ight ha!ebeen left after ha!ing been ta$en in the boat The wo&entoo$ &uch notice of an" were !ery $in" to *uegia (e ha"alrea"y ercei!e" that e&&y ha" al&ost forgotten his ownlanguage 0 shoul" thin$ there was scarcely another hu&anbeing with so s&all a stoc$ of language for his English was!ery i&erfect 0t was laughable but al&ost itiable tohear hi& sea$ to his wil" brother in English an" then as$

hi& in -anish Nno sabeQN whether he "i" not un"erstan"hi&

E!erything went on eaceably "uring the three next "ayswhilst the gar"ens were "igging an" wigwa&s buil"ing (eesti&ate" the nu&ber of nati!es at about one hun"re" an"twenty The wo&en wor$e" har" whilst the &en lounge"about all "ay long watching us They as$e" for e!erythingthey saw an" stole what they coul" They were "elighte"at our "ancing an" singing an" were articularly intereste"at seeing us wash in a neighbouring broo$S they "i" not ay&uch attention to anything else not e!en to our boats :f

all the things which Ror$ saw "uring his absence fro& hiscountry nothing see&s &ore to ha!e astonishe" hi& thanan ostrich near =al"ona"o5 breathless with astonish&enthe ca&e running to =r Bynoe with who& he was out wal$ing N:h =r Bynoe oh bir" all sa&e horse%N =uch asour white s$ins surrise" the nati!es by =r >ow's accounta negrocoo$ to a sealing !essel "i" so &ore effectually an"the oor fellow was so &obbe" an" shoute" at that he woul"ne!er go on shore again E!erything went on so Luietlythat so&e of the officers an" &yself too$ long wal$s in thesurroun"ing hills an" woo"s -u""enly howe!er on the6/th e!ery wo&an an" chil" "isaeare" (e were all uneasy

at this as neither Ror$ nor e&&y coul" &a$e outthe cause 0t was thought by so&e that they ha" been frightene"by our cleaning an" firing off our &us$ets on the re!ious



e!eningS by others that it was owing to offence ta$enby an ol" sa!age who when tol" to $ee further off ha"coolly sit in the sentry's face an" ha" then by gesturesacte" o!er a sleeing *uegian lainly showe" as it was sai"that he shoul" li$e to cut u an" eat our &an Catain*it9 +oy to a!oi" the chance of an encounter which woul"

ha!e been fatal to so &any of the *uegians thought it a"!isablefor us to slee at a co!e a few &iles "istant =atthewswith his usual Luiet fortitu"e re&ar$able in a &anaarently ossessing little energy of character "eter&ine"to stay with the *uegians who e!ince" no alar& for the&sel!esSan" so we left the& to ass their first awful night

:n our return in the &orning 6Ith we were "elighte"to fin" all Luiet an" the &en e&loye" in their canoessearing fish Catain *it9 +oy "eter&ine" to sen" theyawl an" one whaleboat bac$ to the shiS an" to rocee"with the two other boats one un"er his own co&&an" in

which he &ost $in"ly allowe" &e to acco&any hi& an"one un"er =r ,a&&on" to sur!ey the western arts of the Beagle Channel an" afterwar"s to return an" !isit thesettle&ent The "ay to our astonish&ent was o!eroweringlyhot so that our s$ins were scorche"5 with this beautifulweather the !iew in the &i""le of the Beagle Channelwas !ery re&ar$able >oo$ing towar"s either han" no objectintercete" the !anishing oints of this long canal betweenthe &ountains The circu&stance of its being an ar&of the sea was ren"ere" !ery e!i"ent by se!eral huge whales 264souting in "ifferent "irections :n one occasion 0 saw twoof these &onsters robably &ale an" fe&ale slowly swi&&ing

one after the other within less than a stone's throwof the shore o!er which the beechtree exten"e" its branches(e saile" on till it was "ar$ an" then itche" our tentsin a Luiet cree$ The greatest luxury was to fin" for our be"s a beach of ebbles for they were "ry an" yiel"e" tothe bo"y Peaty soil is "a&S roc$ is une!en an" har"Ssan" gets into one's &eat when coo$e" an" eaten boatfashionSbut when lying in our blan$etbags on a goo" be" of s&ooth ebbles we asse" &ost co&fortable nights

0t was &y watch till one o'cloc$ There is so&ething!ery sole&n in these scenes t no ti&e "oes the consciousness

in what a re&ote corner of the worl" you are thenstan"ing co&e so strongly before the &in" E!erythingten"s to this effectS the stillness of the night is interrute"only by the hea!y breathing of the sea&en beneath the tentsan" so&eti&es by the cry of a nightbir" The occasionalbar$ing of a "og hear" in the "istance re&in"s one that itis the lan" of the sa!age

anuary 67th Early in the &orning we arri!e" at theoint where the Beagle Channel "i!i"es into two ar&sS an"we entere" the northern one The scenery here beco&ese!en gran"er than before The lofty &ountains on the north

si"e co&ose the granitic axis or bac$bone of the countryan" bol"ly rise to a height of between three an" four thousan"feet with one ea$ abo!e six thousan" feet They are



co!ere" by a wi"e &antle of eretual snow an" nu&erouscasca"es our their waters through the woo"s into the narrowchannel below 0n &any arts &agnificent glaciers exten"fro& the &ountain si"e to the water's e"ge 0t isscarcely ossible to i&agine anything &ore beautiful thanthe berylli$e blue of these glaciers an" esecially as

contraste" with the "ea" white of the uer exanse of snowThe frag&ents which ha" fallen fro& the glacier into thewater were floating away an" the channel with its icebergsresente" for the sace of a &ile a &iniature li$eness of the Polar -ea The boats being haule" on shore at our "innerhour we were a"&iring fro& the "istance of half a&ile a eren"icular cliff of ice an" were wishing that so&e&ore frag&ents woul" fall t last "own ca&e a &ass witha roaring noise an" i&&e"iately we saw the s&ooth outlineof a wa!e tra!elling towar"s us The &en ran "own asLuic$ly as they coul" to the boatsS for the chance of their being "ashe" to ieces was e!i"ent :ne of the sea&en just

caught hol" of the bows as the curling brea$er reache" it5he was $noc$e" o!er an" o!er but not hurt an" the boatsthough thrice lifte" on high an" let fall again recei!e" no"a&age This was &ost fortunate for us for we were ahun"re" &iles "istant fro& the shi an" we shoul" ha!ebeen left without ro!isions or firear&s 0 ha" re!iouslyobser!e" that so&e large frag&ents of roc$ on the beach ha"been lately "islace"S but until seeing this wa!e 0 "i" notun"erstan" the cause :ne si"e of the cree$ was for&e"by a sur of &icaslateS the hea" by a cliff of ice aboutforty feet highS an" the other si"e by a ro&ontory fiftyfeet high built u of huge roun"e" frag&ents of granite

an" &icaslate out of which ol" trees were growing Thisro&ontory was e!i"ently a &oraine heae" u at a erio"when the glacier ha" greater "i&ensions

(hen we reache" the western &outh of this northernbranch of the Beagle Channel we saile" a&ongst &any un$nown"esolate islan"s an" the weather was wretche"ly ba"(e &et with no nati!es The coast was al&ost e!erywhereso stee that we ha" se!eral ti&es to ull &any &iles beforewe coul" fin" sace enough to itch our two tents5 one nightwe slet on large roun" boul"ers with utrefying seawee"between the&S an" when the ti"e rose we ha" to get u an"

&o!e our blan$etbags The farthest oint westwar" whichwe reache" was -tewart 0slan" a "istance of about one hun"re"an" fifty &iles fro& our shi (e returne" into theBeagle Channel by the southern ar& an" thence rocee"e"with no a"!enture bac$ to Ponsonby -oun"

*ebruary Hth (e arri!e" at (oollya =atthews ga!eso ba" an account of the con"uct of the *uegians that Catain*it9 +oy "eter&ine" to ta$e hi& bac$ to the BeagleSan" ulti&ately he was left at ;ew Wealan" where his brother was a &issionary *ro& the ti&e of our lea!ing a regular syste& of lun"er co&&ence"S fresh arties of the nati!es

$et arri!ing5 Ror$ an" e&&y lost &any things an" =atthewsal&ost e!erything which ha" not been conceale" un"ergroun"E!ery article see&e" to ha!e been torn u an"



"i!i"e" by the nati!es =atthews "escribe" the watch hewas oblige" always to $ee as &ost harassingS night an""ay he was surroun"e" by the nati!es who trie" to tire hi&out by &a$ing an incessant noise close to his hea" :ne "ayan ol" &an who& =atthews as$e" to lea!e his wigwa&i&&e"iately returne" with a large stone in his han"5 another

"ay a whole arty ca&e ar&e" with stones an" sta$es an"so&e of the younger &en an" e&&y's brother were crying5=atthews &et the& with resents nother arty showe"by signs that they wishe" to stri hi& na$e" an" luc$ allthe hairs out of his face an" bo"y 0 thin$ we arri!e" justin ti&e to sa!e his life e&&y's relati!es ha" been so !ainan" foolish that they ha" showe" to strangers their lun"eran" their &anner of obtaining it 0t was Luite &elancholylea!ing the three *uegians with their sa!age country&enSbut it was a great co&fort that they ha" no ersonalfears Ror$ being a owerful resolute &an was retty sureto get on well together with his wife *uegia Poor e&&y

loo$e" rather "isconsolate an" woul" then 0 ha!e little"oubt ha!e been gla" to ha!e returne" with us ,is ownbrother ha" stolen &any things fro& hi&S an" as he re&ar$e"N(hat fashion call that5N he abuse" his country&enNall ba" &en no sabe $now nothingN an" though0 ne!er hear" hi& swear before N"a&ne" foolsN :ur three*uegians though they ha" been only three years with ci!ili9e"&en woul" 0 a& sure ha!e been gla" to ha!e retaine"their new habitsS but this was ob!iously i&ossible 0 fear it is &ore than "oubtful whether their !isit will ha!e beenof any use to the&

0n the e!ening with =atthews on boar" we &a"e sailbac$ to the shi not by the Beagle Channel but by thesouthern coast The boats were hea!ily la"en an" the searough an" we ha" a "angerous assage By the e!eningof the /th we were on boar" the Beagle after an absence of twenty "ays "uring which ti&e we ha" gone three hun"re"&iles in the oen boats :n the 11th Catain *it9 +oyai" a !isit by hi&self to the *uegians an" foun" the& goingon wellS an" that they ha" lost !ery few &ore things

:n the last "ay of *ebruary in the succee"ing year 1I83

the Beagle anchore" in a beautiful little co!e at the easternentrance of the Beagle Channel Catain *it9 +oy "eter&ine"on the bol" an" as it ro!e" successful atte&t tobeat against the westerly win"s by the sa&e route whichwe ha" followe" in the boats to the settle&ent at (oollya(e "i" not see &any nati!es until we were near Ponsonby-oun" where we were followe" by ten or twel!e canoes Thenati!es "i" not at all un"erstan" the reason of our tac$ingan" instea" of &eeting us at each tac$ !ainly stro!e tofollow us in our 9ig9ag course 0 was a&use" at fin"ingwhat a "ifference the circu&stance of being Luite suerior in force &a"e in the interest of behol"ing these sa!ages

(hile in the boats 0 got to hate the !ery soun" of their !oices so &uch trouble "i" they gi!e us The first an" lastwor" was Nya&&erschoonerN (hen entering so&e Luiet



little co!e we ha!e loo$e" roun" an" thought to ass a Luietnight the o"ious wor" Nya&&erschoonerN has shrilly soun"e"fro& so&e gloo&y noo$ an" then the little signals&o$ehas curle" u to srea" the news far an" wi"e :n lea!ingso&e lace we ha!e sai" to each other NThan$ hea!en weha!e at last fairly left these wretches%N when one &ore faint

hallo fro& an allowerful !oice hear" at a ro"igious"istance woul" reach our ears an" clearly coul" we "istinguish Nya&&erschoonerN But now the &ore *uegians the &errierSan" !ery &erry wor$ it was Both arties laughingwon"ering gaing at each otherS we itying the& for gi!ingus goo" fish an" crabs for rags etcS they grasing at thechance of fin"ing eole so foolish as to exchange such slen"i"orna&ents for a goo" suer 0t was &ost a&using tosee the un"isguise" s&ile of satisfaction with which oneyoung wo&an with her face ainte" blac$ tie" se!eral bitsof scarlet cloth roun" her hea" with rushes ,er husban"who enjoye" the !ery uni!ersal ri!ilege in this country of

ossessing two wi!es e!i"ently beca&e jealous of all theattention ai" to his young wifeS an" after a consultationwith his na$e" beauties was a""le" away by the&

-o&e of the *uegians lainly showe" that they ha" a fair notion of barter 0 ga!e one &an a large nail a &ost !aluableresent without &a$ing any signs for a returnS but hei&&e"iately ic$e" out two fish an" han"e" the& u on theoint of his sear 0f any resent was "esigne" for onecanoe an" it fell near another it was in!ariably gi!en to theright owner The *uegian boy who& =r >ow ha" onboar" showe" by going into the &ost !iolent assion that

he Luite un"erstoo" the reroach of being calle" a liar whichin truth he was (e were this ti&e as on all for&er occasions&uch surrise" at the little notice or rather nonewhate!er which was ta$en of &any things the use of which&ust ha!e been e!i"ent to the nati!es -i&le circu&stances such as the beauty of scarlet cloth or blue bea"sthe absence of wo&en our care in washing oursel!es excite"their a"&iration far &ore than any gran" or co&licate"object such as our shi Bougain!ille has well re&ar$e"concerning these eole that they treat the Nchefs"'oeu!re "e l'in"ustrie hu&aine co&&e ils traitent les loix"e la nature et ses heno&enesN

:n the Mth of =arch we anchore" in a co!e at (oollyabut we saw not a soul there (e were alar&e" at this for the nati!es in Ponsonby -oun" showe" by gestures that thereha" been fightingS an" we afterwar"s hear" that the "rea"e":ens &en ha" &a"e a "escent -oon a canoe with a littleflag flying was seen aroaching with one of the &en in itwashing the aint off his face This &an was oor e&&y now a thin haggar" sa!age with long "isor"ere" hair an"na$e" excet a bit of blan$et roun" his waist (e "i" notrecogni9e hi& till he was close to us for he was asha&e"of hi&self an" turne" his bac$ to the shi (e ha" left hi&

lu& fat clean an" well"resse"S 0 ne!er saw so co&letean" grie!ous a change s soon howe!er as he was clothe"an" the first flurry was o!er things wore a goo" aearance



,e "ine" with Catain *it9 +oy an" ate his "inner as ti"ily as for&erly ,e tol" us that he ha" Ntoo &uchN&eaning enough to eat that he was not col" that hisrelations were !ery goo" eole an" that he "i" not wish to gobac$ to Englan"5 in the e!ening we foun" out the cause of this great change in e&&y's feelings in the arri!al of his

young an" niceloo$ing wife (ith his usual goo" feelinghe brought two beautiful otters$ins for two of his bestfrien"s an" so&e searhea"s an" arrows &a"e with his ownhan"s for the Catain ,e sai" he ha" built a canoe for hi&selfan" he boaste" that he coul" tal$ a little of his ownlanguage% But it is a &ost singular fact that he aears toha!e taught all his tribe so&e English5 an ol" &an sontaneouslyannounce" Ne&&y Button's wifeN e&&y ha" lostall his roerty ,e tol" us that Ror$ =inster ha" builta large canoe an" with his wife *uegia 284 ha" se!eral &onthssince gone to his own country an" ha" ta$en farewell by anact of consu&&ate !illainyS he ersua"e" e&&y an" his

&other to co&e with hi& an" then on the way "eserte" the&by night stealing e!ery article of their roerty

e&&y went to slee on shore an" in the &orning returne"an" re&aine" on boar" till the shi got un"er waywhich frightene" his wife who continue" crying !iolentlytill he got into his canoe ,e returne" loa"e" with !aluableroerty E!ery soul on boar" was heartily sorry to sha$ehan"s with hi& for the last ti&e 0 "o not now "oubt thathe will be as hay as erhas haier than if he ha" ne!er left his own country E!ery one &ust sincerely hoe thatCatain *it9 +oy's noble hoe &ay be fulfille" of being

rewar"e" for the &any generous sacrifices which he &a"e for these *uegians by so&e shiwrec$e" sailor being rotecte"by the "escen"ants of e&&y Button an" his tribe% (hene&&y reache" the shore he lighte" a signal fire an" thes&o$e curle" u bi""ing us a last an" long farewell as theshi stoo" on her course into the oen sea

The erfect eLuality a&ong the in"i!i"uals co&osing the*uegian tribes &ust for a long ti&e retar" their ci!ili9ation s we see those ani&als whose instinct co&els the& to li!ein society an" obey a chief are &ost caable of i&ro!e&entso is it with the races of &an$in" (hether we loo$

at it as a cause or a conseLuence the &ore ci!ili9e" alwaysha!e the &ost artificial go!ern&ents *or instance theinhabitants of :taheite who when first "isco!ere" werego!erne" by here"itary $ings ha" arri!e" at a far higher gra"ethan another branch of the sa&e eole the ;ew Wealan"ers who although benefite" by being co&elle" to turn their attention to agriculture were reublicans in the &ost absolutesense 0n Tierra "el *uego until so&e chief shall arisewith ower sufficient to secure any acLuire" a"!antage suchas the "o&esticate" ani&als it see&s scarcely ossible thatthe olitical state of the country can be i&ro!e" t resente!en a iece of cloth gi!en to one is torn into shre"s

an" "istribute"S an" no one in"i!i"ual beco&es richer thananother :n the other han" it is "ifficult to un"erstan" howa chief can arise till there is roerty of so&e sort by which



he &ight &anifest his sueriority an" increase his ower

0 belie!e in this extre&e art of -outh &erica &anexists in a lower state of i&ro!e&ent than in any other artof the worl" The -outh -ea 0slan"ers of the two racesinhabiting the Pacific are co&arati!ely ci!ili9e" The

EsLui&au in his subterranean hut enjoys so&e of the co&fortsof life an" in his canoe when fully eLuie" &anifests&uch s$ill -o&e of the tribes of -outhern fricarowling about in search of roots an" li!ing conceale" onthe wil" an" ari" lains are sufficiently wretche" The ustralian in the si&licity of the arts of life co&esnearest the *uegian5 he can howe!er boast of his boo&eranghis sear an" throwingstic$ his &etho" of cli&bing trees of trac$ing ani&als an" of hunting lthough the ustralian &ay besuerior in acLuire&ents it by no &eans follows that he isli$ewise suerior in &ental caacity5 in"ee" fro& what 0saw of the *uegians when on boar" an" fro& what 0 ha!e

rea" of the ustralians 0 shoul" thin$ the case was exactlythe re!erse

214 This substance when "ry is tolerably co&act an" of little secific gra!ity5 Professor Ehrenberg has exa&ine"it5 he states Uonig $a" "er (issen5 Berlin *eb 1I3Mthat it is co&ose" of infusoria inclu"ing fourteenolygastrica an" four hytolitharia ,e says that they areall inhabitants of freshwaterS this is a beautiful exa&leof the results obtainable through Professor Ehrenberg's&icroscoic researchesS for e&&y Button tol" &e that it isalways collecte" at the botto&s of &ountainbroo$s 0t is

&oreo!er a stri$ing fact that in the geograhical "istributionof the infusoria which are well $nown to ha!e !ery wi"eranges that all the secies in this substance althoughbrought fro& the extre&e southern oint of Tierra "el *uegoare ol" $nown for&s

264 :ne "ay off the East coast of Tierra "el *uego we sawa gran" sight in se!eral ser&aceti whales ju&ing urightLuite out of the water with the excetion of their tailfins s they fell "own si"eways they slashe" the water high uan" the soun" re!erberate" li$e a "istant broa"si"e

284 Catain -uli!an who since his !oyage in the Beagle hasbeen e&loye" on the sur!ey of the *al$lan" 0slan"s hear"fro& a sealer in 1I36Q that when in the western art of the -trait of =agellan he was astonishe" by a nati!e wo&anco&ing on boar" who coul" tal$ so&e English (ithout "oubtthis was *uega Bas$et -he li!e" 0 fear the ter& robablybears a "ouble interretation so&e "ays on boar"

C,PTE+ 0

-T+0T :* =GE>>; C>0=TE :* T,E -:<T,E+; C:-T-

-trait of =agellan Port *a&ine scent of =ount Tarn



*orests E"ible *ungus Woology Great -eawee" >ea!eTierra "el *uego Cli&ate *ruittrees an" Pro"uctionsof the -outhern Coasts ,eight of -nowline on theCor"illera Descent of Glaciers to the -ea 0cebergsfor&e" Transortal of Boul"ers Cli&ate an" Pro"uctionsof the ntarctic 0slan"s Preser!ation of *ro9en Carcasses

+ecaitulation

0; T,E en" of =ay 1I83 we entere" for a secon" ti&ethe eastern &outh of the -trait of =agellan The countryon both si"es of this art of the -trait consists of nearly le!el lains li$e those of Patagonia Cae ;egro alittle within the secon" ;arrows &ay be consi"ere" as theoint where the lan" begins to assu&e the &ar$e" featuresof Tierra "el *uego :n the east coast south of the -traitbro$en ar$li$e scenery in a li$e &anner connects these twocountries which are oose" to each other in al&ost e!ery

feature 0t is truly surrising to fin" in a sace of twenty&iles such a change in the lan"scae 0f we ta$e a rather greater "istance as between Port *a&ine an" Gregory Baythat is about sixty &iles the "ifference is still &orewon"erful t the for&er lace we ha!e roun"e" &ountainsconceale" by i&er!ious forests which are "renche" with therain brought by an en"less succession of galesS while atCae Gregory there is a clear an" bright blue s$y o!er the"ry an" sterile lains The at&osheric currents 214 althoughrai" turbulent an" unconfine" by any aarent li&its yetsee& to follow li$e a ri!er in its be" a regularly "eter&ine"course

During our re!ious !isit in anuary we ha" an inter!iewat Cae Gregory with the fa&ous socalle" giganticPatagonians who ga!e us a cor"ial recetion Their heightaears greater than it really is fro& their large guanaco&antles their long flowing hair an" general figure5 on ana!erage their height is about six feet with so&e &en taller an" only a few shorterS an" the wo&en are also tallS altogether they are certainly the tallest race which we anywheresaw 0n features they stri$ingly rese&ble the &ore northern0n"ians who& 0 saw with +osas but they ha!e a wil"er an"&ore for&i"able aearance5 their faces were &uch ainte"

with re" an" blac$ an" one &an was ringe" an" "otte" withwhite li$e a *uegian Catain *it9 +oy offere" to ta$e anythree of the& on boar" an" all see&e" "eter&ine" to be of the three 0t was long before we coul" clear the boatS atlast we got on boar" with our three giants who "ine" withthe Catain an" beha!e" Luite li$e gentle&en helingthe&sel!es with $ni!es for$s an" soons5 nothing was so &uchrelishe" as sugar This tribe has ha" so &uch co&&unicationwith sealers an" whalers that &ost of the &en can sea$ alittle English an" -anishS an" they are half ci!ili9e" an"roortionally "e&orali9e"

The next &orning a large arty went on shore to barter for s$ins an" ostrichfeathersS firear&s being refuse"tobacco was in greatest reLuest far &ore so than axes or



tools The whole oulation of the tol"os &en wo&en an"chil"ren were arrange" on a ban$ 0t was an a&usingscene an" it was i&ossible not to li$e the socalle" giantsthey were so thoroughly goo"hu&oure" an" unsusecting5they as$e" us to co&e again They see& to li$e to ha!eEuroeans to li!e with the&S an" ol" =aria an i&ortant

wo&an in the tribe once begge" =r >ow to lea!e any oneof his sailors with the& They sen" the greater art of theyear hereS but in su&&er they hunt along the foot of theCor"illera5 so&eti&es they tra!el as far as the +io ;egro/M7 &iles to the north They are well stoc$e" with horseseach &an ha!ing accor"ing to =r >ow six or se!en an"all the wo&en an" e!en chil"ren their one own horse 0nthe ti&e of -ar&iento 1MI7 these 0n"ians ha" bows an"arrows now long since "isuse"S they then also ossesse"so&e horses This is a !ery curious fact showing theextraor"inarily rai" &ultilication of horses in -outh &ericaThe horse was first lan"e" at Buenos yres in 1M8/ an" the

colony being then for a ti&e "eserte" the horse ran wil"S 264in 1MI7 only fortythree years afterwar"s we hear of the& atthe -trait of =agellan% =r >ow infor&s &e that a neighbouringtribe of foot0n"ians is now changing into horse0n"ians5the tribe at Gregory Bay gi!ing the& their wornout horsesan" sen"ing in winter a few of their best s$ille" &en to huntfor the&

une 1st (e anchore" in the fine bay of Port *a&ine0t was now the beginning of winter an" 0 ne!er saw a &orecheerless rosectS the "us$y woo"s iebal" with snowcoul" be only seen in"istinctly through a "ri99ling ha9y

at&oshere (e were howe!er luc$y in getting two fine"ays :n one of these =ount -ar&iento a "istant &ountainHI77 feet high resente" a !ery noble sectacle 0 wasfreLuently surrise" in the scenery of Tierra "el *uego at thelittle aarent ele!ation of &ountains really lofty 0 susectit is owing to a cause which woul" not at first be i&agine"na&ely that the whole &ass fro& the su&&it to the water'se"ge is generally in full !iew 0 re&e&ber ha!ing seen a&ountain first fro& the Beagle Channel where the wholeswee fro& the su&&it to the base was full in !iew an" thenfro& Ponsonby -oun" across se!eral successi!e ri"gesS an"it was curious to obser!e in the latter case as each fresh

ri"ge affor"e" fresh &eans of ju"ging of the "istance howthe &ountain rose in height

Before reaching Port *a&ine two &en were seen runningalong the shore an" hailing the shi boat was sent for the& They turne" out to be two sailors who ha" run awayfro& a sealing!essel an" ha" joine" the Patagonians These0n"ians ha" treate" the& with their usual "isintereste"hositality They ha" arte" co&any through acci"ent an"were then rocee"ing to Port *a&ine in hoes of fin"ingso&e shi 0 "are say they were worthless !agabon"s but 0ne!er saw &ore &iserableloo$ing ones They ha" been li!ing

for so&e "ays on &usselshells an" berries an" their tattere" clothes ha" been burnt by sleeing so near their firesThey ha" been exose" night an" "ay without any shelter



to the late incessant gales with rain sleet an" snow an" yetthey were in goo" health

During our stay at Port *a&ine the *uegians twice ca&ean" lague" us s there were &any instru&ents clothesan" &en on shore it was thought necessary to frighten the&

away The first ti&e a few great guns were fire" when theywere far "istant 0t was &ost lu"icrous to watch through aglass the 0n"ians as often as the shot struc$ the water ta$eu stones an" as a bol" "efiance throw the& towar"s theshi though about a &ile an" a half "istant% boat wassent with or"ers to fire a few &us$etshots wi"e of the&The *uegians hi" the&sel!es behin" the trees an" for e!ery"ischarge of the &us$ets they fire" their arrowsS all howe!erfell short of the boat an" the officer as he ointe" atthe& laughe" This &a"e the *uegians frantic with assionan" they shoo$ their &antles in !ain rage t last seeingthe balls cut an" stri$e the trees they ran away an" we were

left in eace an" Luietness During the for&er !oyage the*uegians were here !ery troubleso&e an" to frighten the& aroc$et was fire" at night o!er their wigwa&sS it answere"effectually an" one of the officers tol" &e that the cla&our first raise" an" the bar$ing of the "ogs was Luite lu"icrousin contrast with the rofoun" silence which in a &inute or two afterwar"s re!aile" The next &orning not a single*uegian was in the neighbourhoo"

(hen the Beagle was here in the &onth of *ebruary 0starte" one &orning at four o'cloc$ to ascen" =ount Tarnwhich is 6H77 feet high an" is the &ost ele!ate" oint in this

i&&e"iate "istrict (e went in a boat to the foot of the&ountain but unluc$ily not to the best art an" thenbegan our ascent The forest co&&ences at the line of highwater &ar$ an" "uring the first two hours 0 ga!e o!er allhoes of reaching the su&&it -o thic$ was the woo" thatit was necessary to ha!e constant recourse to the co&assSfor e!ery lan"&ar$ though in a &ountainous country wasco&letely shut out 0n the "ee ra!ines the "eathli$escene of "esolation excee"e" all "escritionS outsi"e it wasblowing a gale but in these hollows not e!en a breath of win" stirre" the lea!es of the tallest trees -o gloo&y col"an" wet was e!ery art that not e!en the fungi &osses or

ferns coul" flourish 0n the !alleys it was scarcely ossibleto crawl along they were so co&letely barrica"e" by great&oul"ering trun$s which ha" fallen "own in e!ery "irection(hen assing o!er these natural bri"ges one's course wasoften arreste" by sin$ing $nee "ee into the rotten woo"S atother ti&es when atte&ting to lean against a fir& tree onewas startle" by fin"ing a &ass of "ecaye" &atter rea"y tofall at the slightest touch (e at last foun" oursel!es a&ongthe stunte" trees an" then soon reache" the bare ri"ge whichcon"ucte" us to the su&&it ,ere was a !iew characteristicof Tierra "el *uegoS irregular chains of hills &ottle" withatches of snow "ee yellowishgreen !alleys an" ar&s of

the sea intersecting the lan" in &any "irections The strongwin" was iercingly col" an" the at&oshere rather ha9y sothat we "i" not stay long on the to of the &ountain :ur



"escent was not Luite so laborious as our ascent for theweight of the bo"y force" a assage an" all the slis an"falls were in the right "irection

0 ha!e alrea"y &entione" the so&bre an" "ull character of the e!ergreen forests 284 in which two or three secies of

trees grow to the exclusion of all others bo!e the forestlan" there are &any "warf aline lants which all sringfro& the &ass of eat an" hel to co&ose it5 these lantsare !ery re&ar$able fro& their close alliance with the seciesgrowing on the &ountains of Euroe though so &any thousan"&iles "istant The central art of Tierra "el *uego where theclayslate for&ation occurs is &ost fa!ourable to the growthof treesS on the outer coast the oorer granitic soil an" asituation &ore exose" to the !iolent win"s "o not allow of their attaining any great si9e ;ear Port *a&ine 0 ha!e seen&ore large trees than anywhere else5 0 &easure" a (inter'sBar$ which was four feet six inches in girth an" se!eral of

the beech were as &uch as thirteen feet Catain Uing also&entions a beech which was se!en feet in "ia&eter se!enteenfeet abo!e the roots

There is one !egetable ro"uction "eser!ing notice fro&its i&ortance as an article of foo" to the *uegians 0t is aglobular brightyellow fungus which grows in !ast nu&berson the beechtrees (hen young it is elastic an" turgi" with

2icture4

a s&ooth surfaceS but when &ature it shrin$s beco&es tougher

an" has its entire surface "eely itte" or honeyco&be"as reresente" in the acco&anying woo"cut This fungusbelongs to a new an" curious genus 234 0 foun" a secon"secies on another secies of beech in Chile5 an" Dr ,oo$er infor&s &e that just lately a thir" secies has been "isco!ere"on a thir" secies of beech in Van Diernan's >an" ,ow singular is this relationshi between arasitical fungi an" the treeson which they grow in "istant arts of the worl"% 0n Tierra"el *uego the fungus in its tough an" &ature state is collecte"in large Luantities by the wo&en an" chil"ren an" is eatenuncoo$e" 0t has a &ucilaginous slightly sweet taste witha faint s&ell li$e that of a &ushroo& (ith the excetion of

a few berries chiefly of a "warf arbutus the nati!es eatno !egetable foo" besi"es this fungus 0n ;ew Wealan"before the intro"uction of the otato the roots of the fernwere largely consu&e"S at the resent ti&e 0 belie!e Tierra"el *uego is the only country in the worl" where a crytoga&iclant affor"s a stale article of foo"

The 9oology of Tierra "el *uego as &ight ha!e beenexecte" fro& the nature of its cli&ate an" !egetation is!ery oor :f &a&&alia besi"es whales an" seals there isone bat a $in" of &ouse +eithro"on chinchilloi"es twotrue &ice a cteno&ys allie" to or i"entical with the tucutuco

two foxes Canis =agellanicus an" C 9arae a seaotterthe guanaco an" a "eer =ost of these ani&als inhabit onlythe "rier eastern arts of the countryS an" the "eer has ne!er



been seen south of the -trait of =agellan :bser!ing thegeneral correson"ence of the cliffs of soft san"stone &u"an" shingle on the oosite si"es of the -trait an" on so&einter!ening islan"s one is strongly te&te" to belie!e that thelan" was once joine" an" thus allowe" ani&als so "elicatean" helless as the tucutuco an" +eithro"on to ass o!er

The correson"ence of the cliffs is far fro& ro!ing any junctionS because such cliffs generally are for&e" by theintersection of sloing "eosits which before the ele!ationof the lan" ha" been accu&ulate" near the then existingshores 0t is howe!er a re&ar$able coinci"ence that in thetwo large islan"s cut off by the Beagle Channel fro& therest of Tierra "el *uego one has cliffs co&ose" of &atter that &ay be calle" stratifie" allu!iu& which front si&ilar ones on the oosite si"e of the channel while the other isexclusi!ely bor"ere" by ol" crystalline roc$s5 in the for&ercalle" ;a!arin 0slan" both foxes an" guanacos occurS but inthe latter ,oste 0slan" although si&ilar in e!ery resect

an" only searate" by a channel a little &ore than half a &ilewi"e 0 ha!e the wor" of e&&y Button for saying thatneither of these ani&als are foun"

The gloo&y woo"s are inhabite" by few bir"s5 occasionallythe lainti!e note of a whitetufte" tyrantflycatcher =yiobius albices &ay be hear" conceale" near the su&&itof the &ost lofty treesS an" &ore rarely the lou" strangecry of a blac$ woo"ec$er with a fine scarlet crest on itshea" little "us$ycoloure" wren -cytalous =agellanicushos in a s$ul$ing &anner a&ong the entangle" &assof the fallen an" "ecaying trun$s But the creeer :xyurus

tuinieri is the co&&onest bir" in the country Throughoutthe beech forests high u an" low "own in the &ostgloo&y wet an" i&enetrable ra!ines it &ay be &et withThis little bir" no "oubt aears &ore nu&erous than itreally is fro& its habit of following with see&ing curiosityany erson who enters these silent woo"s5 continually utteringa harsh twitter it flutters fro& tree to tree within a fewfeet of the intru"er's face 0t is far fro& wishing for the&o"est conceal&ent of the true creeer Certhia fa&iliarisSnor "oes it li$e that bir" run u the trun$s of trees butin"ustriously after the &anner of a willowwren hos aboutan" searches for insects on e!ery twig an" branch 0n the

&ore oen arts three or four secies of finches a thrusha starling or 0cterus two :etiorhynchi an" se!eral haw$san" owls occur

The absence of any secies whate!er in the whole class of +etiles is a &ar$e" feature in the 9oology of this countryas well as in that of the *al$lan" 0slan"s 0 "o not groun"this state&ent &erely on &y own obser!ation but 0 hear" itfro& the -anish inhabitants of the latter lace an" fro&e&&y Button with regar" to Tierra "el *uego :n theban$s of the -anta Cru9 in M7 "egs south 0 saw a frogS an"it is not i&robable that these ani&als as well as li9ar"s &ay

be foun" as far south as the -trait of =agellan where thecountry retains the character of PatagoniaS but within the"a& an" col" li&it of Tierra "el *uego not one occurs



That the cli&ate woul" not ha!e suite" so&e of the or"erssuch as li9ar"s &ight ha!e been foreseenS but with resectto frogs this was not so ob!ious

Beetles occur in !ery s&all nu&bers5 it was long before 0coul" belie!e that a country as large as -cotlan" co!ere"

with !egetable ro"uctions an" with a !ariety of stationscoul" be so unro"ucti!e The few which 0 foun" werealine secies ,arali"ae an" ,etero&i"ae li!ing un"er stones The !egetablefee"ing Chryso&eli"ae so e&inentlycharacteristic of the Troics are here al&ost entirelyabsentS 2M4 0 saw !ery few flies butterflies or bees an" nocric$ets or :rthotera 0n the ools of water 0 foun" but a fewaLuatic beetles an" not any freshwater shells5 -uccinea atfirst aears an excetionS but here it &ust be calle" aterrestrial shell for it li!es on the "a& herbage far fro& thewater >an"shells coul" be rocure" only in the sa&e alinesituations with the beetles 0 ha!e alrea"y contraste" the

cli&ate as well as the general aearance of Tierra "el*uego with that of PatagoniaS an" the "ifference is stronglyexe&lifie" in the ento&ology 0 "o not belie!e they ha!eone secies in co&&onS certainly the general character of theinsects is wi"ely "ifferent

0f we turn fro& the lan" to the sea we shall fin" the latter as abun"antly stoc$e" with li!ing creatures as the for&er isoorly so 0n all arts of the worl" a roc$y an" artiallyrotecte" shore erhas suorts in a gi!en sace a greater nu&ber of in"i!i"ual ani&als than any other station Thereis one &arine ro"uction which fro& its i&ortance is

worthy of a articular history 0t is the $el or =acrocystisyrifera This lant grows on e!ery roc$ fro& lowwater &ar$ to a great "eth both on the outer coast an" within thechannels 2H4 0 belie!e "uring the !oyages of the "!enturean" Beagle not one roc$ near the surface was "isco!ere"which was not buoye" by this floating wee" The goo" ser!iceit thus affor"s to !essels na!igating near this stor&ylan" is e!i"entS an" it certainly has sa!e" &any a one fro&being wrec$e" 0 $now few things &ore surrising than tosee this lant growing an" flourishing a&i"st those greatbrea$ers of the western ocean which no &ass of roc$ let itbe e!er so har" can long resist The ste& is roun" sli&y

an" s&ooth an" sel"o& has a "ia&eter of so &uch as aninch few ta$en together are sufficiently strong to suortthe weight of the large loose stones to which in the inlan"channels they grow attache"S an" yet so&e of these stoneswere so hea!y that when "rawn to the surface they coul"scarcely be lifte" into a boat by one erson Catain Coo$in his secon" !oyage says that this lant at Uerguelen >an"rises fro& a greater "eth than twentyfour fatho&sS Nan"as it "oes not grow in a eren"icular "irection but &a$es a!ery acute angle with the botto& an" &uch of it afterwar"ssrea"s &any fatho&s on the surface of the sea 0 a& wellwarrante" to say that so&e of it grows to the length of sixty

fatho&s an" uwar"sN 0 "o not suose the ste& of anyother lant attains so great a length as three hun"re" an"sixty feet as state" by Catain Coo$ Catain *it9 +oy



&oreo!er foun" it growing 2/4 u fro& the greater "eth of fortyfi!e fatho&s The be"s of this seawee" e!en whenof not great brea"th &a$e excellent natural floatingbrea$waters 0t is Luite curious to see in an exose" harbourhow soon the wa!es fro& the oen sea as they tra!el throughthe straggling ste&s sin$ in height an" ass into s&ooth

water

The nu&ber of li!ing creatures of all :r"ers whose existenceinti&ately "een"s on the $el is won"erful great!olu&e &ight be written "escribing the inhabitants of oneof these be"s of seawee" l&ost all the lea!es excetingthose that float on the surface are so thic$ly incruste" withcorallines as to be of a white colour (e fin" exLuisitely"elicate structures so&e inhabite" by si&le hy"rali$eolyi others by &ore organi9e" $in"s an" beautiful co&oun" sci"iae :n the lea!es also !arious atellifor& shellsTrochi unco!ere" &olluscs an" so&e bi!al!es are attache"

0nnu&erable crustacea freLuent e!ery art of the lant :nsha$ing the great entangle" roots a ile of s&all fish shellscuttlefish crabs of all or"ers seaeggs starfish beautiful,oluthuriae Planariae an" crawling nerei"ous ani&als of a&ultitu"e of for&s all fall out together :ften as 0 recurre"to a branch of the $el 0 ne!er faile" to "isco!er ani&alsof new an" curious structures 0n Chiloe where the $el"oes not thri!e !ery well the nu&erous shells corallines an"crustacea are absentS but there yet re&ain a few of the*lustraceae an" so&e co&oun" sci"iaeS the latter howe!erare of "ifferent secies fro& those in Tierra "el *uego5we see here the fucus ossessing a wi"er range than the ani&als

which use it as an abo"e 0 can only co&are thesegreat aLuatic forests of the southern he&ishere with theterrestrial ones in the intertroical regions Ret if in anycountry a forest was "estroye" 0 "o not belie!e nearly so&any secies of ani&als woul" erish as woul" here fro&the "estruction of the $el &i"st the lea!es of this lantnu&erous secies of fish li!e which nowhere else coul" fin"foo" or shelterS with their "estruction the &any cor&orantsan" other fishing bir"s the otters seals an" oroises woul"soon erish alsoS an" lastly the *uegian sa!age the &iserablelor" of this &iserable lan" woul" re"ouble his cannibalfeast "ecrease in nu&bers an" erhas cease to exist

une Ith (e weighe" anchor early in the &orning an"left Port *a&ine Catain *it9 +oy "eter&ine" to lea!e the-trait of =agellan by the =ag"alen Channel which ha" notlong been "isco!ere" :ur course lay "ue south "own thatgloo&y assage which 0 ha!e before allu"e" to as aearingto lea" to another an" worse worl" The win" was fair butthe at&oshere was !ery thic$S so that we &isse" &uchcurious scenery The "ar$ ragge" clou"s were rai"ly "ri!eno!er the &ountains fro& their su&&its nearly "own to their bases The gli&ses which we caught through the "us$y&ass were highly interestingS jagge" oints cones of snow

blue glaciers strong outlines &ar$e" on a luri" s$y wereseen at "ifferent "istances an" heights 0n the &i"st of suchscenery we anchore" at Cae Turn close to =ount -ar&iento



which was then hi""en in the clou"s t the base of the lofty an" al&ost eren"icular si"es of our little co!ethere was one "eserte" wigwa& an" it alone re&in"e" usthat &an so&eti&es wan"ere" into these "esolate regionsBut it woul" be "ifficult to i&agine a scene where he see&e"to ha!e fewer clai&s or less authority The inani&ate wor$s

of nature roc$ ice snow win" an" water all warringwith each other yet co&bine" against &an here reigne" inabsolute so!ereignty

une .th 0n the &orning we were "elighte" by seeingthe !eil of &ist gra"ually rise fro& -ar&iento an" "islay itto our !iew This &ountain which is one of the highest inTierra "el *uego has an altitu"e of HI77 feet 0ts base for about an eighth of its total height is clothe" by "us$y woo"san" abo!e this a fiel" of snow exten"s to the su&&it These!ast iles of snow which ne!er &elt an" see& "estine" tolast as long as the worl" hol"s together resent a noble an"

e!en subli&e sectacle The outline of the &ountain wasa"&irably clear an" "efine" :wing to the abun"ance of light reflecte" fro& the white an" glittering surface nosha"ows were cast on any artS an" those lines which intersecte"the s$y coul" alone be "istinguishe"5 hence the &assstoo" out in the bol"est relief -e!eral glaciers "escen"e" ina win"ing course fro& the uer great exanse of snow tothe seacoast5 they &ay be li$ene" to great fro9en ;iagarasSan" erhas these cataracts of blue ice are full as beautifulas the &o!ing ones of water By night we reache" the westernart of the channelS but the water was so "ee that noanchorage coul" be foun" (e were in conseLuence oblige"

to stan" off an" on in this narrow ar& of the sea "uring aitch"ar$ night of fourteen hours long

une 17th 0n the &orning we &a"e the best of our wayinto the oen Pacific The western coast generally consistsof low roun"e" Luite barren hills of granite an" greenstone-ir ;arborough calle" one art -outh Desolation becauseit is Nso "esolate a lan" to behol"5N an" well in"ee" &ighthe say so :utsi"e the &ain islan"s there are nu&berlessscattere" roc$s on which the long swell of the oen oceanincessantly rages (e asse" out between the East an" (est*uriesS an" a little farther northwar" there are so &any

brea$ers that the sea is calle" the =il$y (ay :ne sight of such a coast is enough to &a$e a lan"s&an "rea& for a wee$about shiwrec$s eril an" "eathS an" with this sight weba"e farewell for e!er to Tierra "el *uego

The following "iscussion on the cli&ate of the southernarts of the continent with relation to its ro"uctions onthe snowline on the extraor"inarily low "escent of theglaciers an" on the 9one of eretual congelation inthe antarctic islan"s &ay be asse" o!er by any onenot intereste" in these curious subjects or the finalrecaitulation alone &ay be rea" 0 shall howe!er here

gi!e only an abstract an" &ust refer for "etails to theThirteenth Chater an" the en"ix of the for&er e"itionof this wor$



:n the Cli&ate an" Pro"uctions of Tierra "el *uego an"of the -outhwest Coast The following table gi!es the&ean te&erature of Tierra "el *uego the *al$lan" 0slan"san" for co&arison that of Dublin5

-u&&er (inter =ean of -u&&er >atitu"e Te& Te& an" (inter Tierra "el *uego M8 8I' - M7 887I 31M3*al$lan" 0slan"s M1 8I' - M1 Dublin M8 61' ; M.M3 8.6 3.8/

,ence we see that the central art of Tierra "el *uego iscol"er in winter an" no less than .M "egs less hot insu&&er than Dublin ccor"ing to !on Buch the &eante&erature of uly not the hottest &onth in the year

at -altenfior" in ;orway is as high as M/I "egsan" this lace is actually 18 "egs nearer the olethan Port *a&ine% 2I4 0nhositable as this cli&ate aearsto our feelings e!ergreen trees flourish luxuriantly un"er it ,u&&ingbir"s &ay be seen suc$ing the flowers an"arrots fee"ing on the see"s of the (inter's Bar$ in latMM "egs - 0 ha!e alrea"y re&ar$e" to what a "egree thesea swar&s with li!ing creaturesS an" the shells such asthe Patellae *issurellae Chitons an" Barnaclesaccor"ing to =r G B -owerby are of a &uch larger si9ean" of a &ore !igorous growth than the analogous secies inthe northern he&ishere large Voluta is abun"ant in

southern Tierra "el *uego an" the *al$lan" 0slan"s tBahia Blanca in lat 8. "egs - the &ost abun"ant shells werethree secies of :li!a one of large si9e one or two Volutasan" a Terebra ;ow these are a&ongst the best characteri9e"troical for&s 0t is "oubtful whether e!en ones&all secies of :li!a exists on the southern shores of Euroe an" there are no secies of the two other genera0f a geologist were to fin" in lat 8. "egs on the coast of Portugal a be" containing nu&erous shells belonging to threesecies of :li!a to a Voluta an" Terebra he woul" robablyassert that the cli&ate at the erio" of their existence &ustha!e been troicalS but ju"ging fro& -outh &erica such an

inference &ight be erroneous

The eLuable hu&i" an" win"y cli&ate of Tierra "el*uego exten"s with only a s&all increase of heat for &any"egrees along the west coast of the continent The forestsfor H77 &iles northwar" of Cae ,orn ha!e a !ery si&ilar asect s a roof of the eLuable cli&ate e!en for 877 or 377 &iles still further northwar" 0 &ay &ention that inChiloe correson"ing in latitu"e with the northern artsof -ain the each sel"o& ro"uces fruit whilst strawberriesan" ales thri!e to erfection E!en the cros of barley an" wheat 2.4 are often brought into the houses to be

"rie" an" riene" t Val"i!ia in the sa&e latitu"e of 37 "egs with =a"ri" graes an" figs rien but are notco&&onS oli!es sel"o& rien e!en artially an" oranges not at



all These fruits in correson"ing latitu"es in Euroe arewell $nown to succee" to erfectionS an" e!en in this continentat the +io ;egro un"er nearly the sa&e arallelwith Val"i!ia sweet otatoes con!ol!ulus are culti!ate"San" graes figs oli!es oranges water an" &us$ &elonsro"uce abun"ant fruit lthough the hu&i" an" eLuable

cli&ate of Chiloe an" of the coast northwar" an" southwar"of it is so unfa!ourable to our fruits yet the nati!eforests fro& lat 3M to 8I "egs al&ost ri!al in luxuriancethose of the glowing intertroical regions -tately trees of &any $in"s with s&ooth an" highly coloure" bar$s are loa"e"by arasitical &onocotyle"onous lantsS large an" elegantferns are nu&erous an" arborescent grasses entwine thetrees into one entangle" &ass to the height of thirty or fortyfeet abo!e the groun" Pal&trees grow in lat 8/ "egsS anarborescent grass !ery li$e a ba&boo in 37 "egsS an"another closely allie" $in" of great length but not erectflourishes e!en as far south as 3M "egs -

n eLuable cli&ate e!i"ently "ue to the large area of seaco&are" with the lan" see&s to exten" o!er the greater art of the southern he&ishereS an" as a conseLuence the!egetation arta$es of a se&itroical character Treefernsthri!e luxuriantly in Van Die&en's >an" lat 3M "egs an" 0&easure" one trun$ no less than six feet in circu&ference n arborescent fern was foun" by *orster in ;ew Wealan"in 3H "egs where orchi"eous lants are arasitical on thetrees 0n the uc$lan" 0slan"s ferns accor"ing to DrDieffenbach 2174 ha!e trun$s so thic$ an" high that they &aybe al&ost calle" treefernsS an" in these islan"s an" e!en

as far south as lat MM "egs in the =acLuarrie 0slan"sarrots aboun"

:n the ,eight of the -nowline an" on the Descent of the Glaciers in -outh &erica *or the "etaile" authoritiesfor the following table 0 &ust refer to the for&er e"ition5

,eight in feet>atitu"e of -nowline :bser!er ELuatorial regionS &ean result 1M/3I ,u&bol"tBoli!ia lat 1H to 1I "egs - 1/777 Pentlan"

Central Chile lat 88 "egs - 13M77 1M777 Gillies an" the uthorChiloe lat 31 to 38 "egs - H777 :fficers of the Beagle an" the uthorTierra "el *uego M3 "egs - 8M77 3777 Uing

s the height of the lane of eretual snow see&s chiefly tobe "eter&ine" by the extre&e heat of the su&&er rather thanby the &ean te&erature of the year we ought not to besurrise" at its "escent in the -trait of =agellan where the

su&&er is so cool to only 8M77 or 3777 feet abo!e the le!el of the seaS although in ;orway we &ust tra!el to between lat H/an" /7 "egs ; that is about 13 "egs nearer the ole to &eet



with eretual snow at this low le!el The "ifference in heightna&ely about .777 feet between the snowline on the Cor"illerabehin" Chiloe with its highest oints ranging fro&only MH77 to /M77 feet an" in central Chile 2114 a "istance of only . "egs of latitu"e is truly won"erful The lan" fro& thesouthwar" of Chiloe to near Concecion lat 8/ "egs is hi""en

by one "ense forest "riing with &oisture The s$y isclou"y an" we ha!e seen how ba"ly the fruits of southernEuroe succee" 0n central Chile on the other han" a littlenorthwar" of Concecion the s$y is generally clear rain "oesnot fall for the se!en su&&er &onths an" southern Euroeanfruits succee" a"&irablyS an" e!en the sugarcane hasbeen culti!ate" 2164 ;o "oubt the lane of eretual snowun"ergoes the abo!e re&ar$able flexure of .777 feetunarallele" in other arts of the worl" not far fro& thelatitu"e of Concecion where the lan" ceases to be co!ere"with foresttreesS for trees in -outh &erica in"icate a rainycli&ate an" rain a clou"e" s$y an" little heat in su&&er

The "escent of glaciers to the sea &ust 0 concei!e &ainly"een" subject of course to a roer suly of snow in theuer region on the lowness of the line of eretual snowon stee &ountains near the coast s the snowline is solow in Tierra "el *uego we &ight ha!e execte" that &anyof the glaciers woul" ha!e reache" the sea ;e!ertheless0 was astonishe" when 0 first saw a range only fro& 8777 to3777 feet in height in the latitu"e of Cu&berlan" with e!ery!alley fille" with strea&s of ice "escen"ing to the seacoast l&ost e!ery ar& of the sea which enetrates to the interior higher chain not only in Tierra "el *uego but on the coast

for HM7 &iles northwar"s is ter&inate" by Ntre&en"ous an"astonishing glaciersN as "escribe" by one of the officers onthe sur!ey Great &asses of ice freLuently fall fro& theseicy cliffs an" the crash re!erberates li$e the broa"si"e of a&anofwar through the lonely channels These falls asnotice" in the last chater ro"uce great wa!es which brea$on the a"joining coasts 0t is $nown that earthLua$es freLuentlycause &asses of earth to fall fro& seacliffs5 howterrific then woul" be the effect of a se!ere shoc$ an" suchoccur here 2184 on a bo"y li$e a glacier alrea"y in &otion an"tra!erse" by fissures% 0 can rea"ily belie!e that the water woul" be fairly beaten bac$ out of the "eeest channel an"

then returning with an o!erwhel&ing force woul" whirlabout huge &asses of roc$ li$e so &uch chaff 0n Eyre's-oun" in the latitu"e of Paris there are i&&ense glaciersan" yet the loftiest neighbouring &ountain is only H677 feethigh 0n this -oun" about fifty icebergs were seen at oneti&e floating outwar"s an" one of the& &ust ha!e been atleast 1HI feet in total height -o&e of the icebergs wereloa"e" with bloc$s of no inconsi"erable si9e of granite an"other roc$s "ifferent fro& the clayslate of the surroun"ing&ountains The glacier furthest fro& the ole sur!eye""uring the !oyages of the "!enture an" Beagle is in lat3H "egs M7' in the Gulf of Penas 0t is 1M &iles long an" in

one art / broa" an" "escen"s to the seacoast But e!en afew &iles northwar" of this glacier in >aguna "e -an



2icture4

+afael so&e -anish &issionaries 2134 encountere" N&anyicebergs so&e great so&e s&all an" others &i""lesi9e"N ina narrow ar& of the sea on the 66n" of the &onth correson"ingwith our une an" in a latitu"e correson"ing with

that of the >a$e of Gene!a%

0n Euroe the &ost southern glacier which co&es "ownto the sea is &et with accor"ing to Von Buch on the coastof ;orway in lat H/ "egs ;ow this is &ore than 67 "egs of latitu"e or 1687 &iles nearer the ole than the >aguna "e -an+afael The osition of the glaciers at this lace an" in theGulf of Penas &ay be ut e!en in a &ore stri$ing oint of !iew for they "escen" to the seacoast within /M "egs of latitu"e or 3M7 &iles of a harbour where three secies of :li!a a Voluta an" a Terebra are the co&&onest shellswithin less than . "egs fro& where al&s grow within 3M "egs

of a region where the jaguar an" u&a range o!er thelains less than 6M "egs fro& arborescent grasses an"loo$ing to the westwar" in the sa&e he&ishere less than6 "egs fro& orchi"eous arasites an" within a single "egreeof treeferns%

These facts are of high geological interest with resect tothe cli&ate of the northern he&ishere at the erio" whenboul"ers were transorte" 0 will not here "etail how si&lythe theory of icebergs being charge" with frag&ents of roc$exlain the origin an" osition of the gigantic boul"ers of eastern Tierra "el *uego on the high lain of -anta Cru9

an" on the islan" of Chiloe 0n Tierra "el *uego the greater nu&ber of boul"ers lie on the lines of ol" seachannels nowcon!erte" into "ry !alleys by the ele!ation of the lan" Theyare associate" with a great unstratifie" for&ation of &u"an" san" containing roun"e" an" angular frag&ents of allsi9es which has originate" 21M4 in the reeate" loughing u of the seabotto& by the stran"ing of icebergs an" by the &atter transorte" on the& *ew geologists now "oubt thatthose erratic boul"ers which lie near lofty &ountains ha!ebeen ushe" forwar" by the glaciers the&sel!es an" thatthose "istant fro& &ountains an" e&be""e" in subaLueous"eosits ha!e been con!eye" thither either on icebergs or

fro9en in coastice The connection between the transortalof boul"ers an" the resence of ice in so&e for& is stri$inglyshown by their geograhical "istribution o!er the earth0n -outh &erica they are not foun" further than 3I "egs of latitu"e &easure" fro& the southern oleS in ;orth &ericait aears that the li&it of their transortal exten"s toM8M "egs fro& the northern oleS but in Euroe to not &orethan 37 "egs of latitu"e &easure" fro& the sa&e oint :n theother han" in the intertroical arts of &erica sia an" frica they ha!e ne!er been obser!e"S nor at the Cae of Goo",oe nor in ustralia 21H4

:n the Cli&ate an" Pro"uctions of the ntarctic 0slan"s Consi"ering the ran$ness of the !egetation in Tierra "el*uego an" on the coast northwar" of it the con"ition of the



islan"s south an" southwest of &erica is truly surrising-an"wich >an" in the latitu"e of the north art of -cotlan"was foun" by Coo$ "uring the hottest &onth of theyear Nco!ere" &any fatho&s thic$ with e!erlasting snowSNan" there see&s to be scarcely any !egetation Georgia anislan" .H &iles long an" 17 broa" in the latitu"e of Ror$shire

Nin the !ery height of su&&er is in a &anner whollyco!ere" with fro9en snowN 0t can boast only of &oss so&etufts of grass an" wil" burnetS it has only one lan"bir"nthus corren"era yet 0celan" which is 17 "egs nearer theole has accor"ing to =ac$en9ie fifteen lan"bir"s The-outh -hetlan" 0slan"s in the sa&e latitu"e as the southernhalf of ;orway ossess only so&e lichens &oss an" a littlegrassS an" >ieut Uen"all 21/4 foun" the bay in which he wasat anchor beginning to free9e at a erio" correson"ing withour Ith of -ete&ber The soil here consists of ice an"!olcanic ashes interstratifie"S an" at a little "eth beneaththe surface it &ust re&ain eretually congeale" for >ieut

Uen"all foun" the bo"y of a foreign sailor which ha" longbeen burie" with the flesh an" all the features erfectlyreser!e" 0t is a singular fact that on the two greatcontinents in the northern he&ishere but not in the bro$enlan" of Euroe between the& we ha!e the 9one of eretuallyfro9en un"ersoil in a low latitu"e na&ely in MH "egs in;orth &erica at the "eth of three feet 21I4 an" in H6 "egsin -iberia at the "eth of twel!e to fifteen feet as theresult of a "irectly oosite con"ition of things to thoseof the southern he&ishere :n the northern continents thewinter is ren"ere" excessi!ely col" by the ra"iation fro& alarge area of lan" into a clear s$y nor is it &o"erate" by

the war&thbringing currents of the seaS the short su&&eron the other han" is hot 0n the -outhern :cean the winter is not so excessi!ely col" but the su&&er is far less hotfor the clou"e" s$y sel"o& allows the sun to war& the oceanitself a ba" absorbent of heat5 an" hence the &ean te&eratureof the year which regulates the 9one of eretually congeale"un"ersoil is low 0t is e!i"ent that a ran$ !egetationwhich "oes not so &uch reLuire heat as it "oes rotectionfro& intense col" woul" aroach &uch nearer to this 9oneof eretual congelation un"er the eLuable cli&ate of thesouthern he&ishere than un"er the extre&e cli&ate of thenorthern continents

The case of the sailor's bo"y erfectly reser!e" in the icysoil of the -outh -hetlan" 0slan"s lat H6 to H8 "egs - in arather lower latitu"e than that lat H3 "egs ; un"er whichPallas foun" the fro9en rhinoceros in -iberia is !eryinteresting lthough it is a fallacy as 0 ha!e en"ea!oure" toshow in a for&er chater to suose that the larger Lua"rue"sreLuire a luxuriant !egetation for their suort ne!erthelessit is i&ortant to fin" in the -outh -hetlan" 0slan"sa fro9en un"ersoil within 8H7 &iles of the forestcla" islan"snear Cae ,orn where as far as the @bul$@ of !egetation isconcerne" any nu&ber of great Lua"rue"s &ight be suorte"

The erfect reser!ation of the carcasses of the-iberian elehants an" rhinoceroses is certainly one of the&ost won"erful facts in geologyS but in"een"ently of the



i&agine" "ifficulty of sulying the& with foo" fro& thea"joining countries the whole case is not 0 thin$ soerlexing as it has generally been consi"ere" The lains of -iberia li$e those of the Pa&as aear to ha!e been for&e"un"er the sea into which ri!ers brought "own the bo"iesof &any ani&alsS of the greater nu&ber of these only the

s$eletons ha!e been reser!e" but of others the erfectcarcass ;ow it is $nown that in the shallow sea on the rcticcoast of &erica the botto& free9es 21.4 an" "oes not thaw insring so soon as the surface of the lan" &oreo!er atgreater "eths where the botto& of the sea "oes not free9ethe &u" a few feet beneath the to layer &ight re&ain e!enin su&&er below 86 "egs as in the case on the lan" with thesoil at the "eth of a few feet t still greater "eths thete&erature of the &u" an" water woul" robably not be lowenough to reser!e the fleshS an" hence carcasses "rifte"beyon" the shallow arts near an rctic coast woul" ha!eonly their s$eletons reser!e"5 now in the extre&e northern

arts of -iberia bones are infinitely nu&erous so that e!enislets are sai" to be al&ost co&ose" of the&S 2674 an" thoseislets lie no less than ten "egrees of latitu"e north of thelace where Pallas foun" the fro9en rhinoceros :n the other han" a carcass washe" by a floo" into a shallow art of the rctic -ea woul" be reser!e" for an in"efinite erio" if itwere soon afterwar"s co!ere" with &u" sufficiently thic$ tore!ent the heat of the su&&erwater enetrating to itS an"if when the seabotto& was uraise" into lan" the co!eringwas sufficiently thic$ to re!ent the heat of the su&&er air an" sun thawing an" corruting it

+ecaitulation 0 will recaitulate the rincial facts withregar" to the cli&ate iceaction an" organic ro"uctions of the southern he&ishere transosing the laces in i&aginationto Euroe with which we are so &uch better acLuainte"Then near >isbon the co&&onest seashells na&ely threesecies of :li!a a Voluta an" a Terebra woul" ha!e atroical character 0n the southern ro!inces of *rance&agnificent forests intwine" by arborescent grasses an" withthe trees loa"e" with arasitical lants woul" hi"e the faceof the lan" The u&a an" the jaguar woul" haunt thePyrenees 0n the latitu"e of =ont Blanc but on an islan" asfar westwar" as Central ;orth &erica treeferns an"

arasitical :rchi"eae woul" thri!e a&i"st the thic$ woo"sE!en as far north as central Den&ar$ hu&&ingbir"s woul" beseen fluttering about "elicate flowers an" arrots fee"inga&i"st the e!ergreen woo"sS an" in the sea there we shoul"ha!e a Voluta an" all the shells of large si9e an" !igorousgrowth ;e!ertheless on so&e islan"s only 8H7 &iles northwar"of our new Cae ,orn in Den&ar$ a carcass burie"in the soil or if washe" into a shallow sea an" co!ere" uwith &u" woul" be reser!e" eretually fro9en 0f so&ebol" na!igator atte&te" to enetrate northwar" of theseislan"s he woul" run a thousan" "angers a&i"st giganticicebergs on so&e of which he woul" see great bloc$s of roc$

borne far away fro& their original site nother islan" of large si9e in the latitu"e of southern -cotlan" but twice asfar to the west woul" be Nal&ost wholly co!ere" with



e!erlasting snowN an" woul" ha!e each bay ter&inate" byicecliffs whence great &asses woul" be yearly "etache"5 thisislan" woul" boast only of a little &oss grass an" burnetan" a titlar$ woul" be its only lan" inhabitant *ro& our new Cae ,orn in Den&ar$ a chain of &ountains scarcelyhalf the height of the ls woul" run in a straight line "ue

southwar"S an" on its western flan$ e!ery "ee cree$ of thesea or fior" woul" en" in Nbol" an" astonishing glaciersNThese lonely channels woul" freLuently re!erberate with thefalls of ice an" so often woul" great wa!es rush along their coastsS nu&erous icebergs so&e as tall as cathe"rals an"occasionally loa"e" with Nno inconsi"erable bloc$s of roc$Nwoul" be stran"e" on the outlying isletsS at inter!als !iolentearthLua$es woul" shoot ro"igious &asses of ice into thewaters below >astly so&e &issionaries atte&ting to enetratea long ar& of the sea woul" behol" the not lofty surroun"ing&ountains sen"ing "own their &any gran" icy strea&sto the seacoast an" their rogress in the boats woul"

be chec$e" by the innu&erable floating icebergs so&e s&allan" so&e greatS an" this woul" ha!e occurre" on our twentysecon" of une an" where the >a$e of Gene!a is now srea"out% 2614

214 The southwesterly bree9es are generally !ery "ryanuary 6.th being at anchor un"er Cae Gregory5 a !eryhar" gale fro& ( by - clear s$y with few cu&uliSte&erature M/ "egs "ewoint 8H "egs "ifference61 "egs :n anuary 1Mth at Port -t ulian5 in the&orning light win"s with &uch rain followe" by a !eryhea!y sLuall with rain settle" into hea!y gale with

large cu&uli cleare" u blowing !ery strong fro& --(Te&erature H7 "egs "ewoint 36 "egs "ifference1I "egs

264 +engger ;atur "er -aeugethiere !on Paraguay - 883

284 Catain *it9 +oy infor&s &e that in ril our :ctoberthe lea!es of those trees which grow near the base of the&ountains change colour but not those on the &ore ele!ate"arts 0 re&e&ber ha!ing rea" so&e obser!ations showingthat in Englan" the lea!es fall earlier in a war& an" fineautu&n than in a late an" col" one The change in the colour

being here retar"e" in the &ore ele!ate" an" therefore col"er situations &ust he owing to the sa&e general law of !egetationThe trees of Tierra "el *uego "uring no art of the year entirely she" their lea!es

234 Describe" fro& &y seci&ens an" notes by the +e! =Ber$eley in the >innean Transactions !ol xix 8/ un"er the na&e of Cyttaria DarwiniiS the Chilean secies is theC Berteroii This genus is allie" to Bulgaria

2M4 0 belie!e 0 &ust excet one aline ,altica an" a singleseci&en of a =elaso&a =r (aterhouse infor&s &e that of

the ,arali"ae there are eight or nine secies the for&sof the greater nu&ber being !ery eculiarS of ,etero&erafour or fi!e seciesS of +hyncohora six or se!enS an" of



the following fa&ilies one secies in each5 -tahylini"aeElateri"ae Cebrioni"ae =elolonthi"ae The secies in theother or"ers are e!en fewer 0n all the or"ers the scarcityof the in"i!i"uals is e!en &ore re&ar$able than that of thesecies =ost of the Coleotera ha!e been carefully "escribe"by =r (aterhouse in the nnals of ;at ,ist

2H4 0ts geograhical range is re&ar$ably wi"eS it is foun"fro& the extre&e southern islets near Cae ,orn as far north on the eastern coast accor"ing to infor&ation gi!en&e by =r -to$es as lat 38 "egs but on the westerncoast as Dr ,oo$er tells &e it exten"s to the + -an*rancisco in California an" erhas e!en to Ua&tschat$a(e thus ha!e an i&&ense range in latitu"eS an" as Coo$who &ust ha!e been well acLuainte" with the secies foun"it at Uerguelen >an" no less than 137 "egs in longitu"e

2/4 Voyages of the "!enture an" Beagle !ol i 8H8 0t

aears that seawee" grows extre&ely Luic$ =r -tehensonfoun" (ilson's Voyage roun" -cotlan" !ol ii 66I thata roc$ unco!ere" only at sringti"es which ha" been chiselle"s&ooth in ;o!e&ber on the following =ay that is withinsix &onths afterwar"s was thic$ly co!ere" with *ucus "igitatustwo feet an" * esculentus six feet in length

2I4 (ith regar" to Tierra "el *uego the results are "e"uce"fro& the obser!ations of Cat Uing Geograhical ournal1I87 an" those ta$en on boar" the Beagle *or the *al$lan"0slan"s 0 a& in"ebte" to Cat -uli!an for the &ean of the&ean te&erature re"uce" fro& careful obser!ations at

&i"night I = noon an" I P= of the three hottest&onths !i9 Dece&ber anuary an" *ebruary The te&eratureof Dublin is ta$en fro& Barton

2.4 gueros Descri ,ist "e la Pro! "e Chiloe 1/.1 .3

2174 -ee the Ger&an Translation of this ournalS an" for theother facts =r Brown's en"ix to *lin"ers's Voyage

2114 :n the Cor"illera of central Chile 0 belie!e thesnowline !aries excee"ingly in height in "ifferent su&&ers

0 was assure" that "uring one !ery "ry an" long su&&er allthe snow "isaeare" fro& concagua although it attains thero"igious height of 68777 feet 0t is robable that &uchof the snow at these great heights is e!aorate" rather thanthawe"

2164 =iers's Chile !ol i 31M 0t is sai" that thesugarcane grew at 0ngenio lat 86 to 88 "egs but not insufficient Luantity to &a$e the &anufacture rofitable 0nthe !alley of uillota south of 0ngenio 0 saw so&e large"ate al& trees

2184 Bul$eley's an" Cu&&in's *aithful ;arrati!e of the >ossof the (ager The earthLua$e haene" ugust 6M 1/31



2134 gueros Desc ,ist "e Chiloe 66/

21M4 Geological Transactions !ol !i 31M

21H4 0 ha!e gi!en "etails the first 0 belie!e ublishe" onthis subject in the first e"ition an" in the en"ix to it

0 ha!e there shown that the aarent excetions to the absenceof erratic boul"ers in certain countries are "ue to erroneousobser!ationsS se!eral state&ents there gi!en 0 ha!e sincefoun" confir&e" by !arious authors

21/4 Geograhical ournal 1I87 HM HH

21I4 +ichar"son's en" to Bac$'s Exe" an" ,u&bol"t's*rag& siat to& ii 8IH

21.4 =essrs Dease an" -i&son in Geograh ourn !ol!iii 61I an" 667

2674 Cu!ier :sse&ens *ossiles to& i 1M1 fro& Billing'sVoyage

2614 0n the for&er e"ition an" en"ix 0 ha!e gi!en so&efacts on the transortal of erratic boul"ers an" icebergsin the tlantic :cean This subject has lately been treate"excellently by =r ,ayes in the Boston ournal !ol i! 36H The author "oes not aear aware of a case ublishe"by &e Geograhical ournal !ol ix M6I of a giganticboul"er e&be""e" in an iceberg in the ntarctic :cean al&ostcertainly one hun"re" &iles "istant fro& any lan" an"

erhas &uch &ore "istant 0n the en"ix 0 ha!e "iscusse"at length the robability at that ti&e har"ly thought ofof icebergs when stran"e" groo!ing an" olishing roc$sli$e glaciers This is now a !ery co&&only recei!e" oinionSan" 0 cannot still a!oi" the susicion that it is alicablee!en to such cases as that of the ura Dr +ichar"son hasassure" &e that the icebergs off ;orth &erica ush beforethe& ebbles an" san" an" lea!e the sub&arine roc$y flatsLuite bareS it is har"ly ossible to "oubt that such le"ges&ust be olishe" an" score" in the "irection of the set of the re!ailing currents -ince writing that en"ix 0 ha!eseen in ;orth (ales >on"on Phil =ag !ol xxi 1I7

the a"joining action of glaciers an" floating icebergs

C,PTE+ 00

CE;T+> C,0>E

Valaraiso Excursion to the *oot of the n"es -tructureof the >an" scen" the Bell of uillota -hattere"=asses of Greenstone 0&&ense Valleys =ines -tate of =iners -antiago ,otbaths of CauLuenes Gol"&ines

Grin"ing&ills Perforate" -tones ,abits of the Pu&a ElTurco an" Taacolo ,u&&ingbir"s



<>R 68r" The Beagle anchore" late at night in thebay of Valaraiso the chief seaort of Chile (hen&orning ca&e e!erything aeare" "elightful fter Tierra "el *uego the cli&ate felt Luite "elicious theat&oshere so "ry an" the hea!ens so clear an" blue with the

sun shining brightly that all nature see&e" sar$ling withlife The !iew fro& the anchorage is !ery retty The town isbuilt at the !ery foot of a range of hills about 1H77 feethigh an" rather stee *ro& its osition it consists of onelong straggling street which runs arallel to the beachan" where!er a ra!ine co&es "own the houses are ile" u oneach si"e of it The roun"e" hills being only artiallyrotecte" by a !ery scanty !egetation are worn into nu&berlesslittle gullies which exose a singularly bright re" soil *ro&this cause an" fro& the low whitewashe" houses with tile roofsthe !iew re&in"e" &e of -t Cru9 in Teneriffe 0n a northwesterly "irection there are so&e fine gli&ses of the n"es5

but these &ountains aear &uch gran"er when !iewe" fro&the neighbouring hills5 the great "istance at which they aresituate" can then &ore rea"ily be ercei!e" The !olcano of concagua is articularly &agnificent This huge an" irregularlyconical &ass has an ele!ation greater than that of Chi&bora9oS for fro& &easure&ents &a"e by the officers inthe Beagle its height is no less than 68777 feet TheCor"illera howe!er !iewe" fro& this oint owe the greater art of their beauty to the at&oshere through which they areseen (hen the sun was setting in the Pacific it wasa"&irable to watch how clearly their rugge" outlines coul"be "istinguishe" yet how !arie" an" how "elicate were the

sha"es of their colour

0 ha" the goo" fortune to fin" li!ing here =r +ichar"Corfiel" an ol" schoolfellow an" frien" to whose hositalityan" $in"ness 0 was greatly in"ebte" in ha!ing affor"e" &ea &ost leasant resi"ence "uring the Beagle's stay in ChileThe i&&e"iate neighbourhoo" of Valaraiso is not !ery ro"ucti!eto the naturalist During the long su&&er the win"blows stea"ily fro& the southwar" an" a little off shore sothat rain ne!er fallsS "uring the three winter &onths howe!erit is sufficiently abun"ant The !egetation in conseLuenceis !ery scanty5 excet in so&e "ee !alleys there are

no trees an" only a little grass an" a few low bushes arescattere" o!er the less stee arts of the hills (hen wereflect that at the "istance of 8M7 &iles to the south thissi"e of the n"es is co&letely hi""en by one i&enetrableforest the contrast is !ery re&ar$able 0 too$ se!eral longwal$s while collecting objects of natural history The countryis leasant for exercise There are &any !ery beautiful flowersSan" as in &ost other "ry cli&ates the lants an" shrubsossess strong an" eculiar o"ours e!en one's clothes bybrushing through the& beca&e scente" 0 "i" not cease fro&won"er at fin"ing each succee"ing "ay as fine as the foregoing(hat a "ifference "oes cli&ate &a$e in the enjoy&ent

of life% ,ow oosite are the sensations when !iewingblac$ &ountains half en!eloe" in clou"s an" seeinganother range through the light blue ha9e of a fine "ay% The



one for a ti&e &ay be !ery subli&eS the other is all gaietyan" hay life

ugust 13th 0 set out on a ri"ing excursion for theurose of geologi9ing the basal arts of the n"es whichalone at this ti&e of the year are not shut u by the winter

snow :ur first "ay's ri"e was northwar" along the seacoast fter "ar$ we reache" the ,acien"a of uinterothe estate which for&erly belonge" to >or" Cochrane =yobject in co&ing here was to see the great be"s of shellswhich stan" so&e yar"s abo!e the le!el of the sea an" areburnt for li&e The roofs of the ele!ation of this wholeline of coast are uneLui!ocal5 at the height of a few hun"re"feet ol"loo$ing shells are nu&erous an" 0 foun" so&eat 1877 feet These shells either lie loose on the surface or are e&be""e" in a re""ishblac$ !egetable &oul" 0 was&uch surrise" to fin" un"er the &icroscoe that this !egetable&oul" is really &arine &u" full of &inute articles of

organic bo"ies

1Mth (e returne" towar"s the !alley of uillota Thecountry was excee"ingly leasantS just such as oets woul"call astoral5 green oen lawns searate" by s&all !alleyswith ri!ulets an" the cottages we &ay suose of the sheher"sscattere" on the hillsi"es (e were oblige" to crossthe ri"ge of the ChilicauLuen t its base there were &anyfine e!ergreen foresttrees but these flourishe" only in thera!ines where there was running water ny erson whoha" seen only the country near Valaraiso woul" ne!er ha!ei&agine" that there ha" been such icturesLue sots in Chile

s soon as we reache" the brow of the -ierra the !alley of uillota was i&&e"iately un"er our feet The rosect wasone of re&ar$able artificial luxuriance The !alley is !erybroa" an" Luite flat an" is thus easily irrigate" in all artsThe little sLuare gar"ens are crow"e" with orange an" oli!etrees an" e!ery sort of !egetable :n each si"e huge bare&ountains rise an" this fro& the contrast ren"ers the atchwor$!alley the &ore leasing (hoe!er calle" NValaraisoNthe NValley of Para"iseN &ust ha!e been thin$ingof uillota (e crosse" o!er to the ,acien"a "e -an 0si"rosituate" at the !ery foot of the Bell =ountain

Chile as &ay be seen in the &as is a narrow stri of lan" between the Cor"illera an" the PacificS an" this striis itself tra!erse" by se!eral &ountainlines which in thisart run arallel to the great range Between these outer lines an" the &ain Cor"illera a succession of le!el basinsgenerally oening into each other by narrow assages exten"far to the southwar"5 in these the rincial towns aresituate" as -an *elie -antiago -an *ernan"o These basinsor lains together with the trans!erse flat !alleys li$e thatof uillota which connect the& with the coast 0 ha!e no"oubt are the botto&s of ancient inlets an" "ee bays suchas at the resent "ay intersect e!ery art of Tierra "el *uego

an" the western coast Chile &ust for&erly ha!e rese&ble"the latter country in the configuration of its lan" an" waterThe rese&blance was occasionally shown stri$ingly when a



le!el fogban$ co!ere" as with a &antle all the lower artsof the country5 the white !aour curling into the ra!inesbeautifully reresente" little co!es an" baysS an" here an"there a solitary hilloc$ eeing u showe" that it ha" for&erlystoo" there as an islet The contrast of these flat!alleys an" basins with the irregular &ountains ga!e the

scenery a character which to &e was new an" !ery interesting

*ro& the natural sloe to seawar" of these lains theyare !ery easily irrigate" an" in conseLuence singularlyfertile (ithout this rocess the lan" woul" ro"uce scarcelyanything for "uring the whole su&&er the s$y is clou"lessThe &ountains an" hills are "otte" o!er with bushes an"low trees an" exceting these the !egetation is !ery scantyEach lan"owner in the !alley ossesses a certain ortion of hillcountry where his halfwil" cattle in consi"erablenu&bers &anage to fin" sufficient asture :nce e!ery year there is a gran" Nro"eoN when all the cattle are "ri!en "own

counte" an" &ar$e" an" a certain nu&ber searate" to befattene" in the irrigate" fiel"s (heat is extensi!elyculti!ate" an" a goo" "eal of 0n"ian corn5 a $in" of bean ishowe!er the stale article of foo" for the co&&on labourersThe orchar"s ro"uce an o!erflowing abun"ance of eachesfigs an" graes (ith all these a"!antages the inhabitantsof the country ought to be &uch &ore roserous than theyare

1Hth The &ayor"o&o of the ,acien"a was goo" enoughto gi!e &e a gui"e an" fresh horsesS an" in the &orning weset out to ascen" the Ca&ana or Bell =ountain which is

H377 feet high The aths were !ery ba" but both thegeology an" scenery a&ly reai" the trouble (e reache"by the e!ening a sring calle" the gua "el Guanaco whichis situate" at a great height This &ust be an ol" na&efor it is !ery &any years since a guanaco "ran$ its watersDuring the ascent 0 notice" that nothing but bushes grewon the northern sloe whilst on the southern sloe there wasa ba&boo about fifteen feet high 0n a few laces there wereal&s an" 0 was surrise" to see one at an ele!ation of atleast 3M77 feet These al&s are for their fa&ily ugly treesTheir ste& is !ery large an" of a curious for& being thic$er in the &i""le than at the base or to They are excessi!ely

nu&erous in so&e arts of Chile an" !aluable on account of a sort of treacle &a"e fro& the sa :n one estate near Petorca they trie" to count the& but faile" after ha!ingnu&bere" se!eral hun"re" thousan" E!ery year in the earlysring in ugust !ery &any are cut "own an" when thetrun$ is lying on the groun" the crown of lea!es is loe"off The sa then i&&e"iately begins to flow fro& the uer en" an" continues so "oing for so&e &onths5 it is howe!ernecessary that a thin slice shoul" be sha!e" off fro&that en" e!ery &orning so as to exose a fresh surface goo" tree will gi!e ninety gallons an" all this &ust ha!ebeen containe" in the !essels of the aarently "ry trun$

0t is sai" that the sa flows &uch &ore Luic$ly on those"ays when the sun is owerfulS an" li$ewise that it isabsolutely necessary to ta$e care in cutting "own the tree



that it shoul" fall with its hea" uwar"s on the si"e of thehillS for if it falls "own the sloe scarcely any sa willflowS although in that case one woul" ha!e thought that theaction woul" ha!e been ai"e" instea" of chec$e" by the forceof gra!ity The sa is concentrate" by boiling an" is thencalle" treacle which it !ery &uch rese&bles in taste

(e unsa""le" our horses near the sring an" reare" toass the night The e!ening was fine an" the at&oshere soclear that the &asts of the !essels at anchor in the bay of Valaraiso although no less than twentysix geograhical&iles "istant coul" be "istinguishe" clearly as little blac$strea$s shi "oubling the oint un"er sail aeare" asa bright white sec$ nson exresses &uch surrise in his!oyage at the "istance at which his !essels were "isco!ere"fro& the coastS but he "i" not sufficiently allow for the heightof the lan" an" the great transarency of the air

The setting of the sun was gloriousS the !alleys beingblac$ whilst the snowy ea$s of the n"es yet retaine" aruby tint (hen it was "ar$ we &a"e a fire beneath a littlearbour of ba&boos frie" our charLui or "rie" slis of beeftoo$ our &ate an" were Luite co&fortable There is aninexressible char& in thus li!ing in the oen air The e!eningwas cal& an" stillS the shrill noise of the &ountainbi9cacha an" the faint cry of a goatsuc$er were occasionallyto be hear" Besi"es these few bir"s or e!eninsects freLuent these "ry arche" &ountains

ugust 1/th 0n the &orning we cli&be" u the rough

&ass of greenstone which crowns the su&&it This roc$ asfreLuently haens was &uch shattere" an" bro$en intohuge angular frag&ents 0 obser!e" howe!er one re&ar$ablecircu&stance na&ely that &any of the surfaces resente"e!ery "egree of freshness so&e aearing as if bro$en the "ay before whilst on others lichens ha" either just beco&e or ha" long grown attache" 0 so fully belie!e"that this was owing to the freLuent earthLua$es that 0 feltincline" to hurry fro& below each loose ile s one &ight!ery easily be "ecei!e" in a fact of this $in" 0 "oubte" itsaccuracy until ascen"ing =ount (ellington in Van Die&en's>an" where earthLua$es "o not occurS an" there 0 saw

the su&&it of the &ountain si&ilarly co&ose" an" si&ilarlyshattere" but all the bloc$s aeare" as if they ha" beenhurle" into their resent osition thousan"s of years ago

(e sent the "ay on the su&&it an" 0 ne!er enjoye" one&ore thoroughly Chile boun"e" by the n"es an" thePacific was seen as in a &a The leasure fro& the sceneryin itself beautiful was heightene" by the &any reflectionswhich arose fro& the &ere !iew of the Ca&ana range withits lesser arallel ones an" of the broa" !alley of uillota"irectly intersecting the& (ho can a!oi" won"ering at theforce which has uhea!e" these &ountains an" e!en &ore

so at the countless ages which it &ust ha!e reLuire" to ha!ebro$en through re&o!e" an" le!elle" whole &asses of the&Q0t is well in this case to call to &in" the !ast shingle an"



se"i&entary be"s of Patagonia which if heae" on theCor"illera woul" increase its height by so &any thousan" feet(hen in that country 0 won"ere" how any &ountainchaincoul" ha!e sulie" such &asses an" not ha!e been utterlyobliterate" (e &ust not now re!erse the won"er an" "oubtwhether allowerful ti&e can grin" "own &ountains e!en

the gigantic Cor"illera intogra!el an" &u"

The aearance of the n"es was "ifferent fro& thatwhich 0 ha" execte" The lower line of the snow was of course hori9ontal an" to this line the e!en su&&its of therange see&e" Luite arallel :nly at long inter!als a grouof oints or a single cone showe" where a !olcano ha"existe" or "oes now exist ,ence the range rese&ble" agreat soli" wall sur&ounte" here an" there by a tower an"&a$ing a &ost erfect barrier to the country

l&ost e!ery art of the hill ha" been "rille" by atte&ts

to oen gol"&ines5 the rage for &ining has left scarcelya sot in Chile unexa&ine" 0 sent the e!ening as beforetal$ing roun" the fire with &y two co&anions The Guasosof Chile who correson" to the Gauchos of the Pa&as arehowe!er a !ery "ifferent set of beings Chile is the &oreci!ili9e" of the two countries an" the inhabitants inconseLuence ha!e lost &uch in"i!i"ual character Gra"ationsin ran$ are &uch &ore strongly &ar$e"5 the Guaso "oes notby any &eans consi"er e!ery &an his eLualS an" 0 was Luitesurrise" to fin" that &y co&anions "i" not li$e to eat atthe sa&e ti&e with &yself This feeling of ineLuality is anecessary conseLuence of the existence of an aristocracy of

wealth 0t is sai" that so&e few of the greater lan"ownersossess fro& fi!e to ten thousan" oun"s sterling er annu&5an ineLuality of riches which 0 belie!e is not &et with inany of the cattlebree"ing countries eastwar" of the n"es tra!eller "oes not here &eet that unboun"e" hositalitywhich refuses all ay&ent but yet is so $in"ly offere" thatno scrules can be raise" in acceting it l&ost e!ery housein Chile will recei!e you for the night but a trifle isexecte" to be gi!en in the &orningS e!en a rich &an willaccet two or three shillings The Gaucho although he &ay bea cutthroat is a gentle&anS the Guaso is in few resectsbetter but at the sa&e ti&e a !ulgar or"inary fellow The

two &en although e&loye" &uch in the sa&e &anner are"ifferent in their habits an" attireS an" the eculiaritiesof each are uni!ersal in their resecti!e countries The Gauchosee&s art of his horse an" scorns to exert hi&self excet whenon his bac$5 the Guaso &ay be hire" to wor$ as a labourer inthe fiel"s The for&er li!es entirely on ani&al foo"S the latter al&ost wholly on !egetable (e "o not here see the whiteboots the broa" "rawers an" scarlet chiliaS the icturesLuecostu&e of the Pa&as ,ere co&&on trousers are rotecte"by blac$ an" green worste" leggings The onchohowe!er is co&&on to both The chief ri"e of the Guasolies in his surs which are absur"ly large 0 &easure" one

which was six inches in the @"ia&eter@ of the rowel an" therowel itself containe" uwar"s of thirty oints The stirrusare on the sa&e scale each consisting of a sLuare car!e"



bloc$ of woo" hollowe" out yet weighing three or four oun"s The Guaso is erhas &ore exert with the la9othan the GauchoS but fro& the nature of the country he"oes not $now the use of the bolas

ugust 1Ith (e "escen"e" the &ountain an" asse"

so&e beautiful little sots with ri!ulets an" fine trees,a!ing slet at the sa&e hacien"a as before we ro"e "uring thetwo succee"ing "ays u the !alley an" asse" through uillotawhich is &ore li$e a collection of nurserygar"ens thana town The orchar"s were beautiful resenting one &assof eachblosso&s 0 saw also in one or two laces the"ateal&S it is a &ost stately treeS an" 0 shoul" thin$ agrou of the& in their nati!e siatic or frican "eserts &ustbe suerb (e asse" li$ewise -an *elie a retty stragglingtown li$e uillota The !alley in this art exan"s intoone of those great bays or lains reaching to the foot of theCor"illera which ha!e been &entione" as for&ing so curious

a art of the scenery of Chile 0n the e!ening we reache"the &ines of ajuel situate" in a ra!ine at the flan$ of thegreat chain 0 staye" here fi!e "ays =y host the suerinten"entof the &ine was a shrew" but rather ignorant Cornish&iner ,e ha" &arrie" a -anish wo&an an" "i" not&ean to return ho&eS but his a"&iration for the &ines of Cornwall re&aine" unboun"e" &ongst &any other Luestionshe as$e" &e N;ow that George +ex is "ea" how&any &ore of the fa&ily of +exes are yet ali!eQN This +excertainly &ust be a relation of the great author *inis whowrote all boo$s%

These &ines are of coer an" the ore is all shie" to-wansea to be s&elte" ,ence the &ines ha!e an asectsingularly Luiet as co&are" to those in Englan"5 here nos&o$e furnaces or great stea&engines "isturb the solitu"eof the surroun"ing &ountains

The Chilian go!ern&ent or rather the ol" -anish lawencourages by e!ery &etho" the searching for &ines The"isco!erer &ay wor$ a &ine on any groun" by aying fi!eshillingsS an" before aying this he &ay try e!en in thegar"en of another &an for twenty "ays

0t is now well $nown that the Chilian &etho" of &iningis the cheaest =y host says that the two rinciali&ro!e&ents intro"uce" by foreigners ha!e been firstre"ucing by re!ious roasting the coer yrites whichbeing the co&&on ore in Cornwall the English &iners wereastoun"e" on their arri!al to fin" thrown away as useless5secon"ly sta&ing an" washing the scoriae fro& the ol"furnaces by which rocess articles of &etal are reco!ere"in abun"ance 0 ha!e actually seen &ules carrying to thecoast for transortation to Englan" a cargo of such cin"ersBut the first case is &uch the &ost curious The Chilian&iners were so con!ince" that coer yrites containe" not

a article of coer that they laughe" at the English&enfor their ignorance who laughe" in turn an" bought their richest !eins for a few "ollars 0t is !ery o"" that in a



country where &ining ha" been extensi!ely carrie" on for &anyyears so si&le a rocess as gently roasting the ore to exelthe sulhur re!ious to s&elting it ha" ne!er been "isco!ere" few i&ro!e&ents ha!e li$ewise been intro"uce" in so&e of thesi&le &achineryS but e!en to the resent "ay water isre&o!e" fro& so&e &ines by &en carrying it u the shaft in

leathern bags%

The labouring &en wor$ !ery har" They ha!e little ti&eallowe" for their &eals an" "uring su&&er an" winter theybegin when it is light an" lea!e off at "ar$ They are ai"one oun" sterling a &onth an" their foo" is gi!en the&5this for brea$fast consists of sixteen figs an" two s&all loa!esof brea"S for "inner boile" beansS for suer bro$en roaste"wheat grain They scarcely e!er taste &eatS as with thetwel!e oun"s er annu& they ha!e to clothe the&sel!es an"suort their fa&ilies The &iners who wor$ in the &ineitself ha!e twentyfi!e shillings er &onth an" are allowe"

a little charLui But these &en co&e "own fro& their blea$habitations only once in e!ery fortnight or three wee$s

During &y stay here 0 thoroughly enjoye" scra&blingabout these huge &ountains The geology as &ight ha!ebeen execte" was !ery interesting The shattere" an"ba$e" roc$s tra!erse" by innu&erable "y$es of greenstoneshowe" what co&&otions ha" for&erly ta$en lace Thescenery was &uch the sa&e as that near the Bell of uillota "ry barren &ountains "otte" at inter!als by busheswith a scanty foliage The cactuses or rather ountiaswere here !ery nu&erous 0 &easure" one of a sherical

figure which inclu"ing the sines was six feet an" four inches in circu&ference The height of the co&&on cylin"ricalbranching $in" is fro& twel!e to fifteen feet an"the girth with sines of the branches between three an"four feet

hea!y fall of snow on the &ountains re!ente" &e"uring the last two "ays fro& &a$ing so&e interestingexcursions 0 atte&te" to reach a la$e which the inhabitantsfro& so&e unaccountable reason belie!e to be an ar&of the sea During a !ery "ry season it was roose" toatte&t cutting a channel fro& it for the sa$e of the water

but the a"re after a consultation "eclare" it was too"angerous as all Chile woul" be inun"ate" if as generallysuose" the la$e was connecte" with the Pacific (eascen"e" to a great height but beco&ing in!ol!e" in thesnow"rifts faile" in reaching this won"erful la$e an" ha"so&e "ifficulty in returning 0 thought we shoul" ha!e lostour horsesS for there was no &eans of guessing how "eethe "rifts were an" the ani&als when le" coul" only &o!eby ju&ing The blac$ s$y showe" that a fresh snowstor&was gathering an" we therefore were not a little gla"when we escae" By the ti&e we reache" the base thestor& co&&ence" an" it was luc$y for us that this "i" not

haen three hours earlier in the "ay

ugust 6Hth (e left ajuel an" again crosse" the basin



of -an *elie The "ay was truly Chilian5 glaringly brightan" the at&oshere Luite clear The thic$ an" unifor&co!ering of newly fallen snow ren"ere" the !iew of the !olcanoof concagua an" the &ain chain Luite glorious (ewere now on the roa" to -antiago the caital of Chile (ecrosse" the Cerro "el Talguen an" slet at a little rancho

The host tal$ing about the state of Chile as co&are" toother countries was !ery hu&ble5 N-o&e see with two eyesan" so&e with one but for &y art 0 "o not thin$ that Chilesees with anyN

ugust 6/th fter crossing &any low hills we "escen"e"into the s&all lan"loc$e" lain of Guitron 0n the basinssuch as this one which are ele!ate" fro& one thousan" totwo thousan" feet abo!e the sea two secies of acacia whichare stunte" in their for&s an" stan" wi"e aart fro& eachother grow in large nu&bers These trees are ne!er foun"near the seacoastS an" this gi!es another characteristic

feature to the scenery of these basins (e crosse" a lowri"ge which searates Guitron fro& the great lain on which-antiago stan"s The !iew was here ree&inently stri$ing5the "ea" le!el surface co!ere" in arts by woo"s of acaciaan" with the city in the "istance abutting hori9ontallyagainst the base of the n"es whose snowy ea$s werebright with the e!ening sun t the first glance of this!iew it was Luite e!i"ent that the lain reresente" theextent of a for&er inlan" sea s soon as we gaine" thele!el roa" we ushe" our horses into a gallo an" reache"the city before it was "ar$

0 staye" a wee$ in -antiago an" enjoye" &yself !ery&uch 0n the &orning 0 ro"e to !arious laces on the lainan" in the e!ening "ine" with se!eral of the English &erchantswhose hositality at this lace is well $nown ne!erfailing source of leasure was to ascen" the littlehilloc$ of roc$ -t >ucia which rojects in the &i""le of the city The scenery certainly is &ost stri$ing an" as 0ha!e sai" !ery eculiar 0 a& infor&e" that this sa&echaracter is co&&on to the cities on the great =exicanlatfor& :f the town 0 ha!e nothing to say in "etail5 it isnot so fine or so large as Buenos yres but is built after thesa&e &o"el 0 arri!e" here by a circuit to the northS so 0

resol!e" to return to Valaraiso by a rather longer excursionto the south of the "irect roa"

-ete&ber Mth By the &i""le of the "ay we arri!e" atone of the susension bri"ges &a"e of hi"e which cross the=ayu a large turbulent ri!er a few leagues southwar" of -antiago These bri"ges are !ery oor affairs The roa"following the cur!ature of the susen"ing roes is &a"e of bun"les of stic$s lace" close together 0t was full of holesan" oscillate" rather fearfully e!en with the weight of a&an lea"ing his horse 0n the e!ening we reache" a co&fortablefar&house where there were se!eral !ery retty

senoritas They were &uch horrifie" at &y ha!ing entere"one of their churches out of &ere curiosity They as$e"&e N(hy "o you not beco&e a Christian for our religion



is certainQN 0 assure" the& 0 was a sort of ChristianS butthey woul" not hear of it aealing to &y own wor"s NDonot your a"res your !ery bishos &arryQN The absur"ityof a bisho ha!ing a wife articularly struc$ the&5 theyscarcely $new whether to be &ost a&use" or horrorstruc$at such an enor&ity

Hth (e rocee"e" "ue south an" slet at +ancaguaThe roa" asse" o!er the le!el but narrow lain boun"e" onone si"e by lofty hills an" on the other by the Cor"illeraThe next "ay we turne" u the !alley of the +io Cachaualin which the hotbaths of CauLuenes long celebrate" for their &e"icinal roerties are situate" The susensionbri"ges in the less freLuente" arts are generally ta$en "own"uring the winter when the ri!ers are low -uch was thecase in this !alley an" we were therefore oblige" to crossthe strea& on horsebac$ This is rather "isagreeable for the foa&ing water though not "ee rushes so Luic$ly o!er

the be" of large roun"e" stones that one's hea" beco&esLuite confuse" an" it is "ifficult e!en to ercei!e whether the horse is &o!ing onwar" or stan"ing still 0n su&&erwhen the snow &elts the torrents are Luite i&assableS their strength an" fury are then extre&ely great as &ight belainly seen by the &ar$s which they ha" left (e reache"the baths in the e!ening an" staye" there fi!e "ays beingconfine" the two last by hea!y rain The buil"ings consistof a sLuare of &iserable little ho!els each with a single tablean" bench They are situate" in a narrow "ee !alley justwithout the central Cor"illera 0t is a Luiet solitary sotwith a goo" "eal of wil" beauty

The &ineral srings of CauLuenes burst forth on a line of "islocation crossing a &ass of stratifie" roc$ the wholeof which betrays the action of heat consi"erable Luantityof gas is continually escaing fro& the sa&e orifices withthe water Though the srings are only a few yar"s aartthey ha!e !ery "ifferent te&eratureS an" this aears to bethe result of an uneLual &ixture of col" water5 for thosewith the lowest te&erature ha!e scarcely any &ineral taste fter the great earthLua$e of 1I66 the srings cease" an"the water "i" not return for nearly a year They were also&uch affecte" by the earthLua$e of 1I8MS the te&erature

being su""enly change" fro& 11I to .6 "egs 214 0t see&s robablethat &ineral waters rising "ee fro& the bowels of the earthwoul" always be &ore "erange" by subterranean "isturbancesthan those nearer the surface The &an who ha" charge of the baths assure" &e that in su&&er the water is hotter an"&ore lentiful than in winter The for&er circu&stance 0shoul" ha!e execte" fro& the less &ixture "uring the "ryseason of col" waterS but the latter state&ent aears !erystrange an" contra"ictory The erio"ical increase "uringthe su&&er when rain ne!er falls can 0 thin$ only beaccounte" for by the &elting of the snow5 yet the &ountainswhich are co!ere" by snow "uring that season are three or

four leagues "istant fro& the srings 0 ha!e no reason to"oubt the accuracy of &y infor&er who ha!ing li!e" onthe sot for se!eral years ought to be well acLuainte" with



the circu&stance which if true certainly is !ery curious5for we &ust suose that the snowwater being con"ucte"through orous strata to the regions of heat is again thrownu to the surface by the line of "islocate" an" injecte" roc$sat CauLuenesS an" the regularity of the heno&enon woul"see& to in"icate that in this "istrict heate" roc$ occurre" at

a "eth not !ery great

:ne "ay 0 ro"e u the !alley to the farthest inhabite"sot -hortly abo!e that oint the Cachaual "i!i"es intotwo "ee tre&en"ous ra!ines which enetrate "irectly intothe great range 0 scra&ble" u a ea$e" &ountain robably&ore than six thousan" feet high ,ere as in"ee"e!erywhere else scenes of the highest interest resente"the&sel!es 0t was by one of these ra!ines that Pincheiraentere" Chile an" ra!age" the neighbouring country Thisis the sa&e &an whose attac$ on an estancia at the +io ;egro0 ha!e "escribe" ,e was a renega"e halfcaste -aniar"

who collecte" a great bo"y of 0n"ians together an" establishe"hi&self by a strea& in the Pa&as which lace noneof the forces sent after hi& coul" e!er "isco!er *ro& thisoint he use" to sally forth an" crossing the Cor"illera byasses hitherto unatte&te" he ra!age" the far&housesan" "ro!e the cattle to his secret ren"e9!ous Pincheira wasa caital horse&an an" he &a"e all aroun" hi& eLuallygoo" for he in!ariably shot any one who hesitate" to followhi& 0t was against this &an an" other wan"ering 0n"iantribes that +osas wage" the war of exter&ination

-ete&ber 18th (e left the baths of CauLuenes an"

rejoining the &ain roa" slet at the +io Clara *ro& thislace we ro"e to the town of -an *ernan"o Before arri!ingthere the last lan"loc$e" basin ha" exan"e" into a greatlain which exten"e" so far to the south that the snowysu&&its of the &ore "istant n"es were seen as if abo!e thehori9on of the sea -an *ernan"o is forty leagues fro& -antiagoSan" it was &y farthest oint southwar"S for we hereturne" at right angles towar"s the coast (e slet at thegol"&ines of RaLuil which are wor$e" by =r ;ixon an &erican gentle&an to whose $in"ness 0 was &uch in"ebte""uring the four "ays 0 staye" at his house The next&orning we ro"e to the &ines which are situate" at the

"istance of so&e leagues near the su&&it of a lofty hill :nthe way we ha" a gli&se of the la$e Taguatagua celebrate"for its floating islan"s which ha!e been "escribe" by= Gay 264 They are co&ose" of the stal$s of !arious "ea"lants intertwine" together an" on the surface of whichother li!ing ones ta$e root Their for& is generally circularan" their thic$ness fro& four to six feet of which thegreater art is i&&erse" in the water s the win" blowsthey ass fro& one si"e of the la$e to the other an" oftencarry cattle an" horses as assengers

(hen we arri!e" at the &ine 0 was struc$ by the ale

aearance of &any of the &en an" inLuire" fro& =r;ixon resecting their con"ition The &ine is 3M7 feet "eean" each &an brings u about 677 oun"s weight of stone



(ith this loa" they ha!e to cli&b u the alternate notches cutin the trun$s of trees lace" in a 9ig9ag line u the shaftE!en bear"less young &en eighteen an" twenty years ol"with little &uscular "e!elo&ent of their bo"ies they areLuite na$e" exceting "rawers ascen" with this great loa"fro& nearly the sa&e "eth strong &an who is not

accusto&e" to this labour ersires &ost rofusely with&erely carrying u his own bo"y (ith this !ery se!erelabour they li!e entirely on boile" beans an" brea" Theywoul" refer ha!ing brea" aloneS but their &asters fin"ingthat they cannot wor$ so har" uon this treat the& li$ehorses an" &a$e the& eat the beans Their ay is hererather &ore than at the &ines of ajuel being fro& 63 to 6Ishillings er &onth They lea!e the &ine only once in threewee$sS when they stay with their fa&ilies for two "ays :neof the rules of this &ine soun"s !ery harsh but answersretty well for the &aster The only &etho" of stealing gol"is to secrete ieces of the ore an" ta$e the& out as occasion

&ay offer (hene!er the &ajor"o&o fin"s a lu& thushi""en its full !alue is stoe" out of the wages of all the&enS who thus without they all co&bine are oblige" to $eewatch o!er each other

(hen the ore is brought to the &ill it is groun" into ani&alable ow"erS the rocess of washing re&o!es all thelighter articles an" a&alga&ation finally secures thegol""ust The washing when "escribe" soun"s a !ery si&lerocessS but it is beautiful to see how the exact a"atation of the current of water to the secific gra!ity of the gol" soeasily searates the ow"ere" &atrix fro& the &etal The

&u" which asses fro& the &ills is collecte" into ools whereit subsi"es an" e!ery now an" then is cleare" out an" throwninto a co&&on hea great "eal of che&ical action thenco&&ences salts of !arious $in"s effloresce on the surfacean" the &ass beco&es har" fter ha!ing been left for a year or two an" then rewashe" it yiel"s gol"S an" this rocess&ay be reeate" e!en six or se!en ti&esS but the gol" eachti&e beco&es less in Luantity an" the inter!als reLuire" asthe inhabitants say to generate the &etal are longer Therecan be no "oubt that the che&ical action alrea"y &entione"each ti&e liberates fresh gol" fro& so&e co&bination The"isco!ery of a &etho" to effect this before the first grin"ing

woul" without "oubt raise the !alue of gol"ores &any fol"

0t is curious to fin" how the &inute articles of gol" beingscattere" about an" not corro"ing at last accu&ulate inso&e Luantity short ti&e since a few &iners being out of wor$ obtaine" er&ission to scrae the groun" roun" thehouse an" &illsS they washe" the earth thus got together an"so rocure" thirty "ollars' worth of gol" This is an exactcounterart of what ta$es lace in nature =ountains suffer "egra"ation an" wear away an" with the& the &etallic !einswhich they contain The har"est roc$ is worn into i&alable&u" the or"inary &etals oxi"ate an" both are re&o!e"S

but gol" latina an" a few others are nearly in"estructiblean" fro& their weight sin$ing to the botto& are left behin" fter whole &ountains ha!e asse" through this grin"ing



&ill an" ha!e been washe" by the han" of nature the resi"uebeco&es &etalliferous an" &an fin"s it worth his while toco&lete the tas$ of searation

Ba" as the abo!e treat&ent of the &iners aears it isgla"ly accete" of by the&S for the con"ition of the labouring

agriculturists is &uch worse Their wages are lower an"they li!e al&ost exclusi!ely on beans This o!erty &ust bechiefly owing to the feu"alli$e syste& on which the lan" istille"5 the lan"owner gi!es a s&all lot of groun" to thelabourer for buil"ing on an" culti!ating an" in return hashis ser!ices or those of a roxy for e!ery "ay of his lifewithout any wages <ntil a father has a grownu son whocan by his labour ay the rent there is no one excet onoccasional "ays to ta$e care of his own atch of groun",ence extre&e o!erty is !ery co&&on a&ong the labouringclasses in this country

There are so&e ol" 0n"ian ruins in this neighbourhoo"an" 0 was shown one of the erforate" stones which =olina&entions as being foun" in &any laces in consi"erablenu&bers They are of a circular flattene" for& fro& fi!e tosix inches in "ia&eter with a hole assing Luite through thecentre 0t has generally been suose" that they were use"as hea"s to clubs although their for& "oes not aear at allwell a"ate" for that urose Burchell 284 states that so&eof the tribes in -outhern frica "ig u roots by the ai" of astic$ ointe" at one en" the force an" weight of which areincrease" by a roun" stone with a hole in it into which theother en" is fir&ly we"ge" 0t aears robable that the

0n"ians of Chile for&erly use" so&e such ru"e agriculturalinstru&ent

:ne "ay a Ger&an collector in natural history of thena&e of +enous calle" an" nearly at the sa&e ti&e an ol"-anish lawyer 0 was a&use" at being tol" the con!ersationwhich too$ lace between the& +enous sea$s -anish sowell that the ol" lawyer &istoo$ hi& for a Chilian +enousallu"ing to &e as$e" hi& what he thought of the Uing of Englan" sen"ing out a collector to their country to ic$ uli9ar"s an" beetles an" to brea$ stonesQ The ol" gentle&anthought seriously for so&e ti&e an" then sai" N0t is not

well @hay un gato encerra"o aLui@ there is a cat shut uhere ;o &an is so rich as to sen" out eole to ic$ usuch rubbish 0 "o not li$e it5 if one of us were to go an""o such things in Englan" "o not you thin$ the Uing of Englan" woul" !ery soon sen" us out of his countryQN n"this ol" gentle&an fro& his rofession belongs to the better infor&e" an" &ore intelligent classes% +enous hi&self twoor three years before left in a house at -an *ernan"o so&ecaterillars un"er charge of a girl to fee" that they &ightturn into butterflies This was ru&oure" through the townan" at last the a"res an" go!ernor consulte" together an"agree" it &ust be so&e heresy ccor"ingly when +enous

returne" he was arreste"

-ete&ber 1.th (e left RaLuil an" followe" the flat



!alley for&e" li$e that of uillota in which the +ioTin"eri"ica flows E!en at these few &iles south of -antiagothe cli&ate is &uch "a&erS in conseLuence there are finetracts of asturage which are not irrigate" 67th (e lfollowe" this !alley till it exan"e" into a great lain whichreaches fro& the sea to the &ountains west of +ancagua

(e shortly lost all trees an" e!en bushesS so that theinhabitants are nearly as ba"ly off for firewoo" as those inthe Pa&as ;e!er ha!ing hear" of these lains 0 was &uchsurrise" at &eeting with such scenery in Chile The lainsbelong to &ore than one series of "ifferent ele!ations an"they are tra!erse" by broa" flatbotto&e" !alleysS both of which circu&stances as in Patagonia besea$ the action of the sea on gently rising lan" 0n the stee cliffs bor"eringthese !alleys there are so&e large ca!es which no "oubtwere originally for&e" by the wa!es5 one of these is celebrate"un"er the na&e of Cue!a "el :bisoS ha!ing for&erlybeen consecrate" During the "ay 0 felt !ery unwell an"

fro& that ti&e till the en" of :ctober "i" not reco!er

-ete&ber 66n" (e continue" to ass o!er green lainswithout a tree The next "ay we arri!e" at a house near ;a!e"a" on the seacoast where a rich ,acien"ero ga!e uslo"gings 0 staye" here the two ensuing "ays an" although!ery unwell &anage" to collect fro& the tertiary for&ationso&e &arine shells

63th :ur course was now "irecte" towar"s Valaraisowhich with great "ifficulty 0 reache" on the 6/th an" was thereconfine" to &y be" till the en" of :ctober During this ti&e

0 was an in&ate in =r Corfiel"'s house whose $in"ness to&e 0 "o not $now how to exress

0 will here a"" a few obser!ations on so&e of the ani&alsan" bir"s of Chile The Pu&a or -outh &erican >ion isnot unco&&on This ani&al has a wi"e geograhical rangeSbeing foun" fro& the eLuatorial forests throughout the"eserts of Patagonia as far south as the "a& an" col"latitu"es M8 to M3 "egs of Tierra "el *uego 0 ha!e seen itsfootstes in the Cor"illera of central Chile at an ele!ation of at least 17777 feet 0n >a Plata the u&a reys chiefly on

"eer ostriches bi9cacha an" other s&all Lua"rue"sS it theresel"o& attac$s cattle or horses an" &ost rarely &an 0nChile howe!er it "estroys &any young horses an" cattleowing robably to the scarcity of other Lua"rue"s5 0 hear"li$ewise of two &en an" a wo&an who ha" been thus $ille"0t is asserte" that the u&a always $ills its rey by sringingon the shoul"ers an" then "rawing bac$ the hea" with oneof its aws until the !ertebrae brea$5 0 ha!e seen in Patagoniathe s$eletons of guanacos with their nec$s thus"islocate"

The u&a after eating its fill co!ers the carcass with

&any large bushes an" lies "own to watch it This habit isoften the cause of its being "isco!ere"S for the con"orswheeling in the air e!ery now an" then "escen" to arta$e



of the feast an" being angrily "ri!en away rise all together on the wing The Chileno Guaso then $nows there is a lionwatching his rey the wor" is gi!en an" &en an" "ogshurry to the chase -ir * ,ea" says that a Gaucho in thea&as uon &erely seeing so&e con"ors wheeling in theair crie" N lion%N 0 coul" ne!er &yself &eet with any one

who reten"e" to such owers of "iscri&ination 0t is asserte"that if a u&a has once been betraye" by thus watchingthe carcass an" has then been hunte" it ne!er resu&esthis habitS but that ha!ing gorge" itself it wan"ers far awayThe u&a is easily $ille" 0n an oen country it is firstentangle" with the bolas then la9oe" an" "ragge" along thegroun" till ren"ere" insensible t Tan"eel south of thelata 0 was tol" that within three &onths one hun"re"were thus "estroye" 0n Chile they are generally "ri!en ubushes or trees an" are then either shot or baite" to "eathby "ogs The "ogs e&loye" in this chase belong to a articular bree" calle" >eoneros5 they are wea$ slight ani&als

li$e longlegge" terriers but are born with a articular instinct for this sort The u&a is "escribe" as being !erycrafty5 when ursue" it often returns on its for&er trac$an" then su""enly &a$ing a sring on one si"e waits theretill the "ogs ha!e asse" by 0t is a !ery silent ani&aluttering no cry e!en when woun"e" an" only rarely "uringthe bree"ing season

:f bir"s two secies of the genus Pterotochos &egao"iusan" albicollis of Uittlit9 are erhas the &ost consicuousThe for&er calle" by the Chilenos Nel TurcoNis as large as a fiel"fare to which bir" it has so&e allianceS

but its legs are &uch longer tail shorter an" bea$ stronger5its colour is a re""ish brown The Turco is not unco&&on0t li!es on the groun" sheltere" a&ong the thic$ets which arescattere" o!er the "ry an" sterile hills (ith its tail erectan" stiltli$e legs it &ay be seen e!ery now an" then oingfro& one bush to another with unco&&on Luic$ness0t really reLuires little i&agination to belie!e that the bir"is asha&e" of itself an" is aware of its &ost ri"iculousfigure :n first seeing it one is te&te" to exclai& N!ilely stuffe" seci&en has escae" fro& so&e &useu& an" hasco&e to life again%N 0t cannot be &a"e to ta$e flight withoutthe greatest trouble nor "oes it run but only hos The

!arious lou" cries which it utters when conceale" a&ongst thebushes are as strange as its aearance 0t is sai" to buil"its nest in a "ee hole beneath the groun" 0 "issecte" se!eralseci&ens5 the gi99ar" which was !ery &uscular containe"beetles !egetable fibres an" ebbles *ro& this characterfro& the length of its legs scratching feet &e&branousco!ering to the nostrils short an" arche" wings this bir"see&s in a certain "egree to connect the thrushes with thegallinaceous or"er

The secon" secies or P albicollis is allie" to the firstin its general for& 0t is calle" Taacolo or Nco!er your

osteriorSN an" well "oes the sha&eless little bir" "eser!e itsna&eS for it carries its tail &ore than erect that is incline"bac$war"s towar"s its hea" 0t is !ery co&&on an" freLuents



the botto&s of he"gerows an" the bushes scattere"o!er the barren hills where scarcely another bir" can exist0n its general &anner of fee"ing of Luic$ly hoing out of the thic$ets an" bac$ again in its "esire of conceal&entunwillingness to ta$e flight an" ni"ification it bears a closerese&blance to the TurcoS but its aearance is not Luite so

ri"iculous The Taacolo is !ery crafty5 when frightene" byany erson it will re&ain &otionless at the botto& of a bushan" will then after a little while try with &uch a""ress tocrawl away on the oosite si"e 0t is also an acti!e bir" an"continually &a$ing a noise5 these noises are !arious an"strangely o""S so&e are li$e the cooing of "o!es others li$ethe bubbling of water an" &any "efy all si&iles The countryeole say it changes its cry fi!e ti&es in the year accor"ing to so&e change of season 0 suose 234

Two secies of hu&&ingbir"s are co&&onS Trochilusforficatus is foun" o!er a sace of 6M77 &iles on the west

coast fro& the hot "ry country of >i&a to the forests of Tierra "el *uego where it &ay be seen flitting about insnowstor&s 0n the woo"e" islan" of Chiloe which has anextre&ely hu&i" cli&ate this little bir" s$iing fro& si"eto si"e a&i"st the "riing foliage is erhas &ore abun"antthan al&ost any other $in" 0 oene" the sto&achs of se!eralseci&ens shot in "ifferent arts of the continent an" in allre&ains of insects were as nu&erous as in the sto&ach of acreeer (hen this secies &igrates in the su&&er southwar"it is relace" by the arri!al of another secies co&ingfro& the north This secon" $in" Trochilus gigas is a!ery large bir" for the "elicate fa&ily to which it belongs5

when on the wing its aearance is singular >i$e othersof the genus it &o!es fro& lace to lace with a rai"itywhich &ay be co&are" to that of -yrhus a&ongst fliesan" -hinx a&ong &othsS but whilst ho!ering o!er a flowerit flas its wings with a !ery slow an" owerful &o!e&enttotally "ifferent fro& that !ibratory one co&&on to &ost of the secies which ro"uces the hu&&ing noise 0 ne!er sawany other bir" where the force of its wings aeare" as in abutterfly so owerful in roortion to the weight of its bo"y(hen ho!ering by a flower its tail is constantly exan"e"an" shut li$e a fan the bo"y being $et in a nearly !erticalosition This action aears to stea"y an" suort the bir"

between the slow &o!e&ents of its wings lthough flyingfro& flower to flower in search of foo" its sto&ach generallycontaine" abun"ant re&ains of insects which 0 susect are&uch &ore the object of its search than honey The note of this secies li$e that of nearly the whole fa&ily isextre&ely shrill

214 Cal"eleugh in Philosoh Transact for 1I8H

264 nnales "es -ciences ;aturelles =arch 1I88 = Gay a9ealous an" able naturalist was then occuie" in stu"yinge!ery branch of natural history throughout the $ing"o& of

Chile

284 Burchess's Tra!els !ol ii 3M



234 0t is a re&ar$able fact that =olina though "escribingin "etail all the bir"s an" ani&als of Chile ne!er once&entions this genus the secies of which are so co&&on an"so re&ar$able in their habits (as he at a loss how toclassify the& an" "i" he conseLuently thin$ that silence

was the &ore ru"ent courseQ 0t is one &ore instance of thefreLuency of o&issions by authors on those !ery subjectswhere it &ight ha!e been least execte"

C,PTE+ 000

C,0>:E ;D C,:;:- 0->;D-

Chiloe General sect Boat Excursion ;ati!e0n"ians Castro Ta&e *ox scen" -an Pe"ro Chonos

rchielago Peninsula of Tres =ontes Granitic+ange Boatwrec$e" -ailors >ow's ,arbour (il"Potato *or&ation of Peat =yoota&us :tter an" =ice Cheucau an" Bar$ingbir" :etiorhynchus -ingular Character of :rnithology Petrels

;:VE=BE+ 17th The Beagle saile" fro& Valaraisoto the south for the urose of sur!eying the southernart of Chile the islan" of Chiloe an" the bro$enlan" calle" the Chonos rchielago as far south as thePeninsula of Tres =ontes :n the 61st we anchore" in the

bay of - Carlos the caital of Chiloe

This islan" is about ninety &iles long with a brea"th of rather less than thirty The lan" is hilly but not &ountainousan" is co!ere" by one great forest excet where a fewgreen atches ha!e been cleare" roun" the thatche" cottages*ro& a "istance the !iew so&ewhat rese&bles that of Tierra"el *uegoS but the woo"s when seen nearer are inco&arably&ore beautiful =any $in"s of fine e!ergreen trees an"lants with a troical character here ta$e the lace of thegloo&y beech of the southern shores 0n winter the cli&ateis "etestable an" in su&&er it is only a little better 0

shoul" thin$ there are few arts of the worl" within thete&erate regions where so &uch rain falls The win"s are!ery boisterous an" the s$y al&ost always clou"e"5 to ha!e awee$ of fine weather is so&ething won"erful 0t is e!en"ifficult to get a single gli&se of the Cor"illera5 "uringour first !isit once only the !olcano of :sorno stoo" out inbol" relief an" that was before sunriseS it was curious towatch as the sun rose the outline gra"ually fa"ing away inthe glare of the eastern s$y

The inhabitants fro& their co&lexion an" low statureSaear to ha!e threefourths of 0n"ian bloo" in their !eins

They are an hu&ble Luiet in"ustrious set of &en lthoughthe fertile soil resulting fro& the "eco&osition of the!olcanic roc$s suorts a ran$ !egetation yet the cli&ate is



not fa!ourable to any ro"uction which reLuires &uch sunshineto rien it There is !ery little asture for the larger Lua"rue"sS an" in conseLuence the stale articles of foo" areigs otatoes an" fish The eole all "ress in strongwoollen gar&ents which each fa&ily &a$es for itself an""yes with in"igo of a "ar$ blue colour The arts howe!er

are in the ru"est stateS as &ay be seen in their strangefashion of loughing their &etho" of sinning grin"ingcorn an" in the construction of their boats The forests areso i&enetrable that the lan" is nowhere culti!ate" excetnear the coast an" on the a"joining islets E!en where athsexist they are scarcely assable fro& the soft an" swa&ystate of the soil The inhabitants li$e those of Tierra "el*uego &o!e about chiefly on the beach or in boats lthoughwith lenty to eat the eole are !ery oor5 there is no"e&an" for labour an" conseLuently the lower or"ers cannotscrae together &oney sufficient to urchase e!en the s&allestluxuries There is also a great "eficiency of a circulating

&e"iu& 0 ha!e seen a &an bringing on his bac$ a bag of charcoal with which to buy so&e trifle an" another carryinga lan$ to exchange for a bottle of wine ,ence e!ery tra"es&an&ust also be a &erchant an" again sell the goo"s whichhe ta$es in exchange

;o!e&ber 63th The yawl an" whaleboat were sent un"er the co&&an" of =r now Catain -uli!an to sur!ey theeastern or inlan" coast of ChiloeS an" with or"ers to &eetthe Beagle at the southern extre&ity of the islan"S to whichoint she woul" rocee" by the outsi"e so as thus tocircu&na!igate the whole 0 acco&anie" this exe"ition but

instea" of going in the boats the first "ay 0 hire" horses tota$e &e to Chacao at the northern extre&ity of the islan"The roa" followe" the coastS e!ery now an" then crossingro&ontories co!ere" by fine forests 0n these sha"e" athsit is absolutely necessary that the whole roa" shoul" be &a"eof logs of woo" which are sLuare" an" lace" by the si"e of each other *ro& the rays of the sun ne!er enetrating thee!ergreen foliage the groun" is so "a& an" soft that excetby this &eans neither &an nor horse woul" be able to assalong 0 arri!e" at the !illage of Chacao shortly after thetents belonging to the boats were itche" for the night

The lan" in this neighbourhoo" has been extensi!elycleare" an" there were &any Luiet an" &ost icturesLuenoo$s in the forest Chacao was for&erly the rincial ortin the islan"S but &any !essels ha!ing been lost owing to the"angerous currents an" roc$s in the straits the -anishgo!ern&ent burnt the church an" thus arbitrarily co&elle" thegreater nu&ber of inhabitants to &igrate to - Carlos (eha" not long bi!ouac$e" before the barefoote" son of thego!ernor ca&e "own to reconnoitre us -eeing the Englishflag hoiste" at the yawl's &asthea" he as$e" with the ut&ostin"ifference whether it was always to fly at Chacao 0n se!erallaces the inhabitants were &uch astonishe" at the

aearance of &enofwar's boats an" hoe" an" belie!e"it was the forerunner of a -anish fleet co&ing to reco!er the islan" fro& the atriot go!ern&ent of Chile ll the



&en in ower howe!er ha" been infor&e" of our inten"e"!isit an" were excee"ingly ci!il (hile we were eating our suer the go!ernor ai" us a !isit ,e ha" been a lieutenantcolonel in the -anish ser!ice but now was &iserablyoor ,e ga!e us two shee an" accete" in return two cottonhan"$erchiefs so&e brass trin$ets an" a little tobacco

6Mth Torrents of rain5 we &anage" howe!er to run"own the coast as far as ,uailenou The whole of thiseastern si"e of Chiloe has one asectS it is a lain bro$en by!alleys an" "i!i"e" into little islan"s an" the whole thic$lyco!ere" with one i&er!ious blac$ishgreen forest :n the&argins there are so&e cleare" saces surroun"ing the highroofe" cottages

6Hth The "ay rose slen"i"ly clear The !olcano of :rsono was souting out !olu&es of s&o$e This &ostbeautiful &ountain for&e" li$e a erfect cone an" white

with snow stan"s out in front of the Cor"illera nother great !olcano with a sa""leshae" su&&it also e&itte"fro& its i&&ense crater little jets of stea& -ubseLuentlywe saw the loftyea$e" Corco!a"o well "eser!ing the na&eof Nel fa&oso Corco!a"oN Thus we behel" fro& one ointof !iew three great acti!e !olcanoes each about se!en thousan"feet high 0n a""ition to this far to the south therewere other lofty cones co!ere" with snow which althoughnot $nown to be acti!e &ust be in their origin !olcanicThe line of the n"es is not in this neighbourhoo" nearlyso ele!ate" as in ChileS neither "oes it aear to for& soerfect a barrier between the regions of the earth This

great range although running in a straight north an" southline owing to an otical "ecetion always aeare" &ore or less cur!e"S for the lines "rawn fro& each ea$ to thebehol"er's eye necessarily con!erge" li$e the ra"ii of ase&icircle an" as it was not ossible owing to the clearnessof the at&oshere an" the absence of all inter&e"iate objectsto ju"ge how far "istant the farthest ea$s were offthey aeare" to stan" in a flattish se&icircle

>an"ing at &i""ay we saw a fa&ily of ure 0n"ian extractionThe father was singularly li$e Ror$ =insterS an" so&eof the younger boys with their ru""y co&lexions &ight

ha!e been &ista$en for Pa&as 0n"ians E!erything 0 ha!eseen con!inces &e of the close connexion of the "ifferent &erican tribes who ne!ertheless sea$ "istinct languagesThis arty coul" &uster but little -anish an" tal$e" to eachother in their own tongue 0t is a leasant thing to see theaborigines a"!ance" to the sa&e "egree of ci!ili9ation howe!er low that &ay be which their white conLuerors ha!eattaine" =ore to the south we saw &any ure 0n"ians5in"ee" all the inhabitants of so&e of the islets retain their 0n"ian surna&es 0n the census of 1I86 there were in Chiloean" its "een"encies fortytwo thousan" soulsS the greater nu&ber of these aear to be of &ixe" bloo" Ele!en thousan"

retain their 0n"ian surna&es but it is robable that notnearly all of these are of a ure bree" Their &anner of lifeis the sa&e with that of the other oor inhabitants an" they



are all ChristiansS but it is sai" that they yet retain so&estrange suerstitious cere&onies an" that they reten" tohol" co&&unication with the "e!il in certain ca!es *or&erlye!ery one con!icte" of this offence was sent to the0nLuisition at >i&a =any of the inhabitants who are notinclu"e" in the ele!en thousan" with 0n"ian surna&es cannot

be "istinguishe" by their aearance fro& 0n"iansGo&e9 the go!ernor of >e&uy is "escen"e" fro& noble&enof -ain on both si"esS but by constant inter&arriages withthe nati!es the resent &an is an 0n"ian :n the other han"the go!ernor of uinchao boasts &uch of his urely $et-anish bloo"

(e reache" at night a beautiful little co!e north of theislan" of Caucahue The eole here co&laine" of want of lan" This is artly owing to their own negligence in notclearing the woo"s an" artly to restrictions by the go!ern&entwhich &a$es it necessary before buying e!er so s&all

a iece to ay two shillings to the sur!eyor for &easuringeach Lua"ra 1M7 yar"s sLuare together with whate!er rice he fixes for the !alue of the lan" fter his !aluationthe lan" &ust be ut u three ti&es to auction an" if no onebi"s &ore the urchaser can ha!e it at that rate ll theseexactions &ust be a serious chec$ to clearing the groun"where the inhabitants are so extre&ely oor 0n &ost countriesforests are re&o!e" without &uch "ifficulty by the ai"of fireS but in Chiloe fro& the "a& nature of the cli&atean" the sort of trees it is necessary first to cut the& "ownThis is a hea!y "rawbac$ to the roserity of Chiloe 0n theti&e of the -aniar"s the 0n"ians coul" not hol" lan"S an" a

fa&ily after ha!ing cleare" a iece of groun" &ight be"ri!en away an" the roerty sei9e" by the go!ern&entThe Chilian authorities are now erfor&ing an act of justiceby &a$ing retribution to these oor 0n"ians gi!ing to each&an accor"ing to his gra"e of life a certain ortion of lan"The !alue of uncleare" groun" is !ery little The go!ern&entga!e =r Douglas the resent sur!eyor who infor&e"&e of these circu&stances eight an" a half sLuare &iles of forest near - Carlos in lieu of a "ebtS an" this he sol" for 8M7 "ollars or about /7 oun"s sterling

The two succee"ing "ays were fine an" at night we reache"

the islan" of uinchao This neighbourhoo" is the &ost culti!ate"art of the rchielagoS for a broa" stri of lan" onthe coast of the &ain islan" as well as on &any of the s&aller a"joining ones is al&ost co&letely cleare" -o&e of thefar&houses see&e" !ery co&fortable 0 was curious toascertain how rich any of these eole &ight be but =rDouglas says that no one can be consi"ere" as ossessing aregular inco&e :ne of the richest lan"owners &ight ossiblyaccu&ulate in a long in"ustrious life as &uch as 1777 oun"ssterlingS but shoul" this haen it woul" all be stowe" awayin so&e secret corner for it is the custo& of al&ost e!eryfa&ily to ha!e a jar or treasurechest burie" in the groun"

;o!e&ber 87th Early on -un"ay &orning we reache"Castro the ancient caital of Chiloe but now a &ost forlorn



an" "eserte" lace The usual Lua"rangular arrange&entof -anish towns coul" be trace" but the streets an" la9awere coate" with fine green turf on which shee werebrowsing The church which stan"s in the &i""le is entirelybuilt of lan$ an" has a icturesLue an" !enerable aearanceThe o!erty of the lace &ay be concei!e" fro& the

fact that although containing so&e hun"re"s of inhabitantsone of our arty was unable anywhere to urchase either aoun" of sugar or an or"inary $nife ;o in"i!i"ual ossesse"either a watch or a cloc$S an" an ol" &an who was suose"to ha!e a goo" i"ea of ti&e was e&loye" to stri$e thechurch bell by guess The arri!al of our boats was a raree!ent in this Luiet retire" corner of the worl"S an" nearly allthe inhabitants ca&e "own to the beach to see us itch our tents They were !ery ci!il an" offere" us a houseS an" one&an e!en sent us a cas$ of ci"er as a resent 0n the afternoonwe ai" our resects to the go!ernor a Luiet ol" &anwho in his aearance an" &anner of life was scarcely

suerior to an English cottager t night hea!y rain set inwhich was har"ly sufficient to "ri!e away fro& our tents thelarge circle of loo$erson n 0n"ian fa&ily who ha" co&eto tra"e in a canoe fro& Caylen bi!ouac$e" near us Theyha" no shelter "uring the rain 0n the &orning 0 as$e" ayoung 0n"ian who was wet to the s$in how he ha" asse"the night ,e see&e" erfectly content an" answere" N=uybien senorN

Dece&ber 1st (e steere" for the islan" of >e&uy 0was anxious to exa&ine a reorte" coal&ine which turne"out to be lignite of little !alue in the san"stone robably

of an ancient tertiary eoch of which these islan"s areco&ose" (hen we reache" >e&uy we ha" &uch "ifficulty infin"ing any lace to itch our tents for it was sringti"ean" the lan" was woo"e" "own to the water's e"ge 0n ashort ti&e we were surroun"e" by a large grou of the nearlyure 0n"ian inhabitants They were &uch surrise" at our arri!al an" sai" one to the other NThis is the reason weha!e seen so &any arrots latelyS the cheucau an o"" re"breaste" little bir" which inhabits the thic$ forest an" utters!ery eculiar noises has not crie" 'beware' for nothingNThey were soon anxious for barter =oney was scarcelyworth anything but their eagerness for tobacco was so&ething

Luite extraor"inary fter tobacco in"igo ca&e nextin !alueS then casicu& ol" clothes an" gunow"er Thelatter article was reLuire" for a !ery innocent urose5 eacharish has a ublic &us$et an" the gunow"er was wante"for &a$ing a noise on their saint or feast "ays

The eole here li!e chiefly on shellfish an" otatoes tcertain seasons they catch also in NcorralesN or he"gesun"er water &any fish which are left on the &u"ban$s asthe ti"e falls They occasionally ossess fowls shee goatsigs horses an" cattleS the or"er in which they are here&entione" exressing their resecti!e nu&bers 0 ne!er

saw anything &ore obliging an" hu&ble than the &annersof these eole They generally began with stating thatthey were oor nati!es of the lace an" not -aniar"s



an" that they were in sa" want of tobacco an" other co&forts t Caylen the &ost southern islan" the sailorsbought with a stic$ of tobacco of the !alue of threehalfencetwo fowls one of which the 0n"ian state" ha" s$inbetween its toes an" turne" out to be a fine "uc$S an" withso&e cotton han"$erchiefs worth three shillings three shee

an" a large bunch of onions were rocure" The yawl atthis lace was anchore" so&e way fro& the shore an" weha" fears for her safety fro& robbers "uring the night :ur ilot =r Douglas accor"ingly tol" the constable of the"istrict that we always lace" sentinels with loa"e" ar&san" not un"erstan"ing -anish if we saw any erson in the"ar$ we shoul" assure"ly shoot hi& The constable with&uch hu&ility agree" to the erfect roriety of thisarrange&ent an" ro&ise" us that no one shoul" stir outof his house "uring that night

During the four succee"ing "ays we continue" sailing

southwar" The general features of the country re&aine"the sa&e but it was &uch less thic$ly inhabite" :n thelarge islan" of TanLui there was scarcely one cleare" sotthe trees on e!ery si"e exten"ing their branches o!er theseabeach 0 one "ay notice" growing on the san"stonecliffs so&e !ery fine lants of the an$e Gunnera scabrawhich so&ewhat rese&bles the rhubarb on a gigantic scaleThe inhabitants eat the stal$s which are subaci" an" tanleather with the roots an" reare a blac$ "ye fro& the&The leaf is nearly circular but "eely in"ente" on its &argin0 &easure" one which was nearly eight feet in "ia&eteran" therefore no less than twentyfour in circu&ference%

The stal$ is rather &ore than a yar" high an" eachlant sen"s out four or fi!e of these enor&ous lea!esresenting together a !ery noble aearance

Dece&ber Hth (e reache" Caylen calle" Nel fin "elCristian"a"N 0n the &orning we stoe" for a few &inutesat a house on the northern en" of >aylec which was theextre&e oint of -outh &erican Christen"o& an" a &iserableho!el it was The latitu"e is 38 "egs 17' which is two"egrees farther south than the +io ;egro on the tlanticcoast These extre&e Christians were !ery oor an" un"er the lea of their situation begge" for so&e tobacco s a

roof of the o!erty of these 0n"ians 0 &ay &ention thatshortly before this we ha" &et a &an who ha" tra!elle"three "ays an" a half on foot an" ha" as &any to returnfor the sa$e of reco!ering the !alue of a s&all axe an" a fewfish ,ow !ery "ifficult it &ust be to buy the s&allest articlewhen such trouble is ta$en to reco!er so s&all a "ebt

0n the e!ening we reache" the islan" of -an Pe"ro wherewe foun" the Beagle at anchor 0n "oubling the oint twoof the officers lan"e" to ta$e a roun" of angles with thetheo"olite fox Canis ful!ies of a $in" sai" to beeculiar to the islan" an" !ery rare in it an" which is a new

secies was sitting on the roc$s ,e was so intently absorbe"in watching the wor$ of the officers that 0 was ableby Luietly wal$ing u behin" to $noc$ hi& on the hea"



with &y geological ha&&er This fox &ore curious or &ore scientific but less wise than the generality of hisbrethren is now &ounte" in the &useu& of the Woological-ociety

(e staye" three "ays in this harbour on one of which

Catain *it9 +oy with a arty atte&te" to ascen" to thesu&&it of -an Pe"ro The woo"s here ha" rather a "ifferentaearance fro& those on the northern art of the islan"The roc$ also being &icaceous slate there was no beachbut the stee si"es "ie" "irectly beneath the water Thegeneral asect in conseLuence was &ore li$e that of Tierra"el *uego than of Chiloe 0n !ain we trie" to gain thesu&&it5 the forest was so i&enetrable that no one whohas not behel" it can i&agine so entangle" a &ass of "yingan" "ea" trun$s 0 a& sure that often for &ore than ten&inutes together our feet ne!er touche" the groun" an"we were freLuently ten or fifteen feet abo!e it so that the

sea&en as a jo$e calle" out the soun"ings t other ti&eswe cret one after another on our han"s an" $nees un"er the rotten trun$s 0n the lower art of the &ountain nobletrees of the (inter's Bar$ an" a laurel li$e the sassafraswith fragrant lea!es an" others the na&es of which 0 "onot $now were &atte" together by a trailing ba&boo or cane,ere we were &ore li$e fishes struggling in a net than anyother ani&al :n the higher arts brushwoo" ta$es thelace of larger trees with here an" there a re" ce"ar or analerce ine 0 was also lease" to see at an ele!ation of alittle less than 1777 feet our ol" frien" the southern beechThey were howe!er oor stunte" trees an" 0 shoul" thin$

that this &ust be nearly their northern li&it (e ulti&atelyga!e u the atte&t in "esair

Dece&ber 17th The yawl an" whaleboat with =r-uli!an rocee"e" on their sur!ey but 0 re&aine" on boar"the Beagle which the next "ay left -an Pe"ro for the southwar":n the 18th we ran into an oening in the southernart of Guayatecas or the Chonos rchielagoS an" it wasfortunate we "i" so for on the following "ay a stor& worthyof Tierra "el *uego rage" with great fury (hite &assi!eclou"s were ile" u against a "ar$ blue s$y an" across the&blac$ ragge" sheets of !aour were rai"ly "ri!en The

successi!e &ountain ranges aeare" li$e "i& sha"ows an"the setting sun cast on the woo"lan" a yellow glea& &uchli$e that ro"uce" by the fla&e of sirits of wine The water was white with the flying sray an" the win" lulle" an"roare" again through the rigging5 it was an o&inous subli&escene During a few &inutes there was a bright rainbowan" it was curious to obser!e the effect of the sraywhich being carrie" along the surface of the water change"the or"inary se&icircle into a circle a ban" of ris&aticcolours being continue" fro& both feet of the co&&on archacross the bay close to the !essel's si"e5 thus for&ing a"istorte" but !ery nearly entire ring

(e staye" here three "ays The weather continue" ba"5but this "i" not &uch signify for the surface of the lan"



in all these islan"s is all but i&assable The coast is so!ery rugge" that to atte&t to wal$ in that "irection reLuirescontinue" scra&bling u an" "own o!er the sharroc$s of &icaslateS an" as for the woo"s our faces han"san" shinbones all bore witness to the &altreat&ent werecei!e" in &erely atte&ting to enetrate their forbi""en

recesses

Dece&ber 1Ith (e stoo" out to sea :n the 67th weba"e farewell to the south an" with a fair win" turne" theshi's hea" northwar" *ro& Cae Tres =ontes we saile"leasantly along the lofty weatherbeaten coast which isre&ar$able for the bol" outline of its hills an" the thic$co!ering of forest e!en on the al&ost reciitous flan$s Thenext "ay a harbour was "isco!ere" which on this "angerouscoast &ight be of great ser!ice to a "istresse" !essel 0tcan easily be recogni9e" by a hill 1H77 feet high which ise!en &ore erfectly conical than the fa&ous sugarloaf at

+io "e aneiro The next "ay after anchoring 0 succee"e"in reaching the su&&it of this hill 0t was a laboriousun"erta$ing for the si"es were so stee that in so&e arts itwas necessary to use the trees as la""ers There were alsose!eral extensi!e bra$es of the *uchsia co!ere" with itsbeautiful "rooing flowers but !ery "ifficult to crawl through0n these wil" countries it gi!es &uch "elight to gain the su&&itof any &ountain There is an in"efinite exectation of seeingso&ething !ery strange which howe!er often it &ay bebal$e" ne!er faile" with &e to recur on each successi!eatte&t E!ery one &ust $now the feeling of triu&h an"ri"e which a gran" !iew fro& a height co&&unicates to the

&in" 0n these little freLuente" countries there is also joine"to it so&e !anity that you erhas are the first &an who e!er stoo" on this innacle or a"&ire" this !iew

strong "esire is always felt to ascertain whether anyhu&an being has re!iously !isite" an unfreLuente" sot bit of woo" with a nail in it is ic$e" u an" stu"ie" asif it were co!ere" with hieroglyhics Possesse" with thisfeeling 0 was &uch intereste" by fin"ing on a wil" art of the coast a be" &a"e of grass beneath a le"ge of roc$ Closeby it there ha" been a fire an" the &an ha" use" an axeThe fire be" an" situation showe" the "exterity of an 0n"ianS

but he coul" scarcely ha!e been an 0n"ian for the race isin this art extinct owing to the Catholic "esire of &a$ingat one blow Christians an" -la!es 0 ha" at the ti&e so&e&isgi!ings that the solitary &an who ha" &a"e his be" onthis wil" sot &ust ha!e been so&e oor shiwrec$e" sailorwho in trying to tra!el u the coast ha" here lai" hi&self "own for his "reary night

Dece&ber 6Ith The weather continue" !ery ba" but itat last er&itte" us to rocee" with the sur!ey The ti&ehung hea!y on our han"s as it always "i" when we were"elaye" fro& "ay to "ay by successi!e gales of win" 0n

the e!ening another harbour was "isco!ere" where weanchore" Directly afterwar"s a &an was seen wa!ing ashirt an" a boat was sent which brought bac$ two sea&en



arty of six ha" run away fro& an &erican whaling!essel an" ha" lan"e" a little to the southwar" in a boatwhich was shortly afterwar"s $noc$e" to ieces by the surfThey ha" now been wan"ering u an" "own the coast for fifteen &onths without $nowing which way to go or wherethey were (hat a singular iece of goo" fortune it was

that this harbour was now "isco!ere"% ,a" it not been for this one chance they &ight ha!e wan"ere" till they ha"grown ol" &en an" at last ha!e erishe" on this wil" coastTheir sufferings ha" been !ery great an" one of their artyha" lost his life by falling fro& the cliffs They wereso&eti&es oblige" to searate in search of foo" an" thisexlaine" the be" of the solitary &an Consi"ering what theyha" un"ergone 0 thin$ they ha" $et a !ery goo" rec$oning of ti&e for they ha" lost only four "ays

Dece&ber 87th (e anchore" in a snug little co!e at thefoot of so&e high hills near the northern extre&ity of Tres

=ontes fter brea$fast the next &orning a arty ascen"e"one of these &ountains which was 6377 feet high Thescenery was re&ar$able The chief art of the range wasco&ose" of gran" soli" abrut &asses of granite whichaeare" as if they ha" been coe!al with the beginning of the worl" The granite was cae" with &icaslate an" thisin the lase of ages ha" been worn into strange fingershae" oints These two for&ations thus "iffering in their outlines agree in being al&ost "estitute of !egetation Thisbarrenness ha" to our eyes a strange aearance fro& ha!ingbeen so long accusto&e" to the sight of an al&ost uni!ersalforest of "ar$green trees 0 too$ &uch "elight in exa&ining

the structure of these &ountains The co&licate" an" loftyranges bore a noble asect of "urability eLually rofitlesshowe!er to &an an" to all other ani&als Granite to thegeologist is classic groun"5 fro& its wi"esrea" li&its an" itsbeautiful an" co&act texture few roc$s ha!e been &oreanciently recognise" Granite has gi!en rise erhas to&ore "iscussion concerning its origin than any other for&ation(e generally see it constituting the fun"a&ental roc$an" howe!er for&e" we $now it is the "eeest layer in thecrust of this globe to which &an has enetrate" The li&itof &an's $nowle"ge in any subject ossesses a high interestwhich is erhas increase" by its close neighbourhoo" to the

real&s of i&agination

anuary 1st 1I8M The new year is ushere" in with thecere&onies roer to it in these regions -he lays out nofalse hoes5 a hea!y northwestern gale with stea"y rainbesea$s the rising year Than$ Go" we are not "estine"here to see the en" of it but hoe then to be in the Pacific:cean where a blue s$y tells one there is a hea!en aso&ething beyon" the clou"s abo!e our hea"s

The northwest win"s re!ailing for the next four "ayswe only &anage" to cross a great bay an" then anchore" in

another secure harbour 0 acco&anie" the Catain in aboat to the hea" of a "ee cree$ :n the way the nu&ber of seals which we saw was Luite astonishing5 e!ery bit of flat



roc$ an" arts of the beach were co!ere" with the& Thereaeare" to be of a lo!ing "isosition an" lay hu""le"together fast aslee li$e so &any igsS but e!en igs woul"ha!e been asha&e" of their "irt an" of the foul s&ell whichca&e fro& the& Each her" was watche" by the atient butinausicious eyes of the tur$eybu99ar" This "isgusting bir"

with its bal" scarlet hea" for&e" to wallow in utri"ity is!ery co&&on on the west coast an" their atten"ance on theseals shows on what they rely for their foo" (e foun" thewater robably only that of the surface nearly fresh5 thiswas cause" by the nu&ber of torrents which in the for&of casca"es ca&e tu&bling o!er the bol" granite &ountainsinto the sea The fresh water attracts the fish an" thesebring &any terns gulls an" two $in"s of cor&orant (esaw also a air of the beautiful blac$nec$e" swans an"se!eral s&all seaotters the fur of which is hel" in suchhigh esti&ation 0n returning we were again a&use" by thei&etuous &anner in which the hea of seals ol" an" young

tu&ble" into the water as the boat asse" They "i" notre&ain long un"er water but rising followe" us withoutstretche" nec$s exressing great won"er an" curiosity

/th ,a!ing run u the coast we anchore" near thenorthern en" of the Chonos rchielago in >ow's ,arbourwhere we re&aine" a wee$ The islan"s were here as inChiloe co&ose" of a stratifie" soft littoral "eositS an"the !egetation in conseLuence was beautifully luxuriant Thewoo"s ca&e "own to the seabeach just in the &anner of an e!ergreen shrubbery o!er a gra!el wal$ (e also enjoye"fro& the anchorage a slen"i" !iew of four great snowy

cones of the Cor"illera inclu"ing Nel fa&oso Corco!a"oSNthe range itself ha" in this latitu"e so little height that fewarts of it aeare" abo!e the tos of the neighbouringislets (e foun" here a arty of fi!e &en fro& Caylen Nelfin "el Cristian"a"N who ha" &ost a"!enturously crosse" intheir &iserable boatcanoe for the urose of fishing theoen sace of sea which searates Chonos fro& Chiloe Theseislan"s will in all robability in a short ti&e beco&e eole"li$e those a"joining the coast of Chiloe

The wil" otato grows on these islan"s in great abun"ance

on the san"y shelly soil near the seabeach The tallestlant was four feet in height The tubers were generallys&all but 0 foun" one of an o!al shae two inches in"ia&eter5 they rese&ble" in e!ery resect an" ha" the sa&es&ell as English otatoesS but when boile" they shrun$ &uchan" were watery an" insii" without any bitter taste Theyare un"oubte"ly here in"igenous5 they grow as far southaccor"ing to =r >ow as lat M7 "egs an" are calle" Luinas bythe wil" 0n"ians of that art5 the Chilotan 0n"ians ha!e a"ifferent na&e for the& Professor ,enslow who has exa&ine"the "rie" seci&ens which 0 brought ho&e says thatthey are the sa&e with those "escribe" by =r -abine 214 fro&

Valaraiso but that they for& a !ariety which by so&ebotanists has been consi"ere" as secifically "istinct 0t isre&ar$able that the sa&e lant shoul" be foun" on the sterile



&ountains of central Chile where a "ro of rain "oes notfall for &ore than six &onths an" within the "a& forestsof these southern islan"s

0n the central arts of the Chonos rchielago lat 3M "egsthe forest has !ery &uch the sa&e character with that along

the whole west coast for H77 &iles southwar" to Cae ,ornThe arborescent grass of Chiloe is not foun" hereS while thebeech of Tierra "el *uego grows to a goo" si9e an" for&s aconsi"erable roortion of the woo"S not howe!er in thesa&e exclusi!e &anner as it "oes farther southwar" Crytoga&iclants here fin" a &ost congenial cli&ate 0n the -traitof =agellan as 0 ha!e before re&ar$e" the country aearstoo col" an" wet to allow of their arri!ing at erfectionS butin these islan"s within the forest the nu&ber of secies an"great abun"ance of &osses lichens an" s&all ferns is Luiteextraor"inary 264 0n Tierra "el *uego trees grow only on thehillsi"esS e!ery le!el iece of lan" being in!ariably co!ere"

by a thic$ be" of eatS but in Chiloe flat lan" suorts the&ost luxuriant forests ,ere within the Chonos rchielagothe nature of the cli&ate &ore closely aroaches thatof Tierra "el *uego than that of northern ChiloeS for e!eryatch of le!el groun" is co!ere" by two secies of lantsstelia u&ila an" Donatia &agellanica which by their joint "ecay co&ose a thic$ be" of elastic eat

0n Tierra "el *uego abo!e the region of woo"lan" thefor&er of these e&inently sociable lants is the chief agentin the ro"uction of eat *resh lea!es are always succee"ingone to the other roun" the central taroot the lower

ones soon "ecay an" in tracing a root "ownwar"s in the eatthe lea!es yet hol"ing their lace can be obser!e" assingthrough e!ery stage of "eco&osition till the whole beco&esblen"e" in one confuse" &ass The stelia is assiste" by afew other lants here an" there a s&all creeing =yrtus= nu&&ularia with a woo"y ste& li$e our cranberry an"with a sweet berry an E&etru& E rubru& li$e our heath a rush uncus gran"iflorus are nearly the onlyones that grow on the swa&y surface These lants thoughossessing a !ery close general rese&blance to the Englishsecies of the sa&e genera are "ifferent 0n the &ore le!elarts of the country the surface of the eat is bro$en u into

little ools of water which stan" at "ifferent heights an"aear as if artificially exca!ate" -&all strea&s of waterflowing un"ergroun" co&lete the "isorgani9ation of the!egetable &atter an" consoli"ate the whole

The cli&ate of the southern art of &erica aears articularlyfa!ourable to the ro"uction of eat 0n the *al$lan"0slan"s al&ost e!ery $in" of lant e!en the coarse grasswhich co!ers the whole surface of the lan" beco&es con!erte"into this substance5 scarcely any situation chec$s itsgrowthS so&e of the be"s are as &uch as twel!e feet thic$an" the lower art beco&es so soli" when "ry that it will

har"ly burn lthough e!ery lant len"s its ai" yet in &ostarts the stelia is the &ost efficient 0t is rather a singular circu&stance as being so !ery "ifferent fro& what occurs



in Euroe that 0 nowhere saw &oss for&ing by its "ecayany ortion of the eat in -outh &erica (ith resect tothe northern li&it at which the cli&ate allows of that eculiar $in" of slow "eco&osition which is necessary for itsro"uction 0 belie!e that in Chiloe lat 31 to 36 "egsalthough there is &uch swa&y groun" no wellcharacteri9e" eat

occurs5 but in the Chonos 0slan"s three "egrees farther southwar" we ha!e seen that it is abun"ant :n the easterncoast in >a Plata lat 8M "egs 0 was tol" by a -anishresi"ent who ha" !isite" 0relan" that he ha" often sought for this substance but ha" ne!er been able to fin" any ,e showe"&e as the nearest aroach to it which he ha" "isco!ere" ablac$ eaty soil so enetrate" with roots as to allow of anextre&ely slow an" i&erfect co&bustion

The 9oology of these bro$en islets of the Chonos rchielagois as &ight ha!e been execte" !ery oor :f Lua"rue"s

two aLuatic $in"s are co&&on The =yoota&usCoyus li$e a bea!er but with a roun" tail is well $nownfro& its fine fur which is an object of tra"e throughout thetributaries of >a Plata 0t here howe!er exclusi!ely freLuentssalt waterS which sa&e circu&stance has been &entione"as so&eti&es occurring with the great ro"ent theCaybara s&all seaotter is !ery nu&erousS this ani&al"oes not fee" exclusi!ely on fish but li$e the seals "raws alarge suly fro& a s&all re" crab which swi&s in shoalsnear the surface of the water =r Bynoe saw one in Tierra"el *uego eating a cuttlefishS an" at >ow's ,arbour another was $ille" in the act of carrying to its hole a large !olute

shell t one lace 0 caught in a tra a singular little &ouse= brachiotisS it aeare" co&&on on se!eral of the isletsbut the Chilotans at >ow's ,arbour sai" that it was not foun"in all (hat a succession of chances 284 or what changes of le!el &ust ha!e been brought into lay thus to srea" theses&all ani&als throughout this bro$en archielago%

0n all arts of Chiloe an" Chonos two !ery strange bir"soccur which are allie" to an" relace the Turco an" Taacoloof central Chile :ne is calle" by the inhabitantsNCheucauN Pterotochos rubecula5 it freLuents the &ostgloo&y an" retire" sots within the "a& forests -o&eti&es

although its cry &ay be hear" close at han" let a ersonwatch e!er so attenti!ely he will not see the cheucauS atother ti&es let hi& stan" &otionless an" the re"breaste"little bir" will aroach within a few feet in the &ost fa&iliar &anner 0t then busily hos about the entangle" &ass of rotting cones an" branches with its little tail coc$e" uwar"sThe cheucau is hel" in suerstitious fear by the Chilotans onaccount of its strange an" !arie" cries There are three!ery "istinct cries5 :ne is calle" Nchi"ucoN an" is an o&enof goo"S another NhuitreuN which is extre&ely unfa!ourableSan" a thir" which 0 ha!e forgotten These wor"s aregi!en in i&itation of the noisesS an" the nati!es are in so&e

things absolutely go!erne" by the& The Chilotans assure"lyha!e chosen a &ost co&ical little creature for their rohet n allie" secies but rather larger is calle" by the nati!es



NGui"gui"N Pterotochos Tarnii an" by the English thebar$ingbir" This latter na&e is well gi!enS for 0 "efy anyone at first to feel certain that a s&all "og is not yelingso&ewhere in the forest ust as with the cheucau a ersonwill so&eti&es hear the bar$ close by but in !ain &anyen"ea!our by watching an" with still less chance by beating

the bushes to see the bir"S yet at other ti&es the gui"gui"fearlessly co&es near 0ts &anner of fee"ing an" its generalhabits are !ery si&ilar to those of the cheucau

:n the coast 234 a s&all "us$ycoloure" bir" :etiorhynchusPatagonicus is !ery co&&on 0t is re&ar$able fro&its Luiet habitsS it li!es entirely on the seabeach li$e asan"ier Besi"es these bir"s only few others inhabit thisbro$en lan" 0n &y rough notes 0 "escribe the strangenoises which although freLuently hear" within these gloo&yforests yet scarcely "isturb the general silence The yelingof the gui"gui" an" the su""en whewwhew of the

cheucau so&eti&es co&e fro& afar off an" so&eti&es fro&close at han"S the little blac$ wren of Tierra "el *uegooccasionally a""s its cryS the creeer :xyurus follows theintru"er screa&ing an" twitteringS the hu&&ingbir" &aybe seen e!ery now an" then "arting fro& si"e to si"e an"e&itting li$e an insect its shrill chirS lastly fro& the toof so&e lofty tree the in"istinct but lainti!e note of thewhitetufte" tyrantflycatcher =yiobius &ay be notice"*ro& the great reon"erance in &ost countries of certainco&&on genera of bir"s such as the finches one feels atfirst surrise" at &eeting with the eculiar for&s abo!eenu&erate" as the co&&onest bir"s in any "istrict 0n central

Chile two of the& na&ely the :xyurus an" -cytalous occuralthough &ost rarely (hen fin"ing as in this caseani&als which see& to lay so insignificant a art in the greatsche&e of nature one is at to won"er why they werecreate"

But it shoul" always be recollecte" that in so&e other country erhas they are essential &e&bers of society or at so&e for&er erio" &ay ha!e been so 0f &ericasouth of 8/ "egs were sun$ beneath the waters of the oceanthese two bir"s &ight continue to exist in central Chile for a long erio" but it is !ery i&robable that their nu&bers

woul" increase (e shoul" then see a case which &ust ine!itablyha!e haene" with !ery &any ani&als

These southern seas are freLuente" by se!eral secies of Petrels5 the largest $in" Procellaria gigantea or nellyLuebrantahuesos or brea$bones of the -aniar"s is a co&&onbir" both in the inlan" channels an" on the oen sea0n its habits an" &anner of flight there is a !ery closerese&blance with the albatrossS an" as with the albatross aerson &ay watch it for hours together without seeing onwhat it fee"s The Nbrea$bonesN is howe!er a raaciousbir" for it was obser!e" by so&e of the officers at Port -t

ntonio chasing a "i!er which trie" to escae by "i!ingan" flying but was continually struc$ "own an" at last$ille" by a blow on its hea" t Port -t ulian these great



etrels were seen $illing an" "e!ouring young gulls secon"secies Puffinus cinereus which is co&&on to EuroeCae ,orn an" the coast of Peru is of &uch s&aller si9ethan the P gigantea but li$e it of a "irty blac$ colour 0tgenerally freLuents the inlan" soun"s in !ery large floc$s50 "o not thin$ 0 e!er saw so &any bir"s of any other sort

together as 0 once saw of these behin" the islan" of Chiloe,un"re"s of thousan"s flew in an irregular line for se!eralhours in one "irection (hen art of the floc$ settle" on thewater the surface was blac$ene" an" a noise rocee"e" fro&the& as of hu&an beings tal$ing in the "istance

There are se!eral other secies of etrels but 0 will only&ention one other $in" the Pelacanoi"es Berar"i whichoffers an exa&le of those extraor"inary cases of a bir"e!i"ently belonging to one well&ar$e" fa&ily yet both inits habits an" structure allie" to a !ery "istinct tribe Thisbir" ne!er lea!es the Luiet inlan" soun"s (hen "isturbe"

it "i!es to a "istance an" on co&ing to the surface with thesa&e &o!e&ent ta$es flight fter flying by a rai" &o!e&entof its short wings for a sace in a straight line it "rosas if struc$ "ea" an" "i!es again The for& of its bea$ an"nostrils length of foot an" e!en the colouring of its lu&ageshow that this bir" is a etrel5 on the other han" itsshort wings an" conseLuent little ower of flight its for&of bo"y an" shae of tail the absence of a hin" toe to itsfoot its habit of "i!ing an" its choice of situation &a$e itat first "oubtful whether its relationshi is not eLually closewith the au$s 0t woul" un"oubte"ly be &ista$en for an au$when seen fro& a "istance either on the wing or when "i!ing

an" Luietly swi&&ing about the retire" channels of Tierra "el *uego

214 ,orticultural Transact !ol ! 63. =r Cal"eleughsent ho&e two tubers which being well &anure" e!en thefirst season ro"uce" nu&erous otatoes an" an abun"ance of lea!es -ee ,u&bol"t's interesting "iscussion on this lantwhich it aears was un$nown in =exico in Polit Essayon ;ew -ain boo$ i! cha ix

264 By sweeing with &y insectnet 0 rocure" fro& thesesituations a consi"erable nu&ber of &inute insects of the

fa&ily of -tahylini"ae an" others allie" to Pselahusan" &inute ,y&enotera But the &ost characteristic fa&ilyin nu&ber both of in"i!i"uals an" secies throughout the&ore oen arts of Chiloe an" Chonos is that of Telehori"ae

284 0t is sai" that so&e raacious bir"s bring their reyali!e to their nests 0f so in the course of centuriese!ery now an" then one &ight escae fro& the young bir"s-o&e such agency is necessary to account for the "istributionof the s&aller gnawing ani&als on islan"s not !ery near each other

234 0 &ay &ention as a roof of how great a "ifference there

is between the seasons of the woo"e" an" the oen arts of this coast that on -ete&ber 67th in lat 83 "egs thesebir"s ha" young ones in the nest while a&ong the Chonos



0slan"s three &onths later in the su&&er they were onlylaying the "ifference in latitu"e between these two lacesbeing about /77 &iles

C,PTE+ 0V

C,0>:E ;D C:;CEPC0:;5 G+ET E+T,<UE

-an Carlos Chiloe :sorno in erution conte&oraneouslywith concagua an" Coseguina +i"e to Cucao 0&enetrable*orests Val"i!ia 0n"ians EarthLua$e Concecion Great EarthLua$e +oc$s fissure" earance of thefor&er Towns The -ea Blac$ an" Boiling Direction of the Vibrations -tones twiste" roun" Great (a!e Per&anent Ele!ation of the >an" rea of VolcanicPheno&ena The connection between the Ele!atory an"

Eruti!e *orces Cause of EarthLua$es -low Ele!ation of =ountainchains

:; ;<+R the 1Mth we saile" fro& >ow's ,arbouran" three "ays afterwar"s anchore" a secon" ti&e inthe bay of - Carlos in Chiloe :n the night of the1.th the !olcano of :sorno was in action t &i"night thesentry obser!e" so&ething li$e a large star which gra"uallyincrease" in si9e till about three o'cloc$ when it resente"a !ery &agnificent sectacle By the ai" of a glass "ar$objects in constant succession were seen in the &i"st of a

great glare of re" light to be thrown u an" to fall "ownThe light was sufficient to cast on the water a long brightreflection >arge &asses of &olten &atter see& !ery co&&onlyto be cast out of the craters in this art of the Cor"illera0 was assure" that when the Corco!a"o is in erutiongreat &asses are rojecte" uwar"s an" are seen to burst inthe air assu&ing &any fantastical for&s such as trees5their si9e &ust be i&&ense for they can be "istinguishe"fro& the high lan" behin" - Carlos which is no less thanninetythree &iles fro& the Corco!a"o 0n the &orning the!olcano beca&e tranLuil

0 was surrise" at hearing afterwar"s that concagua inChile 3I7 &iles northwar"s was in action on the sa&e nightSan" still &ore surrise" to hear that the great erution of Coseguina 6/77 &iles north of concagua acco&anie" byan earthLua$e felt o!er a 1777 &iles also occurre" withinsix hours of this sa&e ti&e This coinci"ence is the &orere&ar$able as Coseguina ha" been "or&ant for twentysixyearsS an" concagua &ost rarely shows any signs of action0t is "ifficult e!en to conjecture whether this coinci"ence wasacci"ental or shows so&e subterranean connection 0f Vesu!iusEtna an" ,ecla in 0celan" all three relati!ely nearer each other than the correson"ing oints in -outh &erica

su""enly burst forth in erution on the sa&e night thecoinci"ence woul" be thought re&ar$ableS but it is far &orere&ar$able in this case where the three !ents fall on the sa&e



great &ountainchain an" where the !ast lains along theentire eastern coast an" the uraise" recent shells along&ore than 6777 &iles on the western coast show in howeLuable an" connecte" a &anner the ele!atory forces ha!e acte"

Catain *it9 +oy being anxious that so&e bearings shoul"

be ta$en on the outer coast of Chiloe it was lanne" that=r Uing an" &yself shoul" ri"e to Castro an" thence acrossthe islan" to the Caella "e Cucao situate" on the westcoast ,a!ing hire" horses an" a gui"e we set out onthe &orning of the 66n" (e ha" not rocee"e" far beforewe were joine" by a wo&an an" two boys who were bent onthe sa&e journey E!ery one on this roa" acts on a Nhailfellow well &etN fashionS an" one &ay here enjoy the ri!ilegeso rare in -outh &erica of tra!elling without firear&s t first the country consiste" of a succession of hillsan" !alleys5 nearer to Castro it beca&e !ery le!el The roa"itself is a curious affairS it consists in its whole length

with the excetion of !ery few arts of great logs of woo"which are either broa" an" lai" longitu"inally or narrow an"lace" trans!ersely 0n su&&er the roa" is not !ery ba"S but inwinter when the woo" is ren"ere" sliery fro& rain tra!ellingis excee"ingly "ifficult t that ti&e of the year thegroun" on each si"e beco&es a &orass an" is often o!erflowe"5hence it is necessary that the longitu"inal logsshoul" be fastene" "own by trans!erse oles which areegge" on each si"e into the earth These egs ren"er a fallfro& a horse "angerous as the chance of alighting on one of the& is not s&all 0t is re&ar$able howe!er how acti!ecusto& has &a"e the Chilotan horses 0n crossing ba" arts

where the logs ha" been "islace" they s$ie" fro& oneto the other al&ost with the Luic$ness an" certainty of a"og :n both han"s the roa" is bor"ere" by the lofty foresttrees with their bases &atte" together by canes (henoccasionally a long reach of this a!enue coul" be behel" itresente" a curious scene of unifor&ity5 the white line of logsnarrowing in ersecti!e beca&e hi""en by the gloo&y forestor ter&inate" in a 9ig9ag which ascen"e" so&e stee hill

lthough the "istance fro& - Carlos to Castro is onlytwel!e leagues in a straight line the for&ation of the roa"&ust ha!e been a great labour 0 was tol" that se!eral eole

ha" for&erly lost their li!es in atte&ting to cross theforest The first who succee"e" was an 0n"ian who cut hisway through the canes in eight "ays an" reache" - Carlos5he was rewar"e" by the -anish go!ern&ent with a grant of lan" During the su&&er &any of the 0n"ians wan"er about the forests but chiefly in the higher arts where thewoo"s are not Luite so thic$ in search of the halfwil" cattlewhich li!e on the lea!es of the cane an" certain trees 0twas one of these hunts&en who by chance "isco!ere" a fewyears since an English !essel which ha" been wrec$e" on theouter coast The crew were beginning to fail in ro!isionsan" it is not robable that without the ai" of this &an they

woul" e!er ha!e extricate" the&sel!es fro& these scarcelyenetrable woo"s s it was one sea&an "ie" on the &archfro& fatigue The 0n"ians in these excursions steer by the



sunS so that if there is a continuance of clou"y weather theycan not tra!el

The "ay was beautiful an" the nu&ber of trees whichwere in full flower erfu&e" the airS yet e!en this coul"har"ly "issiate the effects of the gloo&y "a&ness of the

forest =oreo!er the &any "ea" trun$s that stan" li$es$eletons ne!er fail to gi!e to these ri&e!al woo"s acharacter of sole&nity absent in those of countries longci!ili9e" -hortly after sunset we bi!ouac$e" for the night :ur fe&ale co&anion who was rather goo"loo$ing belonge" toone of the &ost resectable fa&ilies in Castro5 she ro"ehowe!er astri"e an" without shoes or stoc$ings 0 wassurrise" at the total want of ri"e shown by her an" her brother They brought foo" with the& but at all our &eals satwatching =r Uing an" &yself whilst eating till we werefairly sha&e" into fee"ing the whole arty The night wasclou"lessS an" while lying in our be"s we enjoye" the sight

an" it is a high enjoy&ent of the &ultitu"e of stars whichillu&ine" the "ar$ness of the forest

anuary 68r" (e rose early in the &orning an" reache"the retty Luiet town of Castro by two o'cloc$ The ol" go!ernor ha" "ie" since our last !isit an" a Chileno was actingin his lace (e ha" a letter of intro"uction to Don Pe"rowho& we foun" excee"ingly hositable an" $in" an" &ore"isintereste" than is usual on this si"e of the continent Thenext "ay Don Pe"ro rocure" us fresh horses an" offere"to acco&any us hi&self (e rocee"e" to the south generallyfollowing the coast an" assing through se!eral ha&lets

each with its large barnli$e chael built of woo" tViliilli Don Pe"ro as$e" the co&&an"ant to gi!e us a gui"eto Cucao The ol" gentle&an offere" to co&e hi&selfS butfor a long ti&e nothing woul" ersua"e hi& that two English&enreally wishe" to go to such an outoftheway laceas Cucao (e were thus acco&anie" by the two greatestaristocrats in the country as was lainly to be seen in the&anner of all the oorer 0n"ians towar"s the& t Chonchiwe struc$ across the islan" following intricate win"ingaths so&eti&es assing through &agnificent forests an"so&eti&es through retty cleare" sots aboun"ing with cornan" otato cros This un"ulating woo"y country artially

culti!ate" re&in"e" &e of the wil"er arts of Englan" an"therefore ha" to &y eye a &ost fascinating asect t Vilincowhich is situate" on the bor"ers of the la$e of Cucaoonly a few fiel"s were cleare"S an" all the inhabitants aeare"to be 0n"ians This la$e is twel!e &iles long an"runs in an east an" west "irection *ro& local circu&stancesthe seabree9e blows !ery regularly "uring the "ayan" "uring the night it falls cal&5 this has gi!en rise tostrange exaggerations for the heno&enon as "escribe" tous at - Carlos was Luite a ro"igy

The roa" to Cucao was so !ery ba" that we "eter&ine" to

e&bar$ in a @eriagua@ The co&&an"ant in the &ost authoritati!e&anner or"ere" six 0n"ians to get rea"y to ullus o!er without "eigning to tell the& whether they woul"



be ai" The eriagua is a strange rough boat but the crewwere still stranger5 0 "oubt if six uglier little &en e!er gotinto a boat together They ulle" howe!er !ery well an"cheerfully The stro$eoars&an gabble" 0n"ian an" uttere"strange cries &uch after the fashion of a ig"ri!er "ri!inghis igs (e starte" with a light bree9e against us but yet

reache" the Caella "e Cucao before it was late The countryon each si"e of the la$e was one unbro$en forest 0n thesa&e eriagua with us a cow was e&bar$e" To get solarge an ani&al into a s&all boat aears at first a "ifficultybut the 0n"ians &anage" it in a &inute They brought thecow alongsi"e the boat which was heele" towar"s herS thenlacing two oars un"er her belly with their en"s resting onthe gunwale by the ai" of these le!ers they fairly tu&ble"the oor beast heels o!er hea" into the botto& of the boatan" then lashe" her "own with roes t Cucao we foun"an uninhabite" ho!el which is the resi"ence of the a"rewhen he ays this Caella a !isit where lighting a fire we

coo$e" our suer an" were !ery co&fortable

The "istrict of Cucao is the only inhabite" art on thewhole west coast of Chiloe 0t contains about thirty or forty0n"ian fa&ilies who are scattere" along four or fi!e &ilesof the shore They are !ery &uch seclu"e" fro& the rest of Chiloe an" ha!e scarcely any sort of co&&erce excetso&eti&es in a little oil which they get fro& sealblubberThey are tolerably "resse" in clothes of their own &anufacturean" they ha!e lenty to eat They see&e" howe!er"iscontente" yet hu&ble to a "egree which it was Luite ainfulto witness These feelings are 0 thin$ chiefly to be

attribute" to the harsh an" authoritati!e &anner in whichthey are treate" by their rulers :ur co&anions althoughso !ery ci!il to us beha!e" to the oor 0n"ians as if theyha" been sla!es rather than free &en They or"ere" ro!isionsan" the use of their horses without e!er con"escen"ingto say how &uch or in"ee" whether the owners shoul"be ai" at all 0n the &orning being left alone with theseoor eole we soon ingratiate" oursel!es by resents of cigars an" &ate lu& of white sugar was "i!i"e" betweenall resent an" taste" with the greatest curiosity The0n"ians en"e" all their co&laints by saying Nn" it is onlybecause we are oor 0n"ians an" $now nothingS but it was

not so when we ha" a UingN

The next "ay after brea$fast we ro"e a few &iles northwar"to Punta ,uanta&o The roa" lay along a !ery broa"beach on which e!en after so &any fine "ays a terrible surf was brea$ing 0 was assure" that after a hea!y gale theroar can be hear" at night e!en at Castro a "istance of noless than twentyone sea&iles across a hilly an" woo"e"country (e ha" so&e "ifficulty in reaching the oint owingto the intolerably ba" athsS for e!erywhere in the sha"ethe groun" soon beco&es a erfect Luag&ire The ointitself is a bol" roc$y hill 0t is co!ere" by a lant allie" 0

belie!e to Bro&elia an" calle" by the inhabitants Cheones0n scra&bling through the be"s our han"s were !ery &uchscratche" 0 was a&use" by obser!ing the recaution our



0n"ian gui"e too$ in turning u his trousers thin$ing thatthey were &ore "elicate than his own har" s$in This lantbears a fruit in shae li$e an articho$e in which a nu&ber of see"!essels are ac$e"5 these contain a leasant sweetul here &uch estee&e" 0 saw at >ow's ,arbour theChilotans &a$ing chichi or ci"er with this fruit5 so true is

it as ,u&bol"t re&ar$s that al&ost e!erywhere &an fin"s&eans of rearing so&e $in" of be!erage fro& the !egetable$ing"o& The sa!ages howe!er of Tierra "el *uegoan" 0 belie!e of ustralia ha!e not a"!ance" thus far inthe arts

The coast to the north of Punta ,uanta&o is excee"inglyrugge" an" bro$en an" is fronte" by &any brea$ers onwhich the sea is eternally roaring =r Uing an" &yself were anxious to return if it ha" been ossible on foot alongthis coastS but e!en the 0n"ians sai" it was Luitei&racticable (e were tol" that &en ha!e crosse" by stri$ing

"irectly through the woo"s fro& Cucao to - Carlos butne!er by the coast :n these exe"itions the 0n"ians carrywith the& only roaste" corn an" of this they eat saringlytwice a "ay

6Hth +ee&bar$ing in the eriagua we returne" acrossthe la$e an" then &ounte" our horses The whole of Chiloetoo$ a"!antage of this wee$ of unusually fine weather toclear the groun" by burning 0n e!ery "irection !olu&es of s&o$e were curling uwar"s lthough the inhabitants wereso assi"uous in setting fire to e!ery art of the woo" yet0 "i" not see a single fire which they ha" succee"e" in &a$ing

extensi!e (e "ine" with our frien" the co&&an"antan" "i" not reach Castro till after "ar$ The next &orningwe starte" !ery early fter ha!ing ri""en for so&e ti&ewe obtaine" fro& the brow of a stee hill an extensi!e !iewan" it is a rare thing on this roa" of the great forest:!er the hori9on of trees the !olcano of Corco!a"o an"the great flattoe" one to the north stoo" out in rou"ree&inence5 scarcely another ea$ in the long rangeshowe" its snowy su&&it 0 hoe it will be long before 0forget this farewell !iew of the &agnificent Cor"illera frontingChiloe t night we bi!ouac$e" un"er a clou"less s$yan" the next &orning reache" - Carlos (e arri!e" on the

right "ay for before e!ening hea!y rain co&&ence"

*ebruary 3th -aile" fro& Chiloe During the last wee$0 &a"e se!eral short excursions :ne was to exa&ine agreat be" of nowexisting shells ele!ate" 8M7 feet abo!ethe le!el of the sea5 fro& a&ong these shells large foresttrees were growing nother ri"e was to P ,uechucucuy0 ha" with &e a gui"e who $new the country far too wellSfor he woul" ertinaciously tell &e en"less 0n"ian na&es for e!ery little oint ri!ulet an" cree$ 0n the sa&e &anner asin Tierra "el *uego the 0n"ian language aears singularlywell a"ate" for attaching na&es to the &ost tri!ial features

of the lan" 0 belie!e e!ery one was gla" to say farewellto ChiloeS yet if we coul" forget the gloo& an" ceaselessrain of winter Chiloe &ight ass for a char&ing islan"



There is also so&ething !ery attracti!e in the si&licity an"hu&ble oliteness of the oor inhabitants

(e steere" northwar" along shore but owing to thic$weather "i" not reach Val"i!ia till the night of the Ith Thenext &orning the boat rocee"e" to the town which is "istant

about ten &iles (e followe" the course of the ri!eroccasionally assing a few ho!els an" atches of groun"cleare" out of the otherwise unbro$en forestS an" so&eti&es&eeting a canoe with an 0n"ian fa&ily The town is situate"on the low ban$s of the strea& an" is so co&letelyburie" in a woo" of aletrees that the streets are &erelyaths in an orchar" 0 ha!e ne!er seen any country wherealetrees aeare" to thri!e so well as in this "a& art of -outh &erica5 on the bor"ers of the roa"s there were&any young trees e!i"ently selfgrown 0n Chiloe the inhabitantsossess a &ar!ellously short &etho" of &a$ing anorchar" t the lower art of al&ost e!ery branch s&all

conical brown wrin$le" oints roject5 these are alwaysrea"y to change into roots as &ay so&eti&es be seen whereany &u" has been acci"entally slashe" against the tree branch as thic$ as a &an's thigh is chosen in the early sringan" is cut off just beneath a grou of these oints all thes&aller branches are loe" off an" it is then lace" abouttwo feet "ee in the groun" During the ensuing su&&er the stu& throws out long shoots an" so&eti&es e!en bearsfruit5 0 was shown one which ha" ro"uce" as &any astwentythree ales but this was thought !ery unusual 0nthe thir" season the stu& is change" as 0 ha!e &yself seen into a wellwoo"e" tree loa"e" with fruit n ol"

&an near Val"i!ia illustrate" his &otto N;ecesi"a" es la&a"re "el in!encionN by gi!ing an account of the se!eraluseful things he &anufacture" fro& his ales fter &a$ingci"er an" li$ewise wine he extracte" fro& the refuse awhite an" finely fla!oure" siritS by another rocess herocure" a sweet treacle or as he calle" it honey ,ischil"ren an" igs see&e" al&ost to li!e "uring this season of the year in his orchar"

*ebruary 11th 0 set out with a gui"e on a short ri"e inwhich howe!er 0 &anage" to see singularly little either of the geology of the country or of its inhabitants There

is not &uch cleare" lan" near Val"i!ia5 after crossing ari!er at the "istance of a few &iles we entere" the forest an"then asse" only one &iserable ho!el before reaching our sleeinglace for the night The short "ifference in latitu"eof 1M7 &iles has gi!en a new asect to the forest co&are"with that of Chiloe This is owing to a slightly"ifferent roortion in the $in"s of trees The e!ergreens"o not aear to be Luite so nu&erous an" the forest inconseLuence has a brighter tint s in Chiloe the lower arts are &atte" together by canes5 here also another $in"rese&bling the ba&boo of Bra9il an" about twenty feet inheight grows in clusters an" orna&ents the ban$s of so&e

of the strea&s in a !ery retty &anner 0t is with this lantthat the 0n"ians &a$e their chu9os or long taering sears:ur restinghouse was so "irty that 0 referre" sleeing



outsi"e5 on these journeys the first night is generally !eryunco&fortable because one is not accusto&e" to the tic$lingan" biting of the fleas 0 a& sure in the &orning therewas not a sace on &y legs the si9e of a shilling which ha"not its little re" &ar$ where the flea ha" feaste"

16th (e continue" to ri"e through the uncleare" forestSonly occasionally &eeting an 0n"ian on horsebac$ or a trooof fine &ules bringing alercelan$s an" corn fro& the southernlains 0n the afternoon one of the horses $noc$e" u5we were then on a brow of a hill which co&&an"e" a fine!iew of the >lanos The !iew of these oen lains was !eryrefreshing after being he&&e" in an" burie" in the wil"ernessof trees The unifor&ity of a forest soon beco&es !eryweariso&e This west coast &a$es &e re&e&ber with leasurethe free unboun"e" lains of PatagoniaS yet with thetrue sirit of contra"iction 0 cannot forget how subli&e isthe silence of the forest The >lanos are the &ost fertile

an" thic$ly eole" arts of the country as they ossess thei&&ense a"!antage of being nearly free fro& trees Beforelea!ing the forest we crosse" so&e flat little lawns aroun"which single trees stoo" as in an English ar$5 0 ha!e oftennotice" with surrise in woo"e" un"ulatory "istricts thatthe Luite le!el arts ha!e been "estitute of trees :n accountof the tire" horse 0 "eter&ine" to sto at the =issionof Cu"ico to the friar of which 0 ha" a letter of intro"uctionCu"ico is an inter&e"iate "istrict between the forestan" the >lanos There are a goo" &any cottages withatches of corn an" otatoes nearly all belonging to 0n"iansThe tribes "een"ent on Val"i!ia are Nre"uci"os y cristianosN

The 0n"ians farther northwar" about rauco an"0&erial are still !ery wil" an" not con!erte"S but theyha!e all &uch intercourse with the -aniar"s The a"resai" that the Christian 0n"ians "i" not &uch li$e co&ingto &ass but that otherwise they showe" resect for religionThe greatest "ifficulty is in &a$ing the& obser!e the cere&oniesof &arriage The wil" 0n"ians ta$e as &any wi!esas they can suort an" a caciLue will so&eti&es ha!e &orethan ten5 on entering his house the nu&ber &ay be tol" bythat of the searate fires Each wife li!es a wee$ in turnwith the caciLueS but all are e&loye" in wea!ing onchosetc for his rofit To be the wife of a caciLue is an honour

&uch sought after by the 0n"ian wo&en

The &en of all these tribes wear a coarse woolen oncho5those south of Val"i!ia wear short trousers an" those northof it a etticoat li$e the chilia of the Gauchos ll ha!etheir long hair boun" by a scarlet fillet but with no other co!ering on their hea"s These 0n"ians are goo"si9e" &enStheir chee$bones are ro&inent an" in general aearancethey rese&ble the great &erican fa&ily to which they belongSbut their hysiogno&y see&e" to &e to be slightly"ifferent fro& that of any other tribe which 0 ha" beforeseen Their exression is generally gra!e an" e!en austere

an" ossesses &uch character5 this &ay ass either for honestbluntness or fierce "eter&ination The long blac$ hairthe gra!e an" &uchline" features an" the "ar$ co&lexion





ne!ertheless too$ no less than three hours% This &an ise&loye" in hunting straye" cattleS yet well as he &ust$now the woo"s he was not long since lost for two whole"ays an" ha" nothing to eat These facts con!ey a goo"i"ea of the i&racticability of the forests of these countries Luestion often occurre" to &e how long "oes any !estige

of a fallen tree re&ainQ This &an showe" &e one whicha arty of fugiti!e royalists ha" cut "own fourteen yearsagoS an" ta$ing this as a criterion 0 shoul" thin$ a bole afoot an" a half in "ia&eter woul" in thirty years be change"into a hea of &oul"

*ebruary 67th This "ay has been &e&orable in theannals of Val"i!ia for the &ost se!ere earthLua$e exerience"by the ol"est inhabitant 0 haene" to be on shorean" was lying "own in the woo" to rest &yself 0t ca&e onsu""enly an" laste" two &inutes but the ti&e aeare"&uch longer The roc$ing of the groun" was !ery sensible

The un"ulations aeare" to &y co&anion an" &yself toco&e fro& "ue east whilst others thought they rocee"e"fro& southwest5 this shows how "ifficult it so&eti&es is toercei!e the "irections of the !ibrations There was no"ifficulty in stan"ing uright but the &otion &a"e &e al&ostgi""y5 it was so&ething li$e the &o!e&ent of a !essel in alittle crossrile or still &ore li$e that felt by a ersons$ating o!er thin ice which ben"s un"er the weight of his bo"y ba" earthLua$e at once "estroys our ol"est associations5the earth the !ery e&ble& of soli"ity has &o!e" beneathour feet li$e a thin crust o!er a flui"S one secon" of ti&ehas create" in the &in" a strange i"ea of insecurity which

hours of reflection woul" not ha!e ro"uce" 0n the forestas a bree9e &o!e" the trees 0 felt only the earth tre&ble butsaw no other effect Catain *it9 +oy an" so&e officerswere at the town "uring the shoc$ an" there the scene was&ore stri$ingS for although the houses fro& being built of woo" "i" not fall they were !iolently sha$en an" the boar"screa$e" an" rattle" together The eole rushe" out of "oors in the greatest alar& 0t is these acco&ani&ents thatcreate that erfect horror of earthLua$es exerience" by allwho ha!e thus seen as well as felt their effects (ithin theforest it was a "eely interesting but by no &eans an aweexciting heno&enon The ti"es were !ery curiously affecte"

The great shoc$ too$ lace at the ti&e of low waterSan" an ol" wo&an who was on the beach tol" &e that thewater flowe" !ery Luic$ly but not in great wa!es to highwater &ar$ an" then as Luic$ly returne" to its roer le!elSthis was also e!i"ent by the line of wet san" The sa&e $in"of Luic$ but Luiet &o!e&ent in the ti"e haene" a fewyears since at Chiloe "uring a slight earthLua$e an" create"&uch causeless alar& 0n the course of the e!ening therewere &any wea$er shoc$s which see&e" to ro"uce in theharbour the &ost co&licate" currents an" so&e of greatstrength

=arch 3th (e entere" the harbour of Concecion (hilethe shi was beating u to the anchorage 0 lan"e" on the



islan" of uiriLuina The &ayor"o&o of the estate Luic$lyro"e "own to tell &e the terrible news of the great earthLua$eof the 67th5 NThat not a house in Concecion or Talcahuano the ort was stan"ingS that se!enty !illageswere "estroye"S an" that a great wa!e ha" al&ost washe"away the ruins of TalcahuanoN :f this latter state&ent 0

soon saw abun"ant roofs the whole coast being strewe"o!er with ti&ber an" furniture as if a thousan" shis ha"been wrec$e" Besi"es chairs tables boo$shel!es etc ingreat nu&bers there were se!eral roofs of cottages whichha" been transorte" al&ost whole The storehouses at Talcahuanoha" been burst oen an" great bags of cotton yerbaan" other !aluable &erchan"ise were scattere" on the shoreDuring &y wal$ roun" the islan" 0 obser!e" that nu&erousfrag&ents of roc$ which fro& the &arine ro"uctions a"heringto the& &ust recently ha!e been lying in "ee waterha" been cast u high on the beachS one of these was six feetlong three broa" an" two thic$

The islan" itself as lainly showe" the o!erwhel&ingower of the earthLua$e as the beach "i" that of the conseLuentgreat wa!e The groun" in &any arts was fissure"in north an" south lines erhas cause" by the yiel"ing of the arallel an" stee si"es of this narrow islan" -o&e of the fissures near the cliffs were a yar" wi"e =any enor&ous&asses ha" alrea"y fallen on the beachS an" the inhabitantsthought that when the rains co&&ence" far greater slis woul"haen The effect of the !ibration on the har" ri&ary slatewhich co&oses the foun"ation of the islan" was still &orecurious5 the suerficial arts of so&e narrow ri"ges were as

co&letely shi!ere" as if they ha" been blaste" by gunow"erThis effect which was ren"ere" consicuous by thefresh fractures an" "islace" soil &ust be confine" to near the surface for otherwise there woul" not exist a bloc$ of soli" roc$ throughout ChileS nor is this i&robable as it is$nown that the surface of a !ibrating bo"y is affecte""ifferently fro& the central art 0t is erhas owing to thissa&e reason that earthLua$es "o not cause Luite such terrificha!oc within "ee &ines as woul" be execte" 0 belie!e thiscon!ulsion has been &ore effectual in lessening the si9e of the islan" of uiriLuina than the or"inary wearan"tear of the sea an" weather "uring the course of a whole century

The next "ay 0 lan"e" at Talcahuano an" afterwar"s ro"eto Concecion Both towns resente" the &ost awful yetinteresting sectacle 0 e!er behel" To a erson who ha"for&erly $now the& it ossibly &ight ha!e been still &orei&ressi!eS for the ruins were so &ingle" together an" thewhole scene ossesse" so little the air of a habitable lacethat it was scarcely ossible to i&agine its for&er con"itionThe earthLua$e co&&ence" at halfast ele!en o'cloc$ in theforenoon 0f it ha" haene" in the &i""le of the night thegreater nu&ber of the inhabitants which in this one ro!ince&ust a&ount to &any thousan"s &ust ha!e erishe"

instea" of less than a hun"re"5 as it was the in!ariableractice of running out of "oors at the first tre&bling of thegroun" alone sa!e" the& 0n Concecion each house or



row of houses stoo" by itself a hea or line of ruinsS but inTalcahuano owing to the great wa!e little &ore than onelayer of bric$s tiles an" ti&ber with here an" there art of a wall left stan"ing coul" be "istinguishe" *ro& thiscircu&stance Concecion although not so co&letely "esolate"was a &ore terrible an" if 0 &ay so call it icturesLue sight

The first shoc$ was !ery su""en The &ayor"o&o at uiriLuinatol" &e that the first notice he recei!e" of it wasfin"ing both the horse he ro"e an" hi&self rolling together on the groun" +ising u he was again thrown "own ,ealso tol" &e that so&e cows which were stan"ing on the steesi"e of the islan" were rolle" into the sea The great wa!ecause" the "estruction of &any cattleS on one low islan"near the hea" of the bay se!enty ani&als were washe" off an" "rowne" 0t is generally thought that this has been theworst earthLua$e e!er recor"e" in ChileS but as the !eryse!ere ones occur only after long inter!als this cannot easilybe $nownS nor in"ee" woul" a &uch worse shoc$ ha!e &a"e

any "ifference for the ruin was now co&lete 0nnu&erables&all tre&blings followe" the great earthLua$e an" withinthe first twel!e "ays no less than three hun"re" were counte"

fter !iewing Concecion 0 cannot un"erstan" how thegreater nu&ber of inhabitants escae" unhurt The housesin &any arts fell outwar"sS thus for&ing in the &i""le of the streets little hilloc$s of bric$wor$ an" rubbish =r+ouse the English consul tol" us that he was at brea$fastwhen the first &o!e&ent warne" hi& to run out ,e ha"scarcely reache" the &i""le of the courtyar" when one si"eof his house ca&e thun"ering "own ,e retaine" resence

of &in" to re&e&ber that if he once got on the to of thatart which ha" alrea"y fallen he woul" be safe ;ot beingable fro& the &otion of the groun" to stan" he crawle" uon his han"s an" $neesS an" no sooner ha" he ascen"e" thislittle e&inence than the other si"e of the house fell in thegreat bea&s sweeing close in front of his hea" (ith hiseyes blin"e" an" his &outh cho$e" with the clou" of "ustwhich "ar$ene" the s$y at last he gaine" the street sshoc$ succee"e" shoc$ at the inter!al of a few &inutes noone "are" aroach the shattere" ruins an" no one $newwhether his "earest frien"s an" relations were not erishingfro& the want of hel Those who ha" sa!e" any roerty

were oblige" to $ee a constant watch for thie!esrowle" about an" at each little tre&bling of the groun"with one han" they beat their breasts an" crie" N=isericor"ia%Nan" then with the other filche" what they coul"fro& the ruins The thatche" roofs fell o!er the fires an"fla&es burst forth in all arts ,un"re"s $new the&sel!esruine" an" few ha" the &eans of ro!i"ing foo" for the "ay

EarthLua$es alone are sufficient to "estroy the roserityof any country 0f beneath Englan" the now inert subterraneanforces shoul" exert those owers which &ost assure"lyin for&er geological ages they ha!e exerte" how co&letely

woul" the entire con"ition of the country be change"%(hat woul" beco&e of the lofty houses thic$ly ac$e" citiesgreat &anufactories the beautiful ublic an" ri!ate e"ificesQ



0f the new erio" of "isturbance were first to co&&enceby so&e great earthLua$e in the "ea" of the nighthow terrific woul" be the carnage% Englan" woul" at oncebe ban$rutS all aers recor"s an" accounts woul" fro&that &o&ent be lost Go!ern&ent being unable to collectthe taxes an" failing to &aintain its authority the han" of

!iolence an" raine woul" re&ain uncontrolle" 0n e!erylarge town fa&ine woul" go forth estilence an" "eath followingin its train

-hortly after the shoc$ a great wa!e was seen fro& the"istance of three or four &iles aroaching in the &i""leof the bay with a s&ooth outlineS but along the shore it toreu cottages an" trees as it swet onwar"s with irresistibleforce t the hea" of the bay it bro$e in a fearful line of white brea$ers which rushe" u to a height of 68 !erticalfeet abo!e the highest sringti"es Their force &ust ha!ebeen ro"igiousS for at the *ort a cannon with its carriage

esti&ate" at four tons in weight was &o!e" 1M feet inwar"s schooner was left in the &i"st of the ruins 677 yar"sfro& the beach The first wa!e was followe" by two otherswhich in their retreat carrie" away a !ast wrec$ of floatingobjects 0n one art of the bay a shi was itche" highan" "ry on shore was carrie" off again "ri!en on shore an"again carrie" off 0n another art two large !essels anchore"near together were whirle" about an" their cables were thricewoun" roun" each otherS though anchore" at a "eth of 8Hfeet they were for so&e &inutes agroun" The great wa!e&ust ha!e tra!elle" slowly for the inhabitants of Talcahuanoha" ti&e to run u the hills behin" the townS an"

so&e sailors ulle" out seawar" trusting successfully to their boat ri"ing securely o!er the swell if they coul" reach itbefore it bro$e :ne ol" wo&an with a little boy four or fi!e years ol" ran into a boat but there was nobo"y to rowit out5 the boat was conseLuently "ashe" against an anchor an" cut in twainS the ol" wo&an was "rowne" but the chil"was ic$e" u so&e hours afterwar"s clinging to the wrec$Pools of saltwater were still stan"ing a&i"st the ruins of the houses an" chil"ren &a$ing boats with ol" tables an"chairs aeare" as hay as their arents were &iserable0t was howe!er excee"ingly interesting to obser!e how&uch &ore acti!e an" cheerful all aeare" than coul" ha!e

been execte" 0t was re&ar$e" with &uch truth that fro&the "estruction being uni!ersal no one in"i!i"ual was hu&ble"&ore than another or coul" susect his frien"s of col"ness that &ost grie!ous result of the loss of wealth =r +ousean" a large arty who& he $in"ly too$ un"er his rotectionli!e" for the first wee$ in a gar"en beneath so&e aletrees t first they were as &erry as if it ha" been a icnicS butsoon afterwar"s hea!y rain cause" &uch "isco&fort for theywere absolutely without shelter

0n Catain *it9 +oy's excellent account of the earthLua$eit is sai" that two exlosions one li$e a colu&n of s&o$e an"

another li$e the blowing of a great whale were seen in thebay The water also aeare" e!erywhere to be boilingS an"it Nbeca&e blac$ an" exhale" a &ost "isagreeable sulhureous



s&ellN These latter circu&stances were obser!e" in theBay of Valaraiso "uring the earthLua$e of 1I66S they &ay0 thin$ be accounte" for by the "isturbance of the &u" atthe botto& of the sea containing organic &atter in "ecay 0nthe Bay of Callao "uring a cal& "ay 0 notice" that as theshi "ragge" her cable o!er the botto& its course was &ar$e"

by a line of bubbles The lower or"ers in Talcahuano thoughtthat the earthLua$e was cause" by so&e ol" 0n"ian wo&enwho two years ago being offen"e" stoe" the !olcano of ntuco This silly belief is curious because it shows thatexerience has taught the& to obser!e that there exists arelation between the suresse" action of the !olcanos an"the tre&bling of the groun" 0t was necessary to aly thewitchcraft to the oint where their ercetion of cause an"effect faile"S an" this was the closing of the !olcanic !entThis belief is the &ore singular in this articular instancebecause accor"ing to Catain *it9 +oy there is reason tobelie!e that ntuco was noways affecte"

The town of Concecion was built in the usual -anishfashion with all the streets running at right angles to eachotherS one set ranging -( by ( an" the other set ;(by ; The walls in the for&er "irection certainly stoo"better than those in the latterS the greater nu&ber of the&asses of bric$wor$ were thrown "own towar"s the ;EBoth these circu&stances erfectly agree with the generali"ea of the un"ulations ha!ing co&e fro& the -( in whichLuarter subterranean noises were also hear"S for it is e!i"entthat the walls running -( an" ;E which resente" their en"s to the oint whence the un"ulations ca&e woul" be

&uch less li$ely to fall than those walls which running ;(an" -E &ust in their whole lengths ha!e been at the sa&einstant thrown out of the eren"icularS for the un"ulationsco&ing fro& the -( &ust ha!e exten"e" in ;( an"-E wa!es as they asse" un"er the foun"ations This &aybe illustrate" by lacing boo$s e"geways on a caret an"then after the &anner suggeste" by =ichell i&itating theun"ulations of an earthLua$e5 it will be foun" that they fallwith &ore or less rea"iness accor"ing as their "irection &oreor less nearly coinci"es with the line of the wa!es Thefissures in the groun" generally though not unifor&ly exten"e"in a -E an" ;( "irection an" therefore correson"e"

to the lines of un"ulation or of rincial flexure Bearing in&in" all these circu&stances which so clearly oint to the-( as the chief focus of "isturbance it is a !ery interestingfact that the islan" of - =aria situate" in that Luarter was"uring the general ulifting of the lan" raise" to nearlythree ti&es the height of any other art of the coast

The "ifferent resistance offere" by the walls accor"ing totheir "irection was well exe&lifie" in the case of theCathe"ral The si"e which fronte" the ;E resente" a gran"ile of ruins in the &i"st of which "oorcases an" &assesof ti&ber stoo" u as if floating in a strea& -o&e of the

angular bloc$s of bric$wor$ were of great "i&ensionsS an"they were rolle" to a "istance on the le!el la9a li$efrag&ents of roc$ at the base of so&e high &ountain The si"e



walls running -( an" ;E though excee"ingly fracture"yet re&aine" stan"ingS but the !ast buttresses atright angles to the& an" therefore arallel to the walls thatfell were in &any cases cut clean off as if by a chisel an"hurle" to the groun" -o&e sLuare orna&ents on the coingof these sa&e walls were &o!e" by the earthLua$e into

a "iagonal osition si&ilar circu&stance was obser!e"after an earthLua$e at Valaraiso Calabria an" other lacesinclu"ing so&e of the ancient Gree$ te&les 214 This twisting"islace&ent at first aears to in"icate a !orticose&o!e&ent beneath each oint thus affecte"S but this is highlyi&robable =ay it not be cause" by a ten"ency in each stoneto arrange itself in so&e articular osition with resectto the lines of !ibration in a &anner so&ewhat si&ilar toins on a sheet of aer when sha$enQ Generally sea$ingarche" "oorways or win"ows stoo" &uch better than anyother art of the buil"ings ;e!ertheless a oor la&e ol"&an who ha" been in the habit "uring trifling shoc$s of

crawling to a certain "oorway was this ti&e crushe" toieces

0 ha!e not atte&te" to gi!e any "etaile" "escrition of the aearance of Concecion for 0 feel that it is Luitei&ossible to con!ey the &ingle" feelings which 0 exerience"-e!eral of the officers !isite" it before &e but their strongest language faile" to gi!e a just i"ea of the scene of "esolation 0t is a bitter an" hu&iliating thing to see wor$swhich ha!e cost &an so &uch ti&e an" labour o!erthrown in one&inuteS yet co&assion for the inhabitants was al&ost instantlybanishe" by the surrise in seeing a state of things ro"uce"

in a &o&ent of ti&e which one was accusto&e" to attributeto a succession of ages 0n &y oinion we ha!e scarcely behel"since lea!ing Englan" any sight so "eely interesting

0n al&ost e!ery se!ere earthLua$e the neighbouring watersof the sea are sai" to ha!e been greatly agitate" The"isturbance see&s generally as in the case of Concecion toha!e been of two $in"s5 first at the instant of the shoc$the water swells high u on the beach with a gentle &otionan" then as Luietly retreatsS secon"ly so&e ti&e afterwar"sthe whole bo"y of the sea retires fro& the coast an" thenreturns in wa!es of o!erwhel&ing force The first &o!e&ent

see&s to be an i&&e"iate conseLuence of the earthLua$eaffecting "ifferently a flui" an" a soli" so that their resecti!e le!els are slightly "erange"5 but the secon" caseis a far &ore i&ortant heno&enon During &ost earthLua$esan" esecially "uring those on the west coast of &erica it is certain that the first great &o!e&ent of thewaters has been a retire&ent -o&e authors ha!e atte&te"to exlain this by suosing that the water retains its le!elwhilst the lan" oscillates uwar"sS but surely the water closeto the lan" e!en on a rather stee coast woul" arta$e of the&otion of the botto&5 &oreo!er as urge" by =r >yellsi&ilar &o!e&ents of the sea ha!e occurre" at islan"s far

"istant fro& the chief line of "isturbance as was the casewith uan *ernan"e9 "uring this earthLua$e an" with=a"eira "uring the fa&ous >isbon shoc$ 0 susect but the



subject is a !ery obscure one that a wa!e howe!er ro"uce"first "raws the water fro& the shore on which it is a"!ancingto brea$5 0 ha!e obser!e" that this haens with the littlewa!es fro& the a""les of a stea&boat 0t is re&ar$ablethat whilst Talcahuano an" Callao near >i&a both situate"at the hea" of large shallow bays ha!e suffere" "uring

e!ery se!ere earthLua$e fro& great wa!es Valaraisoseate" close to the e"ge of rofoun"ly "ee water has ne!er been o!erwhel&e" though so often sha$en by the se!erestshoc$s *ro& the great wa!e not i&&e"iately following theearthLua$e but so&eti&es after the inter!al of e!en half anhour an" fro& "istant islan"s being affecte" si&ilarly withthe coasts near the focus of the "isturbance it aears thatthe wa!e first rises in the offingS an" as this is of generaloccurrence the cause &ust be general5 0 susect we &ustloo$ to the line where the less "isturbe" waters of the "eeocean join the water nearer the coast which has arta$enof the &o!e&ents of the lan" as the lace where the great

wa!e is first generate"S it woul" also aear that the wa!eis larger or s&aller accor"ing to the extent of shoal water which has been agitate" together with the botto& on which itreste"

The &ost re&ar$able effect of this earthLua$e was the er&anentele!ation of the lan" it woul" robably be far &orecorrect to sea$ of it as the cause There can be no "oubtthat the lan" roun" the Bay of Concecion was uraise"two or three feetS but it "eser!es notice that owing to thewa!e ha!ing obliterate" the ol" lines of ti"al action on the

sloing san"y shores 0 coul" "isco!er no e!i"ence of thisfact excet in the unite" testi&ony of the inhabitants thatone little roc$y shoal now exose" was for&erly co!ere"with water t the islan" of - =aria about thirty &iles"istant the ele!ation was greaterS on one art Catain *it9+oy foun"s be"s of utri" &usselshells @still a"hering to theroc$s@ ten feet abo!e highwater &ar$5 the inhabitants ha"for&erly "i!e" at lowerwater sringti"es for these shellsThe ele!ation of this ro!ince is articularly interestingfro& its ha!ing been the theatre of se!eral other !iolentearthLua$es an" fro& the !ast nu&bers of seashells scattere"o!er the lan" u to a height of certainly H77 an" 0

belie!e of 1777 feet t Valaraiso as 0 ha!e re&ar$e"si&ilar shells are foun" at the height of 1877 feet5 it ishar"ly ossible to "oubt that this great ele!ation has beeneffecte" by successi!e s&all urisings such as that whichacco&anie" or cause" the earthLua$e of this year an" li$ewiseby an insensibly slow rise which is certainly in rogress onso&e arts of this coast

The islan" of uan *ernan"e9 8H7 &iles to the ;E wasat the ti&e of the great shoc$ of the 67th !iolently sha$enso that the trees beat against each other an" a !olcano burstforth un"er water close to the shore5 these facts are re&ar$able

because this islan" "uring the earthLua$e of 1/M1 wasthen also affecte" &ore !iolently than other laces at an eLual"istance fro& Concecion an" this see&s to show so&e



subterranean connection between these two oints Chiloe about837 &iles southwar" of Concecion aears to ha!e beensha$en &ore strongly than the inter&e"iate "istrict of Val"i!iawhere the !olcano of Villarica was noways affecte"whilst in the Cor"illera in front of Chiloe two of the !olcanosburstforth at the sa&e instant in !iolent action These

two !olcanos an" so&e neighbouring ones continue" for along ti&e in erution an" ten &onths afterwar"s wereagain influence" by an earthLua$e at Concecion -o&e&en cutting woo" near the base of one of these !olcanos"i" not ercei!e the shoc$ of the 67th although the wholesurroun"ing Pro!ince was then tre&blingS here we ha!e anerution relie!ing an" ta$ing the lace of an earthLua$eas woul" ha!e haene" at Concecion accor"ing to thebelief of the lower or"ers if the !olcano at ntuco ha" notbeen close" by witchcraft Two years an" threeLuartersafterwar"s Val"i!ia an" Chiloe were again sha$en &ore!iolently than on the 67th an" an islan" in the Chonos

rchielago was er&anently ele!ate" &ore than eight feet0t will gi!e a better i"ea of the scale of these heno&ena if as in the case of the glaciers we suose the& to ha!eta$en lace at correson"ing "istances in Euroe5 thenwoul" the lan" fro& the ;orth -ea to the =e"iterraneanha!e been !iolently sha$en an" at the sa&e instant of ti&e alarge tract of the eastern coast of Englan" woul" ha!e beener&anently ele!ate" together with so&e outlying islan"s atrain of !olcanos on the coast of ,ollan" woul" ha!e burstforth in action an" an erution ta$en lace at the botto& of the sea near the northern extre&ity of 0relan" an" lastlythe ancient !ents of u!ergne Cantal an" =ont "':r woul"

each ha!e sent u to the s$y a "ar$ colu&n of s&o$e an"ha!e long re&aine" in fierce action Two years an" threeLuarters afterwar"s *rance fro& its centre to the EnglishChannel woul" ha!e been again "esolate" by an earthLua$ean" an islan" er&anently uraise" in the =e"iterranean

The sace fro& un"er which !olcanic &atter on the 67thwas actually erute" is /67 &iles in one line an" 377 &ilesin another line at right angles to the first5 hence in allrobability a subterranean la$e of la!a is here stretche" outof nearly "ouble the area of the Blac$ -ea *ro& the inti&atean" co&licate" &anner in which the ele!atory an" eruti!e

forces were shown to be connecte" "uring this train of heno&ena we &ay confi"ently co&e to the conclusion that theforces which slowly an" by little starts ulift continents an"those which at successi!e erio"s our forth !olcanic &atter fro& oen orifices are i"entical *ro& &any reasons 0belie!e that the freLuent Lua$ings of the earth on this lineof coast are cause" by the ren"ing of the strata necessarilyconseLuent on the tension of the lan" when uraise" an"their injection by flui"ifie" roc$ This ren"ing an" injectionwoul" if reeate" often enough an" we $now that earthLua$esreeate"ly affect the sa&e areas in the sa&e &annerfor& a chain of hillsS an" the linear islan" of - =ary

which was uraise" thrice the height of the neighbouringcountry see&s to be un"ergoing this rocess 0 belie!e thatthe soli" axis of a &ountain "iffers in its &anner of for&ation



fro& a !olcanic hill only in the &olten stone ha!ingbeen reeate"ly injecte" instea" of ha!ing been reeate"lyejecte" =oreo!er 0 belie!e that it is i&ossible to exlainthe structure of great &ountainchains such as that of theCor"illera were the strata caing the injecte" axis of lutonic roc$ ha!e been thrown on their e"ges along se!eral

arallel an" neighbouring lines of ele!ation excet on this!iew of the roc$ of the axis ha!ing been reeate"ly injecte"after inter!als sufficiently long to allow the uer arts or we"ges to cool an" beco&e soli"S for if the strata ha" beenthrown into their resent highly incline" !ertical an" e!enin!erte" ositions by a single blow the !ery bowels of theearth woul" ha!e gushe" outS an" instea" of behol"ing abrut&ountainaxes of roc$ soli"ifie" un"er great ressure "elugesof la!a woul" ha!e flowe" out at innu&erable oints on e!eryline of ele!ation 264

214 = rago in >'0nstitut 1I8. 88/ -ee also =iers's

Chile !ol i 8.6S also >yell's Princiles of Geologycha x! boo$ ii

264 *or a full account of the !olcanic heno&ena whichacco&anie" the earthLua$e of the 67th an" for the conclusions"e"ucible fro& the& 0 &ust refer to Volu&e V of the GeologicalTransactions

C,PTE+ V

P--GE :* T,E C:+D0>>E+

Valaraiso Portillo Pass -agacity of =ules =ountaintorrents =ines how "isco!ere" Proofs of the gra"ualEle!ation of the Cor"illera Effect of -now on +oc$s Geological -tructure of the two &ain +anges their "istinct:rigin an" <hea!al Great -ubsi"ence +e" -now (in"s Pinnacles of -now Dry an" clear t&oshere Electricity Pa&as Woology of the oosite -i"e of the n"es >ocusts Great Bugs =en"o9a <sallataPass -ilicifie" Trees burie" as they grew 0ncas Bri"ge Ba"ness of the Passes exaggerate" Cu&bre Casuchas

Valaraiso

=+C, /th 1I8M (e staye" three "ays at Concecionan" then saile" for Valaraiso The win"being northerly we only reache" the &outh of theharbour of Concecion before it was "ar$ Being !ery near the lan" an" a fog co&ing on the anchor was "roe"Presently a large &erican whaler aeare" alongsi"e of usSan" we hear" the Ran$ee swearing at his &en to $ee Luietwhilst he listene" for the brea$ers Catain *it9 +oy haile"hi& in a lou" clear !oice to anchor where he then was The

oor &an &ust ha!e thought the !oice ca&e fro& the shore5such a Babel of cries issue" at once fro& the shi e!eryone hallooing out N>et go the anchor% !eer cable% shorten



sail%N 0t was the &ost laughable thing 0 e!er hear" 0f the shi's crew ha" been all catains an" no &en there coul"not ha!e been a greater uroar of or"ers (e afterwar"sfoun" that the &ate stuttere"5 0 suose all han"s wereassisting hi& in gi!ing his or"ers

:n the 11th we anchore" at Valaraiso an" two "aysafterwar"s 0 set out to cross the Cor"illera 0 rocee"e" to-antiago where =r Cal"cleugh &ost $in"ly assiste" &e ine!ery ossible way in &a$ing the little rearations whichwere necessary 0n this art of Chile there are two assesacross the n"es to =en"o9a5 the one &ost co&&only use"na&ely that of concagua or <sallata is situate" so&eway to the northS the other calle" the Portillo is to thesouth an" nearer but &ore lofty an" "angerous

=arch 1Ith (e set out for the Portillo ass >ea!ing-antiago we crosse" the wi"e burntu lain on which that

city stan"s an" in the afternoon arri!e" at the =ayu oneof the rincial ri!ers in Chile The !alley at the ointwhere it enters the first Cor"illera is boun"e" on each si"eby lofty barren &ountainsS an" although not broa" it is !eryfertile ;u&erous cottages were surroun"e" by !ines an" byorchar"s of ale nectarine an" eachtrees their boughsbrea$ing with the weight of the beautiful rie fruit 0n thee!ening we asse" the custo&house where our luggage wasexa&ine" The frontier of Chile is better guar"e" by theCor"illera than by the waters of the sea There are !eryfew !alleys which lea" to the central ranges an" the&ountains are Luite i&assable in other arts by beasts of

bur"en The custo&house officers were !ery ci!il whichwas erhas artly owing to the assort which the Presi"entof the +eublic ha" gi!en &eS but 0 &ust exress &y a"&irationat the natural oliteness of al&ost e!ery Chileno 0nthis instance the contrast with the sa&e class of &en in&ost other countries was strongly &ar$e" 0 &ay &entionan anec"ote with which 0 was at the ti&e &uch lease"5 we&et near =en"o9a a little an" !ery fat negress ri"ing astri"eon a &ule -he ha" a @goitre@ so enor&ous that it was scarcelyossible to a!oi" ga9ing at her for a &o&entS but &y twoco&anions al&ost instantly by way of aology &a"e theco&&on salute of the country by ta$ing off their hats (here

woul" one of the lower or higher classes in Euroe ha!eshown such feeling oliteness to a oor an" &iserable objectof a "egra"e" raceQ

t night we slet at a cottage :ur &anner of tra!ellingwas "elightfully in"een"ent 0n the inhabite" arts webought a little firewoo" hire" asture for the ani&als an"bi!ouac$e" in the corner of the sa&e fiel" with the& Carryingan iron ot we coo$e" an" ate our suer un"er aclou"less s$y an" $new no trouble =y co&anions were=ariano Gon9ales who ha" for&erly acco&anie" &e inChile an" an NarrieroN with his ten &ules an" a N&a"rinaN

The &a"rina or go"&other is a &ost i&ortant ersonage5

-he is an ol" stea"y &are with a little bell roun" her nec$S



an" where!er she goes the &ules li$e goo" chil"ren followher The affection of these ani&als for their &a"rinas sa!esinfinite trouble 0f se!eral large troos are turne" into onefiel" to gra9e in the &orning the &uleteers ha!e only to lea"the &a"rinas a little aart an" tin$le their bellsS althoughthere &ay be two or three hun"re" together each &ule

i&&e"iately $nows the bell of its own &a"rina an" co&es toher 0t is nearly i&ossible to lose an ol" &uleS for if "etaine" for se!eral hours by force she will by the ower of s&ell li$e a "og trac$ out her co&anions or rather the&a"rina for accor"ing to the &uleteer she is the chief object of affection The feeling howe!er is not of anin"i!i"ual natureS for 0 belie!e 0 a& right in saying that anyani&al with a bell will ser!e as a &a"rina 0n a troo eachani&al carries on a le!el roa" a cargo weighing 31H oun"s&ore than 6. stone but in a &ountainous country 177oun"s lessS yet with what "elicate sli& li&bs without anyroortional bul$ of &uscle these ani&als suort so great

a bur"en% The &ule always aears to &e a &ost surrisingani&al That a hybri" shoul" ossess &ore reason &e&oryobstinacy social affection owers of &uscular en"urancean" length of life than either of its arents see&s toin"icate that art has here out"one nature :f our ten ani&alssix were inten"e" for ri"ing an" four for carrying cargoeseach ta$ing turn about (e carrie" a goo" "eal of foo" incase we shoul" be snowe" u as the season was rather latefor assing the Portillo

=arch 1.th (e ro"e "uring this "ay to the last an"therefore &ost ele!ate" house in the !alley The nu&ber of

inhabitants beca&e scantyS but where!er water coul" bebrought on the lan" it was !ery fertile ll the &ain !alleysin the Cor"illera are characteri9e" by ha!ing on both si"es afringe or terrace of shingle an" san" ru"ely stratifie" an"generally of consi"erable thic$ness These fringes e!i"entlyonce exten"e" across the !alleys an" were unite"S an" thebotto&s of the !alleys in northern Chile where there are nostrea&s are thus s&oothly fille" u :n these fringes theroa"s are generally carrie" for their surfaces are e!en an"they rise with a !ery gentle sloe u the !alleys5 hence alsothey are easily culti!ate" by irrigation They &ay be trace"u to a height of between /777 an" .777 feet where they

beco&e hi""en by the irregular iles of "ebris t the lower en" or &ouths of the !alleys they are continuously unite" tothose lan"loc$e" lains also for&e" of shingle at the footof the &ain Cor"illera which 0 ha!e "escribe" in a for&er chater as characteristic of the scenery of Chile an" whichwere un"oubte"ly "eosite" when the sea enetrate" Chile asit now "oes the &ore southern coasts ;o one fact in thegeology of -outh &erica intereste" &e &ore than theseterraces of ru"elystratifie" shingle They recisely rese&blein co&osition the &atter which the torrents in each !alleywoul" "eosit if they were chec$e" in their course by anycause such as entering a la$e or ar& of the seaS but the

torrents instea" of "eositing &atter are now stea"ily atwor$ wearing away both the soli" roc$ an" these allu!ial"eosits along the whole line of e!ery &ain !alley an" si"e



!alley 0t is i&ossible here to gi!e the reasons but 0 a&con!ince" that the shingle terraces were accu&ulate" "uringthe gra"ual ele!ation of the Cor"illera by the torrents"eli!ering at successi!e le!els their "etritus on thebeachhea"s of long narrow ar&s of the sea first high u the!alleys then lower an" lower "own as the lan" slowly rose 0f

this be so an" 0 cannot "oubt it the gran" an" bro$en chainof the Cor"illera instea" of ha!ing been su""enly thrown uas was till lately the uni!ersal an" still is the co&&onoinion of geologists has been slowly uhea!e" in &ass in thesa&e gra"ual &anner as the coasts of the tlantic an" Pacificha!e risen within the recent erio" &ultitu"e of facts in thestructure of the Cor"illera on this !iew recei!e a si&leexlanation

The ri!ers which flow in these !alleys ought rather to becalle" &ountaintorrents Their inclination is !ery greatan" their water the colour of &u" The roar which the

=ayu &a"e as it rushe" o!er the great roun"e" frag&entswas li$e that of the sea &i"st the "in of rushing watersthe noise fro& the stones as they rattle" one o!er anotherwas &ost "istinctly au"ible e!en fro& a "istance This rattlingnoise night an" "ay &ay be hear" along the wholecourse of the torrent The soun" so$e eloLuently to thegeologistS the thousan"s an" thousan"s of stones whichstri$ing against each other &a"e the one "ull unifor& soun"were all hurrying in one "irection 0t was li$e thin$ing onti&e where the &inute that now gli"es ast is irre!ocable-o was it with these stonesS the ocean is their eternity an"each note of that wil" &usic tol" of one &ore ste towar"s

their "estiny

0t is not ossible for the &in" to co&rehen" excet bya slow rocess any effect which is ro"uce" by a cause reeate"so often that the &ultilier itself con!eys an i"eanot &ore "efinite than the sa!age i&lies when he oints tothe hairs of his hea" s often as 0 ha!e seen be"s of &u"san" an" shingle accu&ulate" to the thic$ness of &anythousan" feet 0 ha!e felt incline" to exclai& that causessuch as the resent ri!ers an" the resent beaches coul"ne!er ha!e groun" "own an" ro"uce" such &asses But onthe other han" when listening to the rattling noise of these

torrents an" calling to &in" that whole races of ani&als ha!easse" away fro& the face of the earth an" that "uring thiswhole erio" night an" "ay these stones ha!e gone rattlingonwar"s in their course 0 ha!e thought to &yself can any&ountains any continent withstan" such wasteQ

0n this art of the !alley the &ountains on each si"e werefro& 8777 to H777 or I777 feet high with roun"e" outlinesan" stee bare flan$s The general colour of the roc$ was"ullish urle an" the stratification !ery "istinct 0f thescenery was not beautiful it was re&ar$able an" gran" (e&et "uring the "ay se!eral her"s of cattle which &en were

"ri!ing "own fro& the higher !alleys in the Cor"illera Thissign of the aroaching winter hurrie" our stes &ore thanwas con!enient for geologi9ing The house where we slet



was situate" at the foot of a &ountain on the su&&it of which are the &ines of - Pe"ro "e ;olas$o -ir * ,ea"&ar!els how &ines ha!e been "isco!ere" in such extraor"inarysituations as the blea$ su&&it of the &ountain of -Pe"ro "e ;olas$o 0n the first lace &etallic !eins in thiscountry are generally har"er than the surroun"ing strata5

hence "uring the gra"ual wear of the hills they rojectabo!e the surface of the groun" -econ"ly al&ost e!erylabourer esecially in the northern arts of Chile un"erstan"sso&ething about the aearance of ores 0n the great&ining ro!inces of CoLui&bo an" Coiao firewoo" is !eryscarce an" &en search for it o!er e!ery hill an" "aleS an"by this &eans nearly all the richest &ines ha!e there been"isco!ere" Chanuncillo fro& which sil!er to the !alue of &any hun"re" thousan" oun"s has been raise" in the courseof a few years was "isco!ere" by a &an who threw a stoneat his loa"e" "on$ey an" thin$ing that it was !ery hea!y heic$e" it u an" foun" it full of ure sil!er5 the !ein

occurre" at no great "istance stan"ing u li$e a we"ge of &etal The &iners also ta$ing a crowbar with the& oftenwan"er on -un"ays o!er the &ountains 0n this south artof Chile the &en who "ri!e cattle into the Cor"illera an"who freLuent e!ery ra!ine where there is a little asture arethe usual "isco!erers

67th s we ascen"e" the !alley the !egetation withthe excetion of a few retty aline flowers beca&e excee"inglyscanty an" of Lua"rue"s bir"s or insects scarcelyone coul" be seen The lofty &ountains their su&&its&ar$e" with a few atches of snow stoo" well searate"

fro& each other the !alleys being fille" u with an i&&ensethic$ness of stratifie" allu!iu& The features in the sceneryof the n"es which struc$ &e &ost as contraste" with theother &ountain chains with which 0 a& acLuainte" were the flat fringes so&eti&es exan"ing into narrow lains oneach si"e of the !alleys the bright colours chiefly re" an"urle of the utterly bare an" reciitous hills of orhyrythe gran" an" continuous wallli$e "y$es the lainly"i!i"e" strata which where nearly !ertical for&e" theicturesLue an" wil" central innacles but where less incline"co&ose" the great &assi!e &ountains on the outs$irts of therange an" lastly the s&ooth conical iles of fine an"

brightly coloure" "etritus which sloe" u at a high anglefro& the base of the &ountains so&eti&es to a height of &ore than 6777 feet

0 freLuently obser!e" both in Tierra "el *uego an" withinthe n"es that where the roc$ was co!ere" "uring the greater art of the year with snow it was shi!ere" in a !eryextraor"inary &anner into s&all angular frag&ents -coresby 214has obser!e" the sa&e fact in -it9bergen The caseaears to &e rather obscure5 for that art of the &ountainwhich is rotecte" by a &antle of snow &ust be less subjectto reeate" an" great changes of te&erature than any other

art 0 ha!e so&eti&es thought that the earth an" frag&entsof stone on the surface were erhas less effectuallyre&o!e" by slowly ercolating snowwater 264 than by rain an"



therefore that the aearance of a Luic$er "isintegration of the soli" roc$ un"er the snow was "eceti!e (hate!er thecause &ay be the Luantity of cru&bling stone on the Cor"illerais !ery great :ccasionally in the sring great &assesof this "etritus sli"e "own the &ountains an" co!er thesnow"rifts in the !alleys thus for&ing natural icehouses

(e ro"e o!er one the height of which was far below theli&it of eretual snow

s the e!ening "rew to a close we reache" a singular basinli$e lain calle" the Valle "el Reso 0t was co!ere"by a little "ry asture an" we ha" the leasant sight of aher" of cattle a&i"st the surroun"ing roc$y "eserts The!alley ta$es its na&e of Reso fro& a great be" 0 shoul" thin$at least 6777 feet thic$ of white an" in so&e arts Luiteure gysu& (e slet with a arty of &en who weree&loye" in loa"ing &ules with this substance which is use"in the &anufacture of wine (e set out early in the &orning

61st an" continue" to follow the course of the ri!er whichha" beco&e !ery s&all till we arri!e" at the foot of the ri"gethat searates the waters flowing into the Pacific an" tlantic:ceans The roa" which as yet ha" been goo" with a stea"ybut !ery gra"ual ascent now change" into a stee 9ig9agtrac$ u the great range "i!i"ing the reublics of Chilean" =en"o9a

0 will here gi!e a !ery brief s$etch of the geology of these!eral arallel lines for&ing the Cor"illera :f these linesthere are two consi"erably higher than the othersS na&elyon the Chilian si"e the PeuLuenes ri"ge which where the

roa" crosses it is 18617 feet abo!e the seaS an" the Portillori"ge on the =en"o9a si"e which is 1387M feet The lower be"s of the PeuLuenes ri"ge an" of the se!eral great linesto the westwar" of it are co&ose" of a !ast ile &anythousan" feet in thic$ness of orhyries which ha!e flowe" assub&arine la!as alternating with angular an" roun"e" frag&entsof the sa&e roc$s thrown out of the sub&arine cratersThese alternating &asses are co!ere" in the central artsby a great thic$ness of re" san"stone conglo&erate an"calcareous clayslate associate" with an" assing intoro"igious be"s of gysu& 0n these uer be"s shells aretolerably freLuentS an" they belong to about the erio" of the

lower chal$ of Euroe 0t is an ol" story but not the lesswon"erful to hear of shells which were once crawling on thebotto& of the sea now stan"ing nearly 13777 feet abo!e itsle!el The lower be"s in this great ile of strata ha!e been"islocate" ba$e" crystalli9e" an" al&ost blen"e" togetherthrough the agency of &ountain &asses of a eculiar whiteso"agranitic roc$

The other &ain line na&ely that of the Portillo is of atotally "ifferent for&ation5 it consists chiefly of gran" bareinnacles of a re" otashgranite which low "own on thewestern flan$ are co!ere" by a san"stone con!erte" by the

for&er heat into a Luart9roc$ :n the Luart9 there restbe"s of a conglo&erate se!eral thousan" feet in thic$nesswhich ha!e been uhea!e" by the re" granite an" "i at an



angle of 3M "egs towar"s the PeuLuenes line 0 was astonishe"to fin" that this conglo&erate was artly co&ose" of ebbles"eri!e" fro& the roc$s with their fossil shells of thePeuLuenes rangeS an" artly of re" otashgranite li$e thatof the Portillo ,ence we &ust conclu"e that both the PeuLuenesan" Portillo ranges were artially uhea!e" an" exose"

to wear an" tear when the conglo&erate was for&ingSbut as the be"s of the conglo&erate ha!e been thrown off atan angle of 3M "egs by the re" Portillo granite with theun"erlying san"stone ba$e" by it we &ay feel sure that thegreater art of the injection an" uhea!al of the alrea"yartially for&e" Portillo line too$ lace after theaccu&ulation of the conglo&erate an" long after the ele!ationof the PeuLuenes ri"ge -o that the Portillo the loftiest linein this art of the Cor"illera is not so ol" as the less loftyline of the PeuLuenes E!i"ence "eri!e" fro& an incline" strea&of la!a at the eastern base of the Portillo &ight be a""uce"to show that it owes art of its great height to ele!ations of

a still later "ate >oo$ing to its earliest origin the re"granite see&s to ha!e been injecte" on an ancient reexistingline of white granite an" &icaslate 0n &ost arts erhas inall arts of the Cor"illera it &ay be conclu"e" that each linehas been for&e" by reeate" uhea!als an" injectionsS an"that the se!eral arallel lines are of "ifferent ages :nlythus can we gain ti&e at all sufficient to exlain the trulyastonishing a&ount of "enu"ation which these great thoughco&arati!ely with &ost other ranges recent &ountains ha!esuffere"

*inally the shells in the PeuLuenes or ol"est ri"ge ro!e

as before re&ar$e" that it has been uraise" 13777 feetsince a -econ"ary erio" which in Euroe we are accusto&e"to consi"er as far fro& ancientS but since these shellsli!e" in a &o"erately "ee sea it can be shown that the areanow occuie" by the Cor"illera &ust ha!e subsi"e" se!eralthousan" feet in northern Chile as &uch as H777 feet soas to ha!e allowe" that a&ount of sub&arine strata to ha!ebeen heae" on the be" on which the shells li!e" The roof is the sa&e with that by which it was shown that at a &uchlater erio" since the tertiary shells of Patagonia li!e"there &ust ha!e been there a subsi"ence of se!eral hun"re"feet as well as an ensuing ele!ation Daily it is force" ho&e

on the &in" of the geologist that nothing not e!en the win"that blows is so unstable as the le!el of the crust of thisearth

0 will &a$e only one other geological re&ar$5 althoughthe Portillo chain is here higher than the PeuLuenes thewaters "raining the inter&e"iate !alleys ha!e burst throughit The sa&e fact on a gran"er scale has been re&ar$e" inthe eastern an" loftiest line of the Boli!ian Cor"illerathrough which the ri!ers ass5 analogous facts ha!e alsobeen obser!e" in other Luarters of the worl" :n the suositionof the subseLuent an" gra"ual ele!ation of the Portillo

line this can be un"erstoo"S for a chain of islets woul"at first aear an" as these were lifte" u the ti"es woul"be always wearing "eeer an" broa"er channels between the&



t the resent "ay e!en in the &ost retire" -oun"s on thecoast of Tierra "el *uego the currents in the trans!ersebrea$s which connect the longitu"inal channels are !erystrong so that in one trans!erse channel e!en a s&all !esselun"er sail was whirle" roun" an" roun"

bout noon we began the te"ious ascent of the PeuLuenesri"ge an" then for the first ti&e exerience" so&e little"ifficulty in our resiration The &ules woul" halt e!ery fiftyyar"s an" after resting for a few secon"s the oor willingani&als starte" of their own accor" again The short breathingfro& the rarefie" at&oshere is calle" by the ChilenosNunaSN an" they ha!e &ost ri"iculous notions concerningits origin -o&e say Nall the waters here ha!e unaSN othersthat Nwhere there is snow there is unaSN an" this no"oubt is true The only sensation 0 exerience" was a slighttightness across the hea" an" chest li$e that felt on lea!ing

a war& roo& an" running Luic$ly in frosty weather Therewas so&e i&agination e!en in thisS for uon fin"ing fossilshells on the highest ri"ge 0 entirely forgot the una in &y"elight Certainly the exertion of wal$ing was extre&elygreat an" the resiration beca&e "ee an" laborious5 0 a&tol" that in Potosi about 18777 feet abo!e the sea strangers"o not beco&e thoroughly accusto&e" to the at&oshere for an entire year The inhabitants all reco&&en" onions for the unaS as this !egetable has so&eti&es been gi!en inEuroe for ectoral co&laints it &ay ossibly be of realser!ice5 for &y art 0 foun" nothing so goo" as the fossilshells%

(hen about halfway u we &et a large arty with se!entyloa"e" &ules 0t was interesting to hear the wil" criesof the &uleteers an" to watch the long "escen"ing stringof the ani&alsS they aeare" so "i&inuti!e there beingnothing but the blac$ &ountains with which they coul" beco&are" (hen near the su&&it the win" as generallyhaens was i&etuous an" extre&ely col" :n each si"e of the ri"ge we ha" to ass o!er broa" ban"s of eretualsnow which were now soon to be co!ere" by a fresh layer(hen we reache" the crest an" loo$e" bac$war"s a glorious!iew was resente" The at&oshere reslen"ently clearS

the s$y an intense blueS the rofoun" !alleysS the wil"bro$en for&s5 the heas of ruins ile" u "uring the laseof agesS the brightcoloure" roc$s contraste" with the Luiet&ountains of snow all these together ro"uce" a scene noone coul" ha!e i&agine" ;either lant nor bir" excetinga few con"ors wheeling aroun" the higher innacles "istracte"&y attention fro& the inani&ate &ass 0 felt gla"that 0 was alone5 it was li$e watching a thun"erstor& or hearing in full orchestra a chorus of the =essiah

:n se!eral atches of the snow 0 foun" the Protococcusni!alis or re" snow so well $nown fro& the accounts of

rctic na!igators =y attention was calle" to it by obser!ingthe footstes of the &ules staine" a ale re" as if their hoofs ha" been slightly bloo"y 0 at first thought that it was



owing to "ust blown fro& the surroun"ing &ountains of re"orhyryS for fro& the &agnifying ower of the crystalsof snow the grous of these &icroscoical lants aeare"li$e coarse articles The snow was coloure" only where itha" thawe" !ery rai"ly or ha" been acci"entally crushe" little rubbe" on aer ga!e it a faint rose tinge &ingle"

with a little bric$re" 0 afterwar"s scrae" so&e off theaer an" foun" that it consiste" of grous of little sheresin colourless cases each of the thousan"th art of an inch in"ia&eter

The win" on the crest of the PeuLuenes as just re&ar$e"is generally i&etuous an" !ery col"5 it is sai" 284 to blowstea"ily fro& the westwar" or Pacific si"e s the obser!ationsha!e been chiefly &a"e in su&&er this win" &ust bean uer an" return current The Pea$ of Teneriffe witha less ele!ation an" situate" in lat 6I "egs in li$e &anner falls within an uer return strea& t first it aears rather

surrising that the tra"ewin" along the northern arts of Chile an" on the coast of Peru shoul" blow in so !ery southerlya "irection as it "oesS but when we reflect that the Cor"illerarunning in a north an" south line intercets li$e agreat wall the entire "eth of the lower at&osheric currentwe can easily see that the tra"ewin" &ust be "rawn northwar"following the line of &ountains towar"s the eLuatorialregions an" thus lose art of that easterly &o!e&ent whichit otherwise woul" ha!e gaine" fro& the earth's rotation t=en"o9a on the eastern foot of the n"es the cli&ate issai" to be subject to long cal&s an" to freLuent though falseaearances of gathering rainstor&s5 we &ay i&agine that

the win" which co&ing fro& the eastwar" is thus ban$e" uby the line of &ountains woul" beco&e stagnant an" irregular in its &o!e&ents

,a!ing crosse" the PeuLuenes we "escen"e" into a &ountainouscountry inter&e"iate between the two &ain rangesan" then too$ u our Luarters for the night (e were nowin the reublic of =en"o9a The ele!ation was robably notun"er 11777 feet an" the !egetation in conseLuence excee"inglyscanty The root of a s&all scrubby lant ser!e" asfuel but it &a"e a &iserable fire an" the win" wasiercingly col" Being Luite tire" with &y "ays wor$ 0

&a"e u &y be" as Luic$ly as 0 coul" an" went to slee bout &i"night 0 obser!e" the s$y beca&e su""enly clou"e"50 awa$ene" the arriero to $now if there was any "anger of ba" weatherS but he sai" that without thun"er an" lightningthere was no ris$ of a hea!y snowstor& The eril isi&&inent an" the "ifficulty of subseLuent escae great toany one o!erta$en by ba" weather between the two ranges certain ca!e offers the only lace of refuge5 =r Cal"cleughwho crosse" on this sa&e "ay of the &onth was"etaine" there for so&e ti&e by a hea!y fall of snow Casuchasor houses of refuge ha!e not been built in this assas in that of <sallata an" therefore "uring the autu&n

the Portillo is little freLuente" 0 &ay here re&ar$ thatwithin the &ain Cor"illera rain ne!er falls for "uring thesu&&er the s$y is clou"less an" in winter snowstor&s alone



occur

t the lace where we slet water necessarily boile" fro&the "i&inishe" ressure of the at&oshere at a lower te&erature than it "oes in a less lofty countryS the case beingthe con!erse of that of a Pain's "igester ,ence the otatoes

after re&aining for so&e hours in the boiling waterwere nearly as har" as e!er The ot was left on the fireall night an" next &orning it was boile" again but yet theotatoes were not coo$e" 0 foun" out this by o!erhearing&y two co&anions "iscussing the cause they ha" co&eto the si&le conclusion Nthat the curse" ot 2which was anew one4 "i" not choose to boil otatoesN

=arch 66n" fter eating our otatoless brea$fast wetra!elle" across the inter&e"iate tract to the foot of thePortillo range 0n the &i""le of su&&er cattle are broughtu here to gra9eS but they ha" now all been re&o!e"5 e!en

the greater nu&ber of the Guanacos ha" "eca&e" $nowingwell that if o!erta$en here by a snowstor& they woul" becaught in a tra (e ha" a fine !iew of a &ass of &ountainscalle" Tuungato the whole clothe" with unbro$ensnow in the &i"st of which there was a blue atch no"oubt a glacierS a circu&stance of rare occurrence in these&ountains ;ow co&&ence" a hea!y an" long cli&b si&ilar to that of the PeuLuenes Bol" conical hills of re"granite rose on each han"S in the !alleys there were se!eralbroa" fiel"s of eretual snow These fro9en &asses "uringthe rocess of thawing ha" in so&e arts been con!erte"into innacles or colu&ns 234 which as they were high an"

close together &a"e it "ifficult for the cargo &ules to ass:n one of these colu&ns of ice a fro9en horse was stic$ingas on a e"estal but with its hin" legs straight u inthe air The ani&al 0 suose &ust ha!e fallen with itshea" "ownwar" into a hole when the snow was continuousan" afterwar"s the surroun"ing arts &ust ha!e beenre&o!e" by the thaw

(hen nearly on the crest of the Portillo we were en!eloe"in a falling clou" of &inute fro9en sicula This was!ery unfortunate as it continue" the whole "ay an" Luiteintercete" our !iew The ass ta$es its na&e of Portillo

fro& a narrow cleft or "oorway on the highest ri"gethrough which the roa" asses *ro& this oint on a clear "ay those !ast lains which uninterrute"ly exten" to the tlantic :cean can be seen (e "escen"e" to the uer li&it of !egetation an" foun" goo" Luarters for the nightun"er the shelter of so&e large frag&ents of roc$ (e &ethere so&e assengers who &a"e anxious inLuiries about thestate of the roa" -hortly after it was "ar$ the clou"s su""enlycleare" away an" the effect was Luite &agical Thegreat &ountains bright with the full &oon see&e" i&en"ingo!er us on all si"es as o!er a "ee cre!ice5 one &orning!ery early 0 witnesse" the sa&e stri$ing effect s

soon as the clou"s were "iserse" it fro9e se!erelyS but asthere was no win" we slet !ery co&fortably



The increase" brilliancy of the &oon an" stars at thisele!ation owing to the erfect transarency of the at&osherewas !ery re&ar$able Tra!elers ha!ing obser!e"the "ifficulty of ju"ging heights an" "istances a&i"st lofty&ountains ha!e generally attribute" it to the absence of objects of co&arison 0t aears to &e that it is fully as

&uch owing to the transarency of the air confoun"ingobjects at "ifferent "istances an" li$ewise artly to theno!elty of an unusual "egree of fatigue arising fro& a littleexertion habit being thus oose" to the e!i"ence of thesenses 0 a& sure that this extre&e clearness of the air gi!es a eculiar character to the lan"scae all objectsaearing to be brought nearly into one lane as in a "rawingor anora&a The transarency is 0 resu&e owing tothe eLuable an" high state of at&osheric "ryness This"ryness was shown by the &anner in which woo"wor$shran$ as 0 soon foun" by the trouble &y geological ha&&er ga!e &eS by articles of foo" such as brea" an" sugar

beco&ing extre&ely har"S an" by the reser!ation of thes$in an" arts of the flesh of the beasts which ha" erishe"on the roa" To the sa&e cause we &ust attribute the singular facility with which electricity is excite" =y flannelwaistcoat when rubbe" in the "ar$ aeare" as if it ha"been washe" with hoshorus e!ery hair on a "og's bac$crac$le"S e!en the linen sheets an" leathern stras of thesa""le when han"le" e&itte" sar$s

=arch 68r" The "escent on the eastern si"e of the Cor"illerais &uch shorter or steeer than on the Pacific si"eSin other wor"s the &ountains rise &ore abrutly fro& the

lains than fro& the aline country of Chile le!el an"brilliantly white sea of clou"s was stretche" out beneath our feet shutting out the !iew of the eLually le!el Pa&as (esoon entere" the ban" of clou"s an" "i" not again e&ergefro& it that "ay bout noon fin"ing asture for the ani&alsan" bushes for firewoo" at >os renales we stoe"for the night This was near the uer&ost li&it of bushesan" the ele!ation 0 suose was between se!en an" eightthousan" feet

0 was &uch struc$ with the &ar$e" "ifference betweenthe !egetation of these eastern !alleys an" those on the

Chilian si"e5 yet the cli&ate as well as the $in" of soil isnearly the sa&e an" the "ifference of longitu"e !ery triflingThe sa&e re&ar$ hol"s goo" with the Lua"rue"s an" ina lesser "egree with the bir"s an" insects 0 &ay instance the&ice of which 0 obtaine" thirteen secies on the shores of the tlantic an" fi!e on the Pacific an" not one of the&is i"entical (e &ust excet all those secies which habituallyor occasionally freLuent ele!ate" &ountainsS an" certainbir"s which range as far south as the -trait of =agellanThis fact is in erfect accor"ance with the geologicalhistory of the n"esS for these &ountains ha!e existe" asa great barrier since the resent races of ani&als ha!e

aeare"S an" therefore unless we suose the sa&e seciesto ha!e been create" in two "ifferent laces we ought not toexect any closer si&ilarity between the organic beings on



the oosite si"es of the n"es than on the oosite shoresof the ocean 0n both cases we &ust lea!e out of the Luestionthose $in"s which ha!e been able to cross the barrierwhether of soli" roc$ or saltwater 2M4

great nu&ber of the lants an" ani&als were absolutely

the sa&e as or &ost closely allie" to those of Patagonia(e here ha!e the agouti bi9cacha three secies of ar&a"illothe ostrich certain $in"s of artri"ges an" other bir"snone of which are e!er seen in Chile but are the characteristicani&als of the "esert lains of Patagonia (e ha!eli$ewise &any of the sa&e to the eyes of a erson who isnot a botanist thorny stunte" bushes withere" grass an""warf lants E!en the blac$ slowly crawling beetles areclosely si&ilar an" so&e 0 belie!e on rigorous exa&inationabsolutely i"entical 0t ha" always been to &e a subject of regret that we were una!oi"ably co&elle" to gi!e u theascent of the - Cru9 ri!er before reaching the &ountains5

0 always ha" a latent hoe of &eeting with so&e greatchange in the features of the countryS but 0 now feel surethat it woul" only ha!e been following the lains of Patagoniau a &ountainous ascent

=arch 63th Early in the &orning 0 cli&be" u a &ountainon one si"e of the !alley an" enjoye" a far exten"e"!iew o!er the Pa&as This was a sectacle to which 0 ha"always loo$e" forwar" with interest but 0 was "isaointe"5at the first glance it &uch rese&ble" a "istant !iew of theocean but in the northern arts &any irregularities weresoon "istinguishable The &ost stri$ing feature consiste"

in the ri!ers which facing the rising sun glittere" li$esil!er threa"s till lost in the i&&ensity of the "istance t&i""ay we "escen"e" the !alley an" reache" a ho!el wherean officer an" three sol"iers were oste" to exa&ine assorts:ne of these &en was a thoroughbre" Pa&as0n"ian5 he was $et &uch for the sa&e urose as a bloo"houn"to trac$ out any erson who &ight ass by secretlyeither on foot or horsebac$ -o&e years ago a assenger en"ea!oure" to escae "etection by &a$ing a long circuito!er a neighbouring &ountainS but this 0n"ian ha!ing bychance crosse" his trac$ followe" it for the whole "ay o!er "ry an" !ery stony hills till at last he ca&e on his rey

hi""en in a gully (e here hear" that the sil!ery clou"swhich we ha" a"&ire" fro& the bright region abo!e ha"oure" "own torrents of rain The !alley fro& this ointgra"ually oene" an" the hills beca&e &ere waterwornhilloc$s co&are" to the giants behin"5 it then exan"e"into a gently sloing lain of shingle co!ere" with low treesan" bushes This talus although aearing narrow &ust benearly ten &iles wi"e before it blen"s into the aarently"ea" le!el Pa&as (e asse" the only house in thisneighbourhoo" the Estancia of ChaLuaio5 an" at sunset we ulle"u in the first snug corner an" there bi!ouac$e"

=arch 6Mth 0 was re&in"e" of the Pa&as of Buenos yres by seeing the "is$ of the rising sun intersecte" by anhori9on le!el as that of the ocean During the night a hea!y



"ew fell a circu&stance which we "i" not exerience withinthe Cor"illera The roa" rocee"e" for so&e "istance "ueeast across a low swa&S then &eeting the "ry lain itturne" to the north towar"s =en"o9a The "istance is two!ery long "ays' journey :ur first "ay's journey was calle"fourteen leagues to Estaca"o an" the secon" se!enteen to

>uxan near =en"o9a The whole "istance is o!er a le!el"esert lain with not &ore than two or three houses Thesun was excee"ingly owerful an" the ri"e "e!oi" of allinterest There is !ery little water in this Ntra!ersiaN an"in our secon" "ay's journey we foun" only one little ool>ittle water flows fro& the &ountains an" it soon beco&esabsorbe" by the "ry an" orous soilS so that although wetra!elle" at the "istance of only ten or fifteen &iles fro&the outer range of the Cor"illera we "i" not cross a singlestrea& 0n &any arts the groun" was incruste" with asaline efflorescenceS hence we ha" the sa&e saltlo!inglants which are co&&on near Bahia Blanca The lan"scae

has a unifor& character fro& the -trait of =agellanalong the whole eastern coast of Patagonia to the +io Colora"oSan" it aears that the sa&e $in" of country exten"sinlan" fro& this ri!er in a sweeing line as far as -an >uisan" erhas e!en further north To the eastwar" of thiscur!e" line lies the basin of the co&arati!ely "a& an"green lains of Buenos yres The sterile lains of =en"o9aan" Patagonia consist of a be" of shingle worn s&oothan" accu&ulate" by the wa!es of the sea while the Pa&asco!ere" by thistles clo!er an" grass ha!e been for&e" bythe ancient estuary &u" of the Plata

fter our two "ays' te"ious journey it was refreshing tosee in the "istance the rows of olars an" willows growingroun" the !illage an" ri!er of >uxan -hortly before wearri!e" at this lace we obser!e" to the south a ragge" clou"of "ar$ re""ishbrown colour t first we thought that itwas s&o$e fro& so&e great fire on the lainsS but we soonfoun" that it was a swar& of locusts They were flyingnorthwar"S an" with the ai" of a light bree9e they o!ertoo$us at a rate of ten or fifteen &iles an hour The &ain bo"yfille" the air fro& a height of twenty feet to that as itaeare" of two or three thousan" abo!e the groun"S Nan" thesoun" of their wings was as the soun" of chariots of &any

horses running to battle5N or rather 0 shoul" say li$e astrong bree9e assing through the rigging of a shi Thes$y seen through the a"!ance" guar" aeare" li$e a &e99otintoengra!ing but the &ain bo"y was i&er!ious to sightSthey were not howe!er so thic$ together but that theycoul" escae a stic$ wa!e" bac$war"s an" forwar"s (henthey alighte" they were &ore nu&erous than the lea!es inthe fiel" an" the surface beca&e re""ish instea" of beinggreen5 the swar& ha!ing once alighte" the in"i!i"uals flewfro& si"e to si"e in all "irections >ocusts are not an unco&&onest in this country5 alrea"y "uring the season se!erals&aller swar&s ha" co&e u fro& the south where as

aarently in all other arts of the worl" they are bre" inthe "eserts The oor cottagers in !ain atte&te" by lightingfires by shouts an" by wa!ing branches to a!ert the



attac$ This secies of locust closely rese&bles an" erhasis i"entical with the fa&ous Gryllus &igratorius of the East

(e crosse" the >uxan which is a ri!er of consi"erablesi9e though its course towar"s the seacoast is !eryi&erfectly $nown5 it is e!en "oubtful whether in assing o!er

the lains it is not e!aorate" an" lost (e slet in the!illage of >uxan which is a s&all lace surroun"e" by gar"ensan" for&s the &ost southern culti!ate" "istrict in thePro!ince of =en"o9aS it is fi!e leagues south of the caital t night 0 exerience" an attac$ for it "eser!es no less ana&e of the @Benchuca@ a secies of +e"u!ius the greatblac$ bug of the Pa&as 0t is &ost "isgusting to feel softwingless insects about an inch long crawling o!er one'sbo"y Before suc$ing they are Luite thin but afterwar"sthey beco&e roun" an" bloate" with bloo" an" in this stateare easily crushe" :ne which 0 caught at 0LuiLue for theyare foun" in Chile an" Peru was !ery e&ty (hen lace"

on a table an" though surroun"e" by eole if a finger wasresente" the bol" insect woul" i&&e"iately rotru"e itssuc$er &a$e a charge an" if allowe" "raw bloo" ;o ainwas cause" by the woun" 0t was curious to watch its bo"y"uring the act of suc$ing as in less than ten &inutes itchange" fro& being as flat as a wafer to a globular for&This one feast for which the benchuca was in"ebte" to oneof the officers $et it fat "uring four whole &onthsS butafter the first fortnight it was Luite rea"y to ha!e another suc$

=arch 6/th (e ro"e on to =en"o9a The country was

beautifully culti!ate" an" rese&ble" Chile This neighbourhoo"is celebrate" for its fruitS an" certainly nothing coul"aear &ore flourishing than the !ineyar"s an" the orchar"sof figs eaches an" oli!es (e bought water&elons nearlytwice as large as a &an's hea" &ost "eliciously cool an"wellfla!oure" for a halfenny aieceS an" for the !alue of threeence half a wheelbarrowful of eaches The culti!ate"an" enclose" art of this ro!ince is !ery s&allS thereis little &ore than that which we asse" through between>uxan an" the caital The lan" as in Chile owes its fertilityentirely to artificial irrigationS an" it is really won"erfulto obser!e how extraor"inarily ro"ucti!e a barren

tra!ersia is thus ren"ere"

(e staye" the ensuing "ay in =en"o9a The roserityof the lace has &uch "ecline" of late years The inhabitantssay Nit is goo" to li!e in but !ery ba" to grow rich inNThe lower or"ers ha!e the lounging rec$less &anners of theGauchos of the Pa&asS an" their "ress ri"inggear an"habits of life are nearly the sa&e To &y &in" the townha" a stui" forlorn asect ;either the boaste" ala&e"anor the scenery is at all co&arable with that of -antiagoSbut to those who co&ing fro& Buenos yres ha!e justcrosse" the un!arie" Pa&as the gar"ens an" orchar"s &ust

aear "elightful -ir * ,ea" sea$ing of the inhabitantssays NThey eat their "inners an" it is so !ery hot they goto slee an" coul" they "o betterQN 0 Luite agree with



-ir * ,ea"5 the hay "oo& of the =en"o9inos is to eatslee an" be i"le

=arch 6.th (e set out on our return to Chile by the<sallata ass situate" north of =en"o9a (e ha" to cross

a long an" &ost sterile tra!ersia of fifteen leagues Thesoil in arts was absolutely bare in others co!ere" bynu&berless "warf cacti ar&e" with for&i"able sines an" calle"by the inhabitants Nlittle lionsN There were also a fewlow bushes lthough the lain is nearly three thousan" feetabo!e the sea the sun was !ery owerfulS an" the heat aswell as the clou"s of i&alable "ust ren"ere" the tra!ellingextre&ely ir$so&e :ur course "uring the "ay lay nearlyarallel to the Cor"illera but gra"ually aroaching the&Before sunset we entere" one of the wi"e !alleys or rather bays which oen on the lain5 this soon narrowe" into ara!ine where a little higher u the house of Villa Vicencio

is situate" s we ha" ri""en all "ay without a "ro of water both our &ules an" sel!es were !ery thirsty an" weloo$e" out anxiously for the strea& which flows "own this!alley 0t was curious to obser!e how gra"ually the water &a"e its aearance5 on the lain the course was Luite "rySby "egrees it beca&e a little "a&erS then u""les of water aeare"S these soon beca&e connecte"S an" at Villa Vicenciothere was a nice little ri!ulet

87th The solitary ho!el which bears the i&osing na&eof Villa Vicencio has been &entione" by e!ery tra!eller whohas crosse" the n"es 0 staye" here an" at so&e neighbouring

&ines "uring the two succee"ing "ays The geologyof the surroun"ing country is !ery curious The <sallatarange is searate" fro& the &ain Cor"illera by a long narrowlain or basin li$e those so often &entione" in Chilebut higher being six thousan" feet abo!e the sea Thisrange has nearly the sa&e geograhical osition with resectto the Cor"illera which the gigantic Portillo line has but itis of a totally "ifferent origin5 it consists of !arious $in"sof sub&arine la!a alternating with !olcanic san"stones an"other re&ar$able se"i&entary "eositsS the whole ha!ing a!ery close rese&blance to so&e of the tertiary be"s on theshores of the Pacific *ro& this rese&blance 0 execte" to

fin" silicifie" woo" which is generally characteristic of thosefor&ations 0 was gratifie" in a !ery extraor"inary &anner0n the central art of the range at an ele!ation of aboutse!en thousan" feet 0 obser!e" on a bare sloe so&e snowwhiterojecting colu&ns These were etrifie" trees ele!enbeing silicifie" an" fro& thirty to forty con!erte" intocoarselycrystalli9e" white calcareous sar They were abrutlybro$en off the uright stu&s rojecting a few feetabo!e the groun" The trun$s &easure" fro& three to fi!efeet each in circu&ference They stoo" a little way aartfro& each other but the whole for&e" one grou =r +obertBrown has been $in" enough to exa&ine the woo"5 he

says it belongs to the fir tribe arta$ing of the character of the raucarian fa&ily but with so&e curious oints of affinity with the yew The !olcanic san"stone in which the



trees were e&be""e" an" fro& the lower art of which they&ust ha!e srung ha" accu&ulate" in successi!e thin layersaroun" their trun$sS an" the stone yet retaine" the i&ressionof the bar$

0t reLuire" little geological ractice to interret the

&ar!ellous story which this scene at once unfol"e"S though 0confess 0 was at first so &uch astonishe" that 0 coul"scarcely belie!e the lainest e!i"ence 0 saw the sot wherea cluster of fine trees once wa!e" their branches on theshores of the tlantic when that ocean now "ri!en bac$/77 &iles ca&e to the foot of the n"es 0 saw that theyha" srung fro& a !olcanic soil which ha" been raise" abo!ethe le!el of the sea an" that subseLuently this "ry lan"with its uright trees ha" been let "own into the "eths of the ocean 0n these "eths the for&erly "ry lan" wasco!ere" by se"i&entary be"s an" these again by enor&ousstrea&s of sub&arine la!a one such &ass attaining the

thic$ness of a thousan" feetS an" these "eluges of &oltenstone an" aLueous "eosits fi!e ti&es alternately ha" beensrea" out The ocean which recei!e" such thic$ &asses&ust ha!e been rofoun"ly "eeS but again the subterraneanforces exerte" the&sel!es an" 0 now behel" the be" of that ocean for&ing a chain of &ountains &ore than se!enthousan" feet in height ;or ha" those antagonistic forcesbeen "or&ant which are always at wor$ wearing "own thesurface of the lan"S the great iles of strata ha" beenintersecte" by &any wi"e !alleys an" the trees now change"into silex were exose" rojecting fro& the !olcanic soilnow change" into roc$ whence for&erly in a green an"

bu""ing state they ha" raise" their lofty hea"s ;owall is utterly irreclai&able an" "esertS e!en the lichen cannota"here to the stony casts of for&er trees Vast an"scarcely co&rehensible as such changes &ust e!er aearyet they ha!e all occurre" within a erio" recent whenco&are" with the history of the Cor"illeraS an" the Cor"illeraitself is absolutely &o"ern as co&are" with &anyof the fossiliferous strata of Euroe an" &erica

ril 1st (e crosse" the <sallata range an" at nightslet at the custo&house the only inhabite" sot on thelain -hortly before lea!ing the &ountains there was a

!ery extraor"inary !iewS re" urle green an" Luite whitese"i&entary roc$s alternating with blac$ la!as were bro$enu an" thrown into all $in"s of "isor"er by &asses of orhyryof e!ery sha"e of colour fro& "ar$ brown to thebrightest lilac 0t was the first !iew 0 e!er saw whichreally rese&ble" those retty sections which geologists &a$eof the insi"e of the earth

The next "ay we crosse" the lain an" followe" the courseof the sa&e great &ountain strea& which flows by >uxan,ere it was a furious torrent Luite i&assable an" aeare"larger than in the low country as was the case with the ri!ulet

of Villa Vicencio :n the e!ening of the succee"ing "aywe reache" the +io "e las Vacas which is consi"ere" theworst strea& in the Cor"illera to cross s all these ri!ers



ha!e a rai" an" short course an" are for&e" by the &eltingof the snow the hour of the "ay &a$es a consi"erable "ifferencein their !olu&e 0n the e!ening the strea& is &u""yan" full but about "aybrea$ it beco&es clearer an" &uchless i&etuous This we foun" to be the case with the +ioVacas an" in the &orning we crosse" it with little "ifficulty

The scenery thus far was !ery uninteresting co&are"with that of the Portillo ass >ittle can be seen beyon" thebare walls of the one gran" flatbotto&e" !alley which theroa" follows u to the highest crest The !alley an"the huge roc$y &ountains are extre&ely barren5 "uring thetwo re!ious nights the oor &ules ha" absolutely nothingto eat for exceting a few low resinous bushes scarcely alant can be seen 0n the course of this "ay we crosse" so&eof the worst asses in the Cor"illera but their "anger hasbeen &uch exaggerate" 0 was tol" that if 0 atte&te" toass on foot &y hea" woul" turn gi""y an" that there was

no roo& to "is&ountS but 0 "i" not see a lace where anyone &ight not ha!e wal$e" o!er bac$war"s or got off his&ule on either si"e :ne of the ba" asses calle" @las ni&as@ the souls 0 ha" crosse" an" "i" not fin" outtill a "ay afterwar"s that it was one of the awful "angers;o "oubt there are &any arts in which if the &ule shoul"stu&ble the ri"er woul" be hurle" "own a great reciiceSbut of this there is little chance 0 "are say in the sringthe Nla"erasN or roa"s which each year are for&e" anewacross the iles of fallen "etritus are !ery ba"S but fro&what 0 saw 0 susect the real "anger is nothing (ithcargo&ules the case is rather "ifferent for the loa"s roject

so far that the ani&als occasionally running againsteach other or against a oint of roc$ lose their balance an"are thrown "own the reciices 0n crossing the ri!ers0 can well belie!e that the "ifficulty &ay be !ery great5 atthis season there was little trouble but in the su&&er they&ust be !ery ha9ar"ous 0 can Luite i&agine as -ir *,ea" "escribes the "ifferent exressions of those who @ha!e@ asse" the gulf an" those who @are@ assing 0 ne!er hear"of any &an being "rowne" but with loa"e" &ules it freLuentlyhaens The arriero tells you to show your &ulethe best line an" then allow her to cross as she li$es5 thecargo&ule ta$es a ba" line an" is often lost

ril 3th *ro& the +io "e las Vacas to the Puente "el0ncas half a "ay's journey s there was asture for the&ules an" geology for &e we bi!ouac$e" here for thenight (hen one hears of a natural Bri"ge one icturesto one's self so&e "ee an" narrow ra!ine across which abol" &ass of roc$ has fallenS or a great arch hollowe" outli$e the !ault of a ca!ern 0nstea" of this the 0ncasBri"ge consists of a crust of stratifie" shingle ce&ente"together by the "eosits of the neighbouring hot srings 0taears as if the strea& ha" scooe" out a channel on onesi"e lea!ing an o!erhanging le"ge which was &et by earth

an" stones falling "own fro& the oosite cliff Certainlyan obliLue junction as woul" haen in such a case was!ery "istinct on one si"e The Bri"ge of the 0ncas is by



no &eans worthy of the great &onarchs whose na&e itbears

Mth (e ha" a long "ay's ri"e across the central ri"gefro& the 0ncas Bri"ge to the :jos "el gua which are situate"near the lowest @casucha@ on the Chilian si"e These

casuchas are roun" little towers with stes outsi"e to reachthe floor which is raise" so&e feet abo!e the groun" on accountof the snow"rifts They are eight in nu&ber an"un"er the -anish go!ern&ent were $et "uring the winter well store" with foo" an" charcoal an" each courier ha" a&aster$ey ;ow they only answer the urose of ca!es or rather "ungeons -eate" on so&e little e&inence they arenot howe!er ill suite" to the surroun"ing scene of "esolationThe 9ig9ag ascent of the Cu&bre or the artition of the waters was !ery stee an" te"iousS its height accor"ingto =r Pentlan" is 163M3 feet The roa" "i" not ass o!er any eretual snow although there were atches of it on

both han"s The win" on the su&&it was excee"ingly col"but it was i&ossible not to sto for a few &inutes to a"&ireagain an" again the colour of the hea!ens an" thebrilliant transarency of the at&oshere The scenery wasgran"5 to the westwar" there was a fine chaos of &ountains"i!i"e" by rofoun" ra!ines -o&e snow generally falls beforethis erio" of the season an" it has e!en haene" thatthe Cor"illera ha!e been finally close" by this ti&e Butwe were &ost fortunate The s$y by night an" by "ay wasclou"less exceting a few roun" little &asses of !aour thatfloate" o!er the highest innacles 0 ha!e often seen theseislets in the s$y &ar$ing the osition of the Cor"illera

when the far"istant &ountains ha!e been hi""en beneaththe hori9on

ril Hth 0n the &orning we foun" so&e thief ha"stolen one of our &ules an" the bell of the &a"rina (etherefore ro"e only two or three &iles "own the !alley an"staye" there the ensuing "ay in hoes of reco!ering the &ulewhich the arriero thought ha" been hi""en in so&e ra!ineThe scenery in this art ha" assu&e" a Chilian character5the lower si"es of the &ountains "otte" o!er with the alee!ergreen uillay tree an" with the great chan"elierli$ecactus are certainly &ore to be a"&ire" than the bare eastern

!alleysS but 0 cannot Luite agree with the a"&irationexresse" by so&e tra!ellers The extre&e leasure 0 susectis chiefly owing to the rosect of a goo" fire an" of agoo" suer after escaing fro& the col" regions abo!e5 an"0 a& sure 0 &ost heartily articiate" in these feelings

Ith (e left the !alley of the concagua by which weha" "escen"e" an" reache" in the e!ening a cottage near theVilla "el -t +osa The fertility of the lain was "elightful5the autu&n being a"!ance" the lea!es of &any of thefruittrees were fallingS an" of the labourers so&e werebusy in "rying figs an" eaches on the roofs of their cottages

while others were gathering the graes fro& the !ineyar"s0t was a retty sceneS but 0 &isse" that ensi!e stillnesswhich &a$es the autu&n in Englan" in"ee" the e!ening



of the year :n the 17th we reache" -antiago where 0 recei!e"a !ery $in" an" hositable recetion fro& =r Cal"cleugh=y excursion only cost &e twentyfour "ays an"ne!er "i" 0 &ore "eely enjoy an eLual sace of ti&e few "ays afterwar"s 0 returne" to =r Corfiel"'s house atValaraiso

214 -coresby's rctic +egions !ol i 166

264 0 ha!e hear" it re&ar$e" in -hroshire that the water whenthe -e!ern is floo"e" fro& longcontinue" rain is &uch &oreturbi" than when it rocee"s fro& the snow &elting in the (elsh&ountains D':rbigny to& i 1I3 in exlaining the causeof the !arious colours of the ri!ers in -outh &erica re&ar$sthat those with blue or clear water ha!e there source in theCor"illera where the snow &elts

284 Dr Gillies in ourn of ;at an" Geograh -cience ug

1I87 This author gi!es the heights of the Passes

234 This structure in fro9en snow was long since obser!e" by-coresby in the icebergs near -it9bergen an" lately with&ore care by Colonel ac$son ourn of Geograh -oc !ol ! 16 on the ;e!a =r >yell Princiles !ol i! 8H7 hasco&are" the fissures by which the colu&nar structure see&s tobe "eter&ine" to the joints that tra!erse nearly all roc$s butwhich are best seen in the nonstratifie" &asses 0 &ay obser!ethat in the case of the fro9en snow the colu&nar structure &ustbe owing to a N&eta&orhicN action an" not to a rocess "uring"eosition

2M4 This is &erely an illustration of the a"&irable laws firstlai" "own by =r >yell on the geograhical "istribution of ani&als as influence" by geological changes The wholereasoning of course is foun"e" on the assu&tion of thei&&utability of seciesS otherwise the "ifference in the seciesin the two regions &ight be consi"ere" as suerin"uce" "uring alength of ti&e

C,PTE+ V0

;:+T,E+; C,0>E ;D PE+<

Coastroa" to CoLui&bo Great >oa"s carrie" by the =iners CoLui&bo EarthLua$e -tefor&e" Terrace bsence of recent Deosits Conte&oraneousness of the Tertiary*or&ations Excursion u the Valley +oa" to Guasco Deserts Valley of Coiao +ain an" EarthLua$es ,y"rohobia The Desobla"o 0n"ian +uins ProbableChange of Cli&ate +i!erbe" arche" by an EarthLua$e Col" Gales of (in" ;oises fro& a ,ill 0LuiLue -alt llu!iu& ;itrate of -o"a >i&a <nhealthy Country

+uins of Callao o!erthrown by an EarthLua$e +ecent-ubsi"ence Ele!ate" -hells on -an >oren9o their "eco&osition Plain with e&be""e" -hells an" frag&ents



of Pottery ntiLuity of the 0n"ian +ace

P+0> 6/th 0 set out on a journey to CoLui&bo an"thence through Guasco to Coiao where Catain*it9 +oy $in"ly offere" to ic$ &e u in the Beagle

The "istance in a straight line along the shore northwar" isonly 367 &ilesS but &y &o"e of tra!elling &a"e it a !erylong journey 0 bought four horses an" two &ules thelatter carrying the luggage on alternate "ays The sixani&als together only cost the !alue of twentyfi!e oun"ssterling an" at Coiao 0 sol" the& again for twentythree(e tra!elle" in the sa&e in"een"ent &anner as beforecoo$ing our own &eals an" sleeing in the oen air swe ro"e towar"s the Vino "el =ar 0 too$ a farewell !iewof Valaraiso an" a"&ire" its icturesLue aearance *or geological uroses 0 &a"e a "etour fro& the high roa"to the foot of the Bell of uillota (e asse" through an

allu!ial "istrict rich in gol" to the neighbourhoo" of >i&achewhere we slet (ashing for gol" suorts the inhabitantsof nu&erous ho!els scattere" along the si"es of each little ri!uletS but li$e all those whose gains areuncertain they are unthrifty in all their habits an"conseLuently oor

6Ith 0n the afternoon we arri!e" at a cottage at thefoot of the Bell &ountain The inhabitants were freehol"erswhich is not !ery usual in Chile They suorte" the&sel!eson the ro"uce of a gar"en an" a little fiel" but were!ery oor Caital is here so "eficient that the eole are

oblige" to sell their green corn while stan"ing in the fiel"in or"er to buy necessaries for the ensuing year (heat inconseLuence was "earer in the !ery "istrict of its ro"uctionthan at Valaraiso where the contractors li!e The next"ay we joine" the &ain roa" to CoLui&bo t night therewas a !ery light shower of rain5 this was the first "ro thatha" fallen since the hea!y rain of -ete&ber 11th an" 16thwhich "etaine" &e a risoner at the Baths of CauLuenesThe inter!al was se!en an" a half &onthsS but the rain thisyear in Chile was rather later than usual The "istant n"eswere now co!ere" by a thic$ &ass of snow an" were a glorioussight

=ay 6n" The roa" continue" to follow the coast at nogreat "istance fro& the sea The few trees an" bushes whichare co&&on in central Chile "ecrease" rai"ly in nu&bersan" were relace" by a tall lant so&ething li$e a yucca inaearance The surface of the country on a s&all scalewas singularly bro$en an" irregularS abrut little ea$s of roc$ rising out of s&all lains or basins The in"ente" coastan" the botto& of the neighbouring sea stu""e" with brea$erswoul" if con!erte" into "ry lan" resent si&ilar for&sSan" such a con!ersion without "oubt has ta$en lace in theart o!er which we ro"e

8r" uili&ari to Conchalee The country beca&e &orean" &ore barren 0n the !alleys there was scarcely sufficient



water for any irrigationS an" the inter&e"iate lan" wasLuite bare not suorting e!en goats 0n the sring after the winter showers a thin asture rai"ly srings u an"cattle are then "ri!en "own fro& the Cor"illera to gra9efor a short ti&e 0t is curious to obser!e how the see"s of the grass an" other lants see& to acco&&o"ate the&sel!es

as if by an acLuire" habit to the Luantity of rain whichfalls uon "ifferent arts of this coast :ne shower far northwar" at Coiao ro"uces as great an effect on the!egetation as two at Guasco an" three or four in this"istrict t Valaraiso a winter so "ry as greatly to injurethe asture woul" at Guasco ro"uce the &ost unusualabun"ance Procee"ing northwar" the Luantity of rain "oesnot aear to "ecrease in strict roortion to the latitu"e t Conchalee which is only H/ &iles north of Valaraisorain is not execte" till the en" of =ayS whereas at Valaraisoso&e generally falls early in ril5 the annual Luantityis li$ewise s&all in roortion to the lateness of the

season at which it co&&ences

3th *in"ing the coastroa" "e!oi" of interest of any$in" we turne" inlan" towar"s the &ining "istrict an"!alley of 0llael This !alley li$e e!ery other in Chile isle!el broa" an" !ery fertile5 it is bor"ere" on each si"eeither by cliffs of stratifie" shingle or by bare roc$y&ountains bo!e the straight line of the uer&ost irrigating"itch all is brown as on a high roa"S while all below is of asbright a green as !er"igris fro& the be"s of alfalfa a $in"of clo!er (e rocee"e" to >os ,ornos another &ining"istrict where the rincial hill was "rille" with holes li$e

a great ants'nest The Chilian &iners are a eculiar raceof &en in their habits >i!ing for wee$s together in the&ost "esolate sots when they "escen" to the !illages onfeast"ays there is no excess of extra!agance into whichthey "o not run They so&eti&es gain a consi"erable su&an" then li$e sailors with ri9e&oney they try how soonthey can contri!e to sLuan"er it They "rin$ excessi!elybuy Luantities of clothes an" in a few "ays return ennilessto their &iserable abo"es there to wor$ har"er than beastsof bur"en This thoughtlessness as with sailors is e!i"entlythe result of a si&ilar &anner of life Their "aily foo" isfoun" the& an" they acLuire no habits of carefulness5 &oreo!er

te&tation an" the &eans of yiel"ing to it are lace"in their ower at the sa&e ti&e :n the other han" inCornwall an" so&e other arts of Englan" where the syste&of selling art of the !ein is followe" the &iners fro&being oblige" to act an" thin$ for the&sel!es are a singularlyintelligent an" wellcon"ucte" set of &en

The "ress of the Chilian &iner is eculiar an" rather icturesLue ,e wears a !ery long shirt of so&e "ar$coloure"bai9e with a leathern aronS the whole being fastene"roun" his waist by a brightcoloure" sash ,is trousers are!ery broa" an" his s&all ca of scarlet cloth is &a"e to fit

the hea" closely (e &et a arty of these &iners in fullcostu&e carrying the bo"y of one of their co&anions to beburie" They &arche" at a !ery Luic$ trot four &en suorting



the corse :ne set ha!ing run as har" as theycoul" for about two hun"re" yar"s were relie!e" by four others who ha" re!iously "ashe" on ahea" on horsebac$Thus they rocee"e" encouraging each other by wil" cries5altogether the scene for&e" a &ost strange funeral

(e continue" tra!elling northwar" in a 9ig9ag lineSso&eti&es stoing a "ay to geologi9e The country was sothinly inhabite" an" the trac$ so obscure that we often ha""ifficulty in fin"ing our way :n the 16th 0 staye" at so&e&ines The ore in this case was not consi"ere" articularlygoo" but fro& being abun"ant it was suose" the &inewoul" sell for about thirty or forty thousan" "ollars that isH777 or I777 oun"s sterlingS yet it ha" been bought byone of the English ssociations for an ounce of gol" 8lIs The ore is yellow yrites which as 0 ha!e alrea"yre&ar$e" before the arri!al of the English was not suose"to contain a article of coer :n a scale of rofits nearly

as great as in the abo!e instance iles of cin"ers aboun"ingwith &inute globules of &etallic coer were urchase"Syet with these a"!antages the &ining associations as is well$nown contri!e" to lose i&&ense su&s of &oney The follyof the greater nu&ber of the co&&issioners an" sharehol"ersa&ounte" to infatuationS a thousan" oun"s er annu&gi!en in so&e cases to entertain the Chilian authoritiesSlibraries of wellboun" geological boo$sS &iners brought outfor articular &etals as tin which are not foun" in ChileScontracts to suly the &iners with &il$ in arts wherethere are no cowsS &achinery where it coul" not ossiblybe use"S an" a hun"re" si&ilar arrange&ents bore witness

to our absur"ity an" to this "ay affor" a&use&ent to thenati!es Ret there can be no "oubt that the sa&e caitalwell e&loye" in these &ines woul" ha!e yiel"e" an i&&ensereturn a confi"ential &an of business a ractical&iner an" assayer woul" ha!e been all that was reLuire"

Catain ,ea" has "escribe" the won"erful loa" whichthe NiresN truly beasts of bur"en carry u fro& the"eeest &ines 0 confess 0 thought the account exaggerate"5so that 0 was gla" to ta$e an oortunity of weighing oneof the loa"s which 0 ic$e" out by ha9ar" 0t reLuire"consi"erable exertion on &y art when stan"ing "irectly o!er

it to lift it fro& the groun" The loa" was consi"ere" un"er weight when foun" to be 1./ oun"s The aire ha" carrie"this u eighty eren"icular yar"s art of the way bya stee assage but the greater art u notche" oles lace"in a 9ig9ag line u the shaft ccor"ing to the generalregulation the aire is not allowe" to halt for breath excetthe &ine is six hun"re" feet "ee The a!erage loa" isconsi"ere" as rather &ore than 677 oun"s an" 0 ha!e beenassure" that one of 877 oun"s twentytwo stone an" a halfby way of a trial has been brought u fro& the "eeest &ine% t this ti&e the aires were bringing u the usual loa"twel!e ti&es in the "ayS that is 6377 oun"s fro& eighty

yar"s "eeS an" they were e&loye" in the inter!als in brea$ingan" ic$ing ore



These &en exceting fro& acci"ents are healthy an" aear cheerful Their bo"ies are not !ery &uscular Theyrarely eat &eat once a wee$ an" ne!er oftener an" then onlythe har" "ry charLui lthough with a $nowle"ge that thelabour was !oluntary it was ne!ertheless Luite re!olting tosee the state in which they reache" the &outh of the &ineS

their bo"ies bent forwar" leaning with their ar&s on thestes their legs bowe" their &uscles Lui!ering theersiration strea&ing fro& their faces o!er their breaststheir nostrils "isten"e" the corners of their &outh forcibly"rawn bac$ an" the exulsion of their breath &ost laboriousEach ti&e they "raw their breath they utter an articulatecry of NayayN which en"s in a soun" rising fro& "ee inthe chest but shrill li$e the note of a fife fter staggeringto the ile of ore they e&tie" the NcarachoSN in two or three secon"s reco!ering their breath they wie" the sweatfro& their brows an" aarently Luite fresh "escen"e" the&ine again at a Luic$ ace This aears to &e a won"erful

instance of the a&ount of labour which habit for it can benothing else will enable a &an to en"ure

0n the e!ening tal$ing with the @&ayor"o&o@ of these&ines about the nu&ber of foreigners now scattere" o!er the whole country he tol" &e that though Luite a young&an he re&e&bers when he was a boy at school atCoLui&bo a holi"ay being gi!en to see the catain of anEnglish shi who was brought to the city to sea$ to thego!ernor ,e belie!es that nothing woul" ha!e in"uce"any boy in the school hi&self inclu"e" to ha!e gone closeto the English&anS so "eely ha" they been i&resse" with

an i"ea of the heresy conta&ination an" e!il to be "eri!e"fro& contact with such a erson To this "ay they relatethe atrocious actions of the bucaniersS an" esecially of one &an who too$ away the figure of the Virgin =ary an"returne" the year after for that of -t oseh saying itwas a ity the la"y shoul" not ha!e a husban" 0 hear"also of an ol" la"y who at a "inner at CoLui&bo re&ar$e"how won"erfully strange it was that she shoul" ha!e li!e"to "ine in the sa&e roo& with an English&anS for shere&e&bere" as a girl that twice at the &ere cry of N>os0nglesesN e!ery soul carrying what !aluables they coul"ha" ta$en to the &ountains

13th (e reache" CoLui&bo where we staye" a few"ays The town is re&ar$able for nothing but its extre&eLuietness 0t is sai" to contain fro& H777 to I777 inhabitants:n the &orning of the 1/th it raine" lightly the first ti&ethis year for about fi!e hours The far&ers who lantcorn near the seacoast where the at&oshere is &ost hu&i"ta$ing a"!antage of this shower woul" brea$ u the groun"Safter a secon" they woul" ut the see" inS an" if a thir"shower shoul" fall they woul" rea a goo" har!est in thesring 0t was interesting to watch the effect of this triflinga&ount of &oisture Twel!e hours afterwar"s the groun"

aeare" as "ry as e!erS yet after an inter!al of ten "aysall the hills were faintly tinge" with green atchesS thegrass being saringly scattere" in hairli$e fibres a full



inch in length Before this shower e!ery art of the surfacewas bare as on a high roa"

0n the e!ening Catain *it9 +oy an" &yself were "iningwith =r E"war"s an English resi"ent well $nown for hishositality by all who ha!e !isite" CoLui&bo when a shar

earthLua$e haene" 0 hear" the foreco&ing ru&ble butfro& the screa&s of the la"ies the running of the ser!antsan" the rush of se!eral of the gentle&en to the "oorway 0coul" not "istinguish the &otion -o&e of the wo&en afterwar"swere crying with terror an" one gentle&an sai" heshoul" not be able to slee all night or if he "i" it woul"only be to "rea& of falling houses The father of this ersonha" lately lost all his roerty at Talcahuano an" hehi&self ha" only just escae" a falling roof at Valaraisoin 1I66 ,e &entione" a curious coinci"ence which thenhaene"5 he was laying at car"s when a Ger&an one of the arty got u an" sai" he woul" ne!er sit in a roo& in

these countries with the "oor shut as owing to his ha!ing"one so he ha" nearly lost his life at Coiao ccor"inglyhe oene" the "oorS an" no sooner ha" he "one this than hecrie" out N,ere it co&es again%N an" the fa&ous shoc$co&&ence" The whole arty escae" The "anger in anearthLua$e is not fro& the ti&e lost in oening the "oor butfro& the chance of its beco&ing ja&&e" by the &o!e&entof the walls

0t is i&ossible to be &uch surrise" at the fear whichnati!es an" ol" resi"ents though so&e of the& $nown tobe &en of great co&&an" of &in" so generally exerience

"uring earthLua$es 0 thin$ howe!er this excess of anic&ay be artly attribute" to a want of habit in go!erningtheir fear as it is not a feeling they are asha&e" of 0n"ee"the nati!es "o not li$e to see a erson in"ifferent 0hear" of two English&en who sleeing in the oen air "uringa s&art shoc$ $nowing that there was no "anger "i" notrise The nati!es crie" out in"ignantly N>oo$ at thoseheretics they "o not e!en get out of their be"s%N

0 sent so&e "ays in exa&ining the stefor&e" terracesof shingle first notice" by Catain B ,all an" belie!e"

by =r >yell to ha!e been for&e" by the sea "uring thegra"ual rising of the lan" This certainly is the trueexlanation for 0 foun" nu&erous shells of existing secieson these terraces *i!e narrow gently sloing fringeli$eterraces rise one behin" the other an" where best "e!eloe"are for&e" of shingle5 they front the bay an" swee u bothsi"es of the !alley t Guasco north of CoLui&bo theheno&enon is "islaye" on a &uch gran"er scale so as tostri$e with surrise e!en so&e of the inhabitants The terracesare there &uch broa"er an" &ay be calle" lains inso&e arts there are six of the& but generally only fi!eSthey run u the !alley for thirtyse!en &iles fro& the coast

These stefor&e" terraces or fringes closely rese&ble thosein the !alley of - Cru9 an" excet in being on a s&aller scale those great ones along the whole coastline of Patagonia



They ha!e un"oubte"ly been for&e" by the "enu"ingower of the sea "uring long erio"s of rest in thegra"ual ele!ation of the continent

-hells of &any existing secies not only lie on the surfaceof the terraces at CoLui&bo to a height of 6M7 feet

but are e&be""e" in a friable calcareous roc$ which in so&elaces is as &uch as between twenty an" thirty feet inthic$ness but is of little extent These &o"ern be"s rest on anancient tertiary for&ation containing shells aarently allextinct lthough 0 exa&ine" so &any hun"re" &iles of coast on the Pacific as well as tlantic si"e of the continent0 foun" no regular strata containing seashells of recent secies exceting at this lace an" at a few ointsnorthwar" on the roa" to Guasco This fact aears to &ehighly re&ar$ableS for the exlanation generally gi!en bygeologists of the absence in any "istrict of stratifie"fossiliferous "eosits of a gi!en erio" na&ely that the

surface then existe" as "ry lan" is not here alicableS for we$now fro& the shells strewe" on the surface an" e&be""e"in loose san" or &oul" that the lan" for thousan"s of &ilesalong both coasts has lately been sub&erge" The exlanationno "oubt &ust be sought in the fact that the wholesouthern art of the continent has been for a long ti&eslowly risingS an" therefore that all &atter "eosite" alongshore in shallow water &ust ha!e been soon brought uan" slowly exose" to the wearing action of the seabeachSan" it is only in co&arati!ely shallow water that the greater nu&ber of &arine organic beings can flourish an" in suchwater it is ob!iously i&ossible that strata of any great

thic$ness can accu&ulate To show the !ast ower of thewearing action of seabeaches we nee" only aeal to thegreat cliffs along the resent coast of Patagonia an" to theescar&ents or ancient seacliffs at "ifferent le!els oneabo!e another on that sa&e line of coast

The ol" un"erlying tertiary for&ation at CoLui&boaears to be of about the sa&e age with se!eral "eositson the coast of Chile of which that of ;a!e"a" is therincial one an" with the great for&ation of PatagoniaBoth at ;a!e"a" an" in Patagonia there is e!i"ence thatsince the shells a list of which has been seen by Professor

E *orbes there ento&be" were li!ing there has been asubsi"ence of se!eral hun"re" feet as well as an ensuingele!ation 0t &ay naturally be as$e" how it co&es thatalthough no extensi!e fossiliferous "eosits of the recenterio" nor of any erio" inter&e"iate between it an" theancient tertiary eoch ha!e been reser!e" on either si"e of the continent yet that at this ancient tertiary eochse"i&entary &atter containing fossil re&ains shoul" ha!e been"eosite" an" reser!e" at "ifferent oints in north an"south lines o!er a sace of 1177 &iles on the shores of thePacific an" of at least 18M7 &iles on the shores of the tlantic an" in an east an" west line of /77 &iles across the

wi"est art of the continentQ 0 belie!e the exlanation isnot "ifficult an" that it is erhas alicable to nearlyanalogous facts obser!e" in other Luarters of the worl"





away at the sa&e &o&ent an" then crie" out for a jo$eN>et us see which rolls furthestN The owner who wasstan"ing by bet a cigar with his frien" on the race The&iner by this &eans watche" the !ery oint a&ongst therubbish where the stone lay 0n the e!ening he ic$e" itu an" carrie" it to his &aster showing hi& a rich &ass of

sil!erore an" saying NThis was the stone on which youwon a cigar by its rolling so farN

=ay 68r" (e "escen"e" into the fertile !alley of CoLui&boan" followe" it till we reache" an ,acien"a belongingto a relation of Don ose where we staye" the next "ay0 then ro"e one "ay's journey further to see what were"eclare" to be so&e etrifie" shells an" beans which latter turne" out to be s&all Luart9 ebbles (e asse" throughse!eral s&all !illagesS an" the !alley was beautifullyculti!ate" an" the whole scenery !ery gran" (e were herenear the &ain Cor"illera an" the surroun"ing hills were

lofty 0n all arts of northern Chile fruit trees ro"uce&uch &ore abun"antly at a consi"erable height near the n"es than in the lower country The figs an" graes of this "istrict are fa&ous for their excellence an" areculti!ate" to a great extent This !alley is erhas the &ostro"ucti!e one north of uillota 0 belie!e it containsinclu"ing CoLui&bo 6M777 inhabitants The next "ay 0returne" to the ,acien"a an" thence together with Donose to CoLui&bo

une 6n" (e set out for the !alley of Guasco followingthe coastroa" which was consi"ere" rather less "esert than

the other :ur first "ay's ri"e was to a solitary house calle"Rerba Buena where there was asture for our horses Theshower &entione" as ha!ing fallen a fortnight ago onlyreache" about halfway to GuascoS we ha" therefore in thefirst art of our journey a &ost faint tinge of green whichsoon fa"e" Luite away E!en where brightest it was scarcelysufficient to re&in" one of the fresh turf an" bu""ingflowers of the sring of other countries (hile tra!ellingthrough these "eserts one feels li$e a risoner shut u ina gloo&y court who longs to see so&ething green an" tos&ell a &oist at&oshere

une 8r" Rerba Buena to Cari9al During the first artof the "ay we crosse" a &ountainous roc$y "esert an" afterwar"sa long "ee san"y lain strewe" with bro$en seashellsThere was !ery little water an" that little saline5the whole country fro& the coast to the Cor"illera is anuninhabite" "esert 0 saw traces only of one li!ing ani&al inabun"ance na&ely the shells of a Buli&us which werecollecte" together in extraor"inary nu&bers on the "riestsots 0n the sring one hu&ble little lant sen"s out a fewlea!es an" on these the snails fee" s they are seen only!ery early in the &orning when the groun" is slightly "a&with "ew the Guascos belie!e that they are bre" fro& it 0

ha!e obser!e" in other laces that extre&ely "ry an" sterile"istricts where the soil is calcareous are extraor"inarilyfa!ourable to lan"shells t Cari9al there were a few cottages



so&e brac$ish water an" a trace of culti!ation5 but itwas with "ifficulty that we urchase" a little corn an" strawfor our horses

3th Cari9al to -auce (e continue" to ri"e o!er "esertlains tenante" by large her"s of guanaco (e crosse" also

the !alley of ChaneralS which although the &ost fertile onebetween Guasco an" CoLui&bo is !ery narrow an" ro"ucesso little asture that we coul" not urchase any for our horses t -auce we foun" a !ery ci!il ol" gentle&ansuerinten"ent of a coers&elting furnace s an esecialfa!our he allowe" &e to urchase at a high rice an ar&fulof "irty straw which was all the oor horses ha" for suer after their long "ay's journey *ew s&eltingfurnaces arenow at wor$ in any art of ChileS it is foun" &ore rofitableon account of the extre&e scarcity of firewoo" an" fro&the Chilian &etho" of re"uction being so uns$ilful to shi theore for -wansea The next "ay we crosse" so&e &ountains

to *reyrina in the !alley of Guasco During each "ay's ri"efurther northwar" the !egetation beca&e &ore an" &orescantyS e!en the great chan"elierli$e cactus was hererelace" by a "ifferent an" &uch s&aller secies During thewinter &onths both in northern Chile an" in Peru a unifor&ban$ of clou"s hangs at no great height o!er the Pacific*ro& the &ountains we ha" a !ery stri$ing !iew of thiswhite an" brilliant aerialfiel" which sent ar&s u the!alleys lea!ing islan"s an" ro&ontories in the sa&e &anner asthe sea "oes in the Chonos archielago an" in Tierra "el *uego

(e staye" two "ays at *reyrina 0n the !alley of Guasco

there are four s&all towns t the &outh there is the ort asot entirely "esert an" without any water in the i&&e"iateneighbourhoo" *i!e leagues higher u stan"s *reyrina along straggling !illage with "ecent whitewashe" houses gain ten leagues further u Ballenar is situate" an" abo!ethis Guasco lto a horticultural !illage fa&ous for its "rie"fruit :n a clear "ay the !iew u the !alley is !ery fineS thestraight oening ter&inates in the far"istant snowy Cor"illeraSon each si"e an infinity of crossinglines are blen"e"together in a beautiful ha9e The foregroun" is singular fro& the nu&ber of arallel an" stefor&e" terracesS an"the inclu"e" stri of green !alley with its willowbushes is

contraste" on both han"s with the na$e" hills That thesurroun"ing country was &ost barren will be rea"ily belie!e"when it is $nown that a shower of rain ha" not fallen "uringthe last thirteen &onths The inhabitants hear" with thegreatest en!y of the rain at CoLui&boS fro& the aearanceof the s$y they ha" hoes of eLually goo" fortune which afortnight afterwar"s were reali9e" 0 was at Coiao at theti&eS an" there the eole with eLual en!y tal$e" of theabun"ant rain at Guasco fter two or three !ery "ry yearserhas with not &ore than one shower "uring the wholeti&e a rainy year generally followsS an" this "oes &ore har&than e!en the "rought The ri!ers swell an" co!er with

gra!el an" san" the narrow stris of groun" which alone arefit for culti!ation The floo"s also injure the irrigating"itches Great "e!astation ha" thus been cause" three years



ago

une Ith (e ro"e on to Ballenar which ta$es its na&efro& Ballenagh in 0relan" the birthlace of the fa&ily of :',iggins who un"er the -anish go!ern&ent were resi"entsan" generals in Chile s the roc$y &ountains on each

han" were conceale" by clou"s the terraceli$e lains ga!eto the !alley an aearance li$e that of -anta Cru9 inPatagonia fter sen"ing one "ay at Ballenar 0 set out on the17th for the uer art of the !alley of Coiao (e ro"eall "ay o!er an uninteresting country 0 a& tire" of reeatingthe eithets barren an" sterile These wor"s howe!eras co&&only use" are co&arati!eS 0 ha!e always alie"the& to the lains of Patagonia which can boast of sinybushes an" so&e tufts of grassS an" this is absolute fertilityas co&are" with northern Chile ,ere again there are not&any saces of two hun"re" yar"s sLuare where so&e littlebush cactus or lichen &ay not be "isco!ere" by careful

exa&inationS an" in the soil see"s lie "or&ant rea"y tosring u "uring the first rainy winter 0n Peru real "esertsoccur o!er wi"e tracts of country 0n the e!ening wearri!e" at a !alley in which the be" of the strea&let was"a&5 following it u we ca&e to tolerably goo" waterDuring the night the strea& fro& not being e!aorate"an" absorbe" so Luic$ly flows a league lower "own than"uring the "ay -tic$s were lentiful for firewoo" so thatit was a goo" lace to bi!ouac for usS but for the oor ani&alsthere was not a &outhful to eat

une 11th (e ro"e without stoing for twel!e hours

till we reache" an ol" s&eltingfurnace where there waswater an" firewoo"S but our horses again ha" nothing to eatbeing shut u in an ol" courtyar" The line of roa" washilly an" the "istant !iews interesting fro& the !arie"colours of the bare &ountains 0t was al&ost a ity to seethe sun shining constantly o!er so useless a countryS suchslen"i" weather ought to ha!e brightene" fiel"s an" rettygar"ens The next "ay we reache" the !alley of Coiao0 was heartily gla" of itS for the whole journey was a continue"source of anxietyS it was &ost "isagreeable to hearwhilst eating our own suers our horses gnawing the oststo which they were tie" an" to ha!e no &eans of relie!ing

their hunger To all aearance howe!er the ani&alswere Luite freshS an" no one coul" ha!e tol" that they ha"eaten nothing for the last fiftyfi!e hours

0 ha" a letter of intro"uction to =r Bingley who recei!e"&e !ery $in"ly at the ,acien"a of Potrero -eco Thisestate is between twenty an" thirty &iles long but !ery narrowbeing generally only two fiel"s wi"e one on each si"ethe ri!er 0n so&e arts the estate is of no wi"th that isto say the lan" cannot be irrigate" an" therefore is!alueless li$e the surroun"ing roc$y "esert The s&all Luantityof culti!ate" lan" in the whole line of !alley "oes not so

&uch "een" on ineLualities of le!el an" conseLuent unfitnessfor irrigation as on the s&all suly of water Theri!er this year was re&ar$ably full5 here high u the !alley



it reache" to the horse's belly an" was about fifteen yar"swi"e an" rai"S lower "own it beco&es s&aller an" s&alleran" is generally Luite lost as haene" "uring one erio"of thirty years so that not a "ro entere" the sea Theinhabitants watch a stor& o!er the Cor"illera with greatinterestS as one goo" fall of snow ro!i"es the& with water

for the ensuing year This is of infinitely &ore conseLuencethan rain in the lower country +ain as often as it fallswhich is about once in e!ery two or three years is a greata"!antage because the cattle an" &ules can for so&e ti&eafterwar"s fin" a little asture in the &ountains But withoutsnow on the n"es "esolation exten"s throughout the!alley 0t is on recor" that three ti&es nearly all theinhabitants ha!e been oblige" to e&igrate to the south Thisyear there was lenty of water an" e!ery &an irrigate" hisgroun" as &uch as he choseS but it has freLuently beennecessary to ost sol"iers at the sluices to see that eachestate too$ only its roer allowance "uring so &any hours

in the wee$ The !alley is sai" to contain 16777 souls butits ro"uce is sufficient only for three &onths in the yearSthe rest of the suly being "rawn fro& Valaraiso an" thesouth Before the "isco!ery of the fa&ous sil!er&ines of Chanuncillo Coiao was in a rai" state of "ecayS but nowit is in a !ery thri!ing con"itionS an" the town which wasco&letely o!erthrown by an earthLua$e has been rebuilt

The !alley of Coiao for&ing a &ere ribbon of greenin a "esert runs in a !ery southerly "irectionS so that it isof consi"erable length to its source in the Cor"illera The!alleys of Guasco an" Coiao &ay both be consi"ere" as

long narrow islan"s searate" fro& the rest of Chile by"eserts of roc$ instea" of by salt water ;orthwar" of these there is one other !ery &iserable !alley calle" Paosowhich contains about two hun"re" soulsS an" then thereexten"s the real "esert of taca&a a barrier far worsethan the &ost turbulent ocean fter staying a few "ays atPotrero -eco 0 rocee"e" u the !alley to the house of DonBenito Cru9 to who& 0 ha" a letter of intro"uction 0 foun"hi& &ost hositableS in"ee" it is i&ossible to bear toostrong testi&ony to the $in"ness with which tra!ellers arerecei!e" in al&ost e!ery art of -outh &erica The next"ay 0 hire" so&e &ules to ta$e &e by the ra!ine of olLuera

into the central Cor"illera :n the secon" night theweather see&e" to foretell a stor& of snow or rain an" whilstlying in our be"s we felt a trifling shoc$ of an earthLua$e

The connection between earthLua$es an" the weather hasbeen often "isute"5 it aears to &e to be a oint of greatinterest which is little un"erstoo" ,u&bol"t has re&ar$e"in one art of the Personal ;arrati!e 214 that it woul" be"ifficult for any erson who ha" long resi"e" in ;ew n"alusiaor in >ower Peru to "eny that there exists so&e connectionbetween these heno&ena5 in another art howe!er he see&s to thin$ the connection fanciful t GuayaLuil

it is sai" that a hea!y shower in the "ry season is in!ariablyfollowe" by an earthLua$e 0n ;orthern Chile fro& theextre&e infreLuency of rain or e!en of weather forebo"ing



rain the robability of acci"ental coinci"ences beco&es !erys&allS yet the inhabitants are here &ost fir&ly con!ince" of so&e connection between the state of the at&oshere an" of the tre&bling of the groun"5 0 was &uch struc$ by thiswhen &entioning to so&e eole at Coiao that there ha"been a shar shoc$ at CoLui&bo5 they i&&e"iately crie" out

N,ow fortunate% there will be lenty of asture there thisyearN To their &in"s an earthLua$e foretol" rain as surelyas rain foretol" abun"ant asture Certainly it "i" so haenthat on the !ery "ay of the earthLua$e that shower of rain fell which 0 ha!e "escribe" as in ten "ays' ti&e ro"ucinga thin srin$ling of grass t other ti&es rain hasfollowe" earthLua$es at a erio" of the year when it is afar greater ro"igy than the earthLua$e itself5 this haene"after the shoc$ of ;o!e&ber 1I66 an" again in 1I6. atValaraisoS also after that of -ete&ber 1I88 at Tacna erson &ust be so&ewhat habituate" to the cli&ate of these countries to ercei!e the extre&e i&robability of rain

falling at such seasons excet as a conseLuence of so&e lawLuite unconnecte" with the or"inary course of the weather0n the cases of great !olcanic erutions as that of Coseguinawhere torrents of rain fell at a ti&e of the year &ostunusual for it an" Nal&ost unrece"ente" in Central &ericaN it is not "ifficult to un"erstan" that the !olu&esof !aour an" clou"s of ashes &ight ha!e "isturbe" theat&osheric eLuilibriu& ,u&bol"t exten"s this !iew tothe case of earthLua$es unacco&anie" by erutionsS but 0can har"ly concei!e it ossible that the s&all Luantity of aerifor& flui"s which then escae fro& the fissure" groun"can ro"uce such re&ar$able effects There aears &uch

robability in the !iew first roose" by =r P -croe thatwhen the baro&eter is low an" when rain &ight naturallybe execte" to fall the "i&inishe" ressure of the at&oshereo!er a wi"e extent of country &ight well "eter&inethe recise "ay on which the earth alrea"y stretche" to theut&ost by the subterranean forces shoul" yiel" crac$ an"conseLuently tre&ble 0t is howe!er "oubtful how far thisi"ea will exlain the circu&stances of torrents of rain fallingin the "ry season "uring se!eral "ays after an earthLua$eunacco&anie" by an erutionS such cases see& tobesea$ so&e &ore inti&ate connection between the at&osherican" subterranean regions

*in"ing little of interest in this art of the ra!ine weretrace" our stes to the house of Don Benito where 0 staye"two "ays collecting fossil shells an" woo" Great rostratesilicifie" trun$s of trees e&be""e" in a conglo&erate wereextraor"inarily nu&erous 0 &easure" one which was fifteenfeet in circu&ference5 how surrising it is that e!eryato& of the woo"y &atter in this great cylin"er shoul" ha!ebeen re&o!e" an" relace" by silex so erfectly that each!essel an" ore is reser!e"% These trees flourishe" at aboutthe erio" of our lower chal$S they all belonge" to the firtribe 0t was a&using to hear the inhabitants "iscussing the

nature of the fossil shells which 0 collecte" al&ost in thesa&e ter&s as were use" a century ago in Euroe na&elywhether or not they ha" been thus Nborn by natureN =y



geological exa&ination of the country generally create" agoo" "eal of surrise a&ongst the Chilenos5 it was longbefore they coul" be con!ince" that 0 was not hunting for &ines This was so&eti&es troubleso&e5 0 foun" the &ostrea"y way of exlaining &y e&loy&ent was to as$ the&how it was that they the&sel!es were not curious concerning

earthLua$es an" !olcanosQ why so&e srings were hot an"others col"Q why there were &ountains in Chile an" nota hill in >a PlataQ These bare Luestions at once satisfie"an" silence" the greater nu&berS so&e howe!er li$e a fewin Englan" who are a century behin"han" thought that allsuch inLuiries were useless an" i&iousS an" that it wasLuite sufficient that Go" ha" thus &a"e the &ountains

n or"er ha" recently been issue" that all stray "ogsshoul" be $ille" an" we saw &any lying "ea" on the roa" great nu&ber ha" lately gone &a" an" se!eral &en ha" beenbitten an" ha" "ie" in conseLuence :n se!eral occasions

hy"rohobia has re!aile" in this !alley 0t is re&ar$ablethus to fin" so strange an" "rea"ful a "isease aearingti&e after ti&e in the sa&e isolate" sot 0t has beenre&ar$e" that certain !illages in Englan" are in li$e &anner &uch &ore subject to this !isitation than others Dr <nanuestates that hy"rohobia was first $nown in -outh &erica in 1I785 this state&ent is corroborate" by 9araan" <lloa ha!ing ne!er hear" of it in their ti&e Dr <nanuesays that it bro$e out in Central &erica an" slowlytra!elle" southwar" 0t reache" reLuia in 1I7/S an" it issai" that so&e &en there who ha" not been bitten wereaffecte" as were so&e negroes who ha" eaten a bulloc$

which ha" "ie" of hy"rohobia t 0ca fortytwo eole thus&iserably erishe" The "isease ca&e on between twel!ean" ninety "ays after the biteS an" in those cases where it"i" co&e on "eath ensue" in!ariably within fi!e "ays fter 1I7I a long inter!al ensue" without any cases :n inLuiry0 "i" not hear of hy"rohobia in Van Die&en's >an" or in ustraliaS an" Burchell says that "uring the fi!e years hewas at the Cae of Goo" ,oe he ne!er hear" of an instanceof it (ebster asserts that at the 9ores hy"rohobia hasne!er occurre"S an" the sa&e assertion has been &a"e withresect to =auritius an" -t ,elena 264 0n so strange a "iseaseso&e infor&ation &ight ossibly be gaine" by consi"ering

the circu&stances un"er which it originates in "istant cli&atesSfor it is i&robable that a "og alrea"y bitten shoul"ha!e been brought to these "istant countries

t night a stranger arri!e" at the house of Don Benitoan" as$e" er&ission to slee there ,e sai" he ha" beenwan"ering about the &ountains for se!enteen "ays ha!inglost his way ,e starte" fro& Guasco an" being accusto&e"to tra!elling in the Cor"illera "i" not exect any "ifficultyin following the trac$ to CoiaoS but he soon beca&ein!ol!e" in a labyrinth of &ountains whence he coul" notescae -o&e of his &ules ha" fallen o!er reciices an" he

ha" been in great "istress ,is chief "ifficulty arose fro&not $nowing where to fin" water in the lower country so thathe was oblige" to $ee bor"ering the central ranges



(e returne" "own the !alley an" on the 66n" reache"the town of Coiao The lower art of the !alley is broa"for&ing a fine lain li$e that of uillota The town co!ersa consi"erable sace of groun" each house ossessing a gar"en5but it is an unco&fortable lace an" the "wellings are

oorly furnishe" E!ery one see&s bent on the one objectof &a$ing &oney an" then &igrating as Luic$ly as ossible ll the inhabitants are &ore or less "irectly concerne" with&inesS an" &ines an" ores are the sole subjects of con!ersation;ecessaries of all sorts are extre&ely "earS as the"istance fro& the town to the ort is eighteen leagues an"the lan" carriage !ery exensi!e fowl costs fi!e or sixshillingsS &eat is nearly as "ear as in Englan"S firewoo"or rather stic$s are brought on "on$eys fro& a "istance of two an" three "ays' journey within the Cor"illeraS an" asturagefor ani&als is a shilling a "ay5 all this for -outh &erica is won"erfully exorbitant

une 6Hth 0 hire" a gui"e an" eight &ules to ta$e &einto the Cor"illera by a "ifferent line fro& &y last excursion s the country was utterly "esert we too$ a cargoan" a half of barley &ixe" with choe" straw bout twoleagues abo!e the town a broa" !alley calle" the NDesobla"oNor uninhabite" branches off fro& that one by whichwe ha" arri!e" lthough a !alley of the gran"est "i&ensionsan" lea"ing to a ass across the Cor"illera yet it isco&letely "ry exceting erhas for a few "ays "uringso&e !ery rainy winter The si"es of the cru&bling &ountains

were furrowe" by scarcely any ra!inesS an" the botto&of the &ain !alley fille" with shingle was s&ooth an" nearlyle!el ;o consi"erable torrent coul" e!er ha!e flowe" "ownthis be" of shingleS for if it ha" a great cliffboun"e"channel as in all the southern !alleys woul" assure"ly ha!ebeen for&e" 0 feel little "oubt that this !alley as well asthose &entione" by tra!ellers in Peru were left in the state wenow see the& by the wa!es of the sea as the lan" slowly rose 0obser!e" in one lace where the Desobla"o was joine" by ara!ine which in al&ost any other chain woul" ha!e beencalle" a gran" !alley that its be" though co&ose" &erelyof san" an" gra!el was higher than that of its tributary

&ere ri!ulet of water in the course of an hour woul" ha!ecut a channel for itselfS but it was e!i"ent that ages ha"asse" away an" no such ri!ulet ha" "raine" this greattributary 0t was curious to behol" the &achinery if such ater& &ay be use" for the "rainage all with the last triflingexcetion erfect yet without any signs of action E!ery one&ust ha!e re&ar$e" how &u"ban$s left by the retiring ti"ei&itate in &iniature a country with hill an" "aleS an" herewe ha!e the original &o"el in roc$ for&e" as the continentrose "uring the secular retire&ent of the ocean instea" of "uring the ebbing an" flowing of the ti"es 0f a shower of rain falls on the &u"ban$ when left "ry it "eeens the

alrea"yfor&e" shallow lines of exca!ationS an" so it is withthe rain of successi!e centuries on the ban$ of roc$ an" soilwhich we call a continent



(e ro"e on after it was "ar$ till we reache" a si"e ra!inewith a s&all well calle" Ngua a&argaN The water "eser!e" its na&e for besi"es being saline it was &ostoffensi!ely utri" an" bitterS so that we coul" not forceoursel!es to "rin$ either tea or &ate 0 suose the "istance

fro& the ri!er of Coiao to this sot was at least twentyfi!eor thirty English &ilesS in the whole sace there was not asingle "ro of water the country "eser!ing the na&e of "esertin the strictest sense Ret about half way we asse" so&e ol"0n"ian ruins near Punta Gor"a5 0 notice" also in front of so&e of the !alleys which branch off fro& the Desobla"otwo iles of stones lace" a little way aart an" "irecte" soas to oint u the &ouths of these s&all !alleys =y co&anions$new nothing about the& an" only answere" &yLueries by their i&erturbable NLuien sabeQN

0 obser!e" 0n"ian ruins in se!eral arts of the Cor"illera5

the &ost erfect which 0 saw were the +uinas "e Ta&billosin the <sallata Pass -&all sLuare roo&s were there hu""le"together in searate grous5 so&e of the "oorways wereyet stan"ingS they were for&e" by a cross slab of stone onlyabout three feet high <lloa has re&ar$e" on the lowness of the "oors in the ancient Peru!ian "wellings These houseswhen erfect &ust ha!e been caable of containing aconsi"erable nu&ber of ersons Tra"ition says that they wereuse" as haltinglaces for the 0ncas when they crosse" the&ountains Traces of 0n"ian habitations ha!e been "isco!ere"in &any other arts where it "oes not aear robablethat they were use" as &ere restinglaces but yet where

the lan" is as utterly unfit for any $in" of culti!ation as itis near the Ta&billos or at the 0ncas Bri"ge or in the PortilloPass at all which laces 0 saw ruins 0n the ra!ine of ajuel near concagua where there is no ass 0 hear" of re&ains of houses situate" at a great height where it isextre&ely col" an" sterile t first 0 i&agine" that thesebuil"ings ha" been laces of refuge built by the 0n"ians onthe first arri!al of the -aniar"sS but 0 ha!e since beenincline" to seculate on the robability of a s&all change of cli&ate

0n this northern art of Chile within the Cor"illera ol"

0n"ian houses are sai" to be esecially nu&erous5 by "igginga&ongst the ruins bits of woollen articles instru&ents of recious &etals an" hea"s of 0n"ian corn are not unfreLuently"isco!ere"5 an arrowhea" &a"e of agate an" of recisely the sa&e for& with those now use" in Tierra "el*uego was gi!en &e 0 a& aware that the Peru!ian 0n"iansnow freLuently inhabit &ost lofty an" blea$ situationsS butat Coiao 0 was assure" by &en who ha" sent their li!es intra!elling through the n"es that there were !ery &any&uchisi&as buil"ings at heights so great as al&ost to bor"er uon the eretual snow an" in arts where there existno asses an" where the lan" ro"uces absolutely nothing

an" what is still &ore extraor"inary where there is no water;e!ertheless it is the oinion of the eole of the countryalthough they are &uch u99le" by the circu&stance that



fro& the aearance of the houses the 0n"ians &ust ha!euse" the& as laces of resi"ence 0n this !alley at PuntaGor"a the re&ains consiste" of se!en or eight sLuare littleroo&s which were of a si&ilar for& with those at Ta&billosbut built chiefly of &u" which the resent inhabitants cannoteither here or accor"ing to <lloa in Peru i&itate in

"urability They were situate" in the &ost consicuous an""efenceless osition at the botto& of the flat broa" !alleyThere was no water nearer than three or four leagues an"that only in !ery s&all Luantity an" ba"5 the soil wasabsolutely sterileS 0 loo$e" in !ain e!en for a lichen a"heringto the roc$s t the resent "ay with the a"!antage of beastsof bur"en a &ine unless it were !ery rich coul" scarcelybe wor$e" here with rofit Ret the 0n"ians for&erly choseit as a lace of resi"ence% 0f at the resent ti&e two or three showers of rain were to fall annually instea" of oneas now is the case "uring as &any years a s&all rill of water woul" robably be for&e" in this great !alleyS an" then by

irrigation which was for&erly so well un"erstoo" by the0n"ians the soil woul" easily be ren"ere" sufficientlyro"ucti!e to suort a few fa&ilies

0 ha!e con!incing roofs that this art of the continent of -outh &erica has been ele!ate" near the coast at least fro&377 to M77 an" in so&e arts fro& 1777 to 1877 feet sincethe eoch of existing shellsS an" further inlan" the riseossibly &ay ha!e been greater s the eculiarly ari" character of the cli&ate is e!i"ently a conseLuence of the height of theCor"illera we &ay feel al&ost sure that before the later ele!ations the at&oshere coul" not ha!e been so co&letely

"raine" of its &oisture as it now isS an" as the rise has beengra"ual so woul" ha!e been the change in cli&ate :n thisnotion of a change of cli&ate since the buil"ings wereinhabite" the ruins &ust be of extre&e antiLuity but 0 "onot thin$ their reser!ation un"er the Chilian cli&ate anygreat "ifficulty (e &ust also a"&it on this notion an"this erhas is a greater "ifficulty that &an has inhabite"-outh &erica for an i&&ensely long erio" inas&uch asany change of cli&ate effecte" by the ele!ation of the lan"&ust ha!e been extre&ely gra"ual t Valaraiso withinthe last 667 years the rise has been so&ewhat less than 1.feet5 at >i&a a seabeach has certainly been uhea!e" fro&

I7 to .7 feet within the 0n"ohu&an erio"5 but such s&allele!ations coul" ha!e ha" little ower in "eflecting the&oisturebringing at&osheric currents Dr >un" howe!erfoun" hu&an s$eletons in the ca!es of Bra9il the aearanceof which in"uce" hi& to belie!e that the 0n"ian race hasexiste" "uring a !ast lase of ti&e in -outh &erica

(hen at >i&a 0 con!erse" on these subjects 284 with =rGill a ci!il engineer who ha" seen &uch of the interior country ,e tol" &e that a conjecture of a change of cli&ateha" so&eti&es crosse" his &in"S but that he thoughtthat the greater ortion of lan" now incaable of culti!ation

but co!ere" with 0n"ian ruins ha" been re"uce" to this stateby the watercon"uits which the 0n"ians for&erly constructe"on so won"erful a scale ha!ing been injure" by



neglect an" by subterranean &o!e&ents 0 &ay here &entionthat the Peru!ians actually carrie" their irrigatingstrea&s in tunnels through hills of soli" roc$ =r Gill tol"&e he ha" been e&loye" rofessionally to exa&ine one5he foun" the assage low narrow croo$e" an" not of unifor&brea"th but of !ery consi"erable length 0s it not

&ost won"erful that &en shoul" ha!e atte&te" such oerationswithout the use of iron or gunow"erQ =r Gill also&entione" to &e a &ost interesting an" as far as 0 a&aware Luite unarallele" case of a subterranean "isturbanceha!ing change" the "rainage of a country Tra!elling fro&Cas&a to ,uara9 not !ery far "istant fro& >i&a hefoun" a lain co!ere" with ruins an" &ar$s of ancientculti!ation but now Luite barren ;ear it was the "ry course of a consi"erable ri!er whence the water for irrigation ha"for&erly been con"ucte" There was nothing in the aearanceof the watercourse to in"icate that the ri!er ha" not flowe"there a few years re!iouslyS in so&e arts be"s of san" an"

gra!el were srea" outS in others the soli" roc$ ha" beenworn into a broa" channel which in one sot was about 37yar"s in brea"th an" I feet "ee 0t is selfe!i"ent that aerson following u the course of a strea& will alwaysascen" at a greater or less inclination5 =r Gill thereforewas &uch astonishe" when wal$ing u the be" of thisancient ri!er to fin" hi&self su""enly going "own hill ,ei&agine" that the "ownwar" sloe ha" a fall of about 37 or M7 feet eren"icular (e here ha!e uneLui!ocal e!i"encethat a ri"ge ha" been ulifte" right across the ol" be" of astrea& *ro& the &o&ent the ri!ercourse was thus arche"the water &ust necessarily ha!e been thrown bac$ an" a new

channel for&e" *ro& that &o&ent also the neighbouringlain &ust ha!e lost its fertili9ing strea& an" beco&e a"esert

une 6/th (e set out early in the &orning an" by &i""ayreache" the ra!ine of Payote where there is a tiny rillof water with a little !egetation an" e!en a few algarrobatrees a $in" of &i&osa *ro& ha!ing firewoo" a s&eltingfurnace ha" for&erly been built here5 we foun" a solitary&an in charge of it whose sole e&loy&ent was huntingguanacos t night it fro9e sharlyS but ha!ing lenty of woo" for our fire we $et oursel!es war&

6Ith (e continue" gra"ually ascen"ing an" the !alleynow change" into a ra!ine During the "ay we saw se!eralguanacos an" the trac$ of the closelyallie" secies theVicuna5 this latter ani&al is ree&inently aline in itshabitsS it sel"o& "escen"s &uch below the li&it of eretualsnow an" therefore haunts e!en a &ore lofty an" sterilesituation than the guanaco The only other ani&al which wesaw in any nu&ber was a s&all fox5 0 suose this ani&alreys on the &ice an" other s&all ro"ents which as long asthere is the least !egetation subsist in consi"erable nu&bersin !ery "esert laces 0n Patagonia e!en on the bor"ers of

the salinas where a "ro of fresh water can ne!er be foun"exceting "ew these little ani&als swar& ;ext to li9ar"s&ice aear to be able to suort existence on the s&allest



an" "riest ortions of the earth e!en on islets in the &i"stof great oceans

The scene on all si"es showe" "esolation brightene" an"&a"e alable by a clear unclou"e" s$y *or a ti&e suchscenery is subli&e but this feeling cannot last an" then it

beco&es uninteresting (e bi!ouac$e" at the foot of theNri&era lineaN or the first line of the artition of watersThe strea&s howe!er on the east si"e "o not flow to the tlantic but into an ele!ate" "istrict in the &i""le of whichthere is a large saline or salt la$eS thus for&ing a littleCasian -ea at the height erhas of ten thousan" feet (herewe slet there were so&e consi"erable atches of snow butthey "o not re&ain throughout the year The win"s in theselofty regions obey !ery regular laws e!ery "ay a freshbree9e blows u the !alley an" at night an hour or two after sunset the air fro& the col" regions abo!e "escen"s asthrough a funnel This night it blew a gale of win" an" the

te&erature &ust ha!e been consi"erably below the free9ingoint for water in a !essel soon beca&e a bloc$ of ice ;oclothes see&e" to oose any obstacle to the airS 0 suffere"!ery &uch fro& the col" so that 0 coul" not slee an" inthe &orning rose with &y bo"y Luite "ull an" benu&be"

0n the Cor"illera further southwar" eole lose their li!esfro& snowstor&sS here it so&eti&es haens fro& another cause =y gui"e when a boy of fourteen years ol" wasassing the Cor"illera with a arty in the &onth of =aySan" while in the central arts a furious gale of win" aroseso that the &en coul" har"ly cling on their &ules an" stones

were flying along the groun" The "ay was clou"less an"not a sec$ of snow fell but the te&erature was low 0t isrobable that the ther&o&eter coul" not ha!e stoo" !ery&any "egrees below the free9ingoint but the effect ontheir bo"ies ill rotecte" by clothing &ust ha!e been inroortion to the rai"ity of the current of col" air The galelaste" for &ore than a "ayS the &en began to lose their strength an" the &ules woul" not &o!e onwar"s =y gui"e'sbrother trie" to return but he erishe" an" his bo"y wasfoun" two years afterwar"s >ying by the si"e of his &ulenear the roa" with the bri"le still in his han" Two other &en in the arty lost their fingers an" toesS an" out of two

hun"re" &ules an" thirty cows only fourteen &ules escae"ali!e =any years ago the whole of a large arty are suose"to ha!e erishe" fro& a si&ilar cause but their bo"iesto this "ay ha!e ne!er been "isco!ere" The union of aclou"less s$y low te&erature an" a furious gale of win"&ust be 0 shoul" thin$ in all arts of the worl" an unusualoccurrence

une 6.th (e gla"ly tra!elle" "own the !alley to our for&er night's lo"ging an" thence to near the gua a&arga:n uly 1st we reache" the !alley of Coiao The s&ell of the fresh clo!er was Luite "elightful after the scentless air

of the "ry sterile Desobla"o (hilst staying in the town 0hear" an account fro& se!eral of the inhabitants of a hillin the neighbourhoo" which they calle" NEl Bra&a"orN the





0LuiLue This salt was first exorte" in 1I875 in one year ana&ount in !alue of one hun"re" thousan" oun"s sterlingwas sent to *rance an" Englan" 0t is rincially use" as a&anure an" in the &anufacture of nitric aci"5 owing to its"eliLuescent roerty it will not ser!e for gunow"er *or&erlythere were two excee"ingly rich sil!er&ines in this

neighbourhoo" but their ro"uce is now !ery s&all

:ur arri!al in the offing cause" so&e little arehensionPeru was in a state of anarchyS an" each arty ha!ing"e&an"e" a contribution the oor town of 0LuiLue was intribulation thin$ing the e!il hour was co&e The eoleha" also their "o&estic troublesS a short ti&e before three*rench carenters ha" bro$en oen "uring the sa&e nightthe two churches an" stolen all the late5 one of the robbershowe!er subseLuently confesse" an" the late was reco!ere"The con!icts were sent to reLuia which though the caitalof this ro!ince is two hun"re" leagues "istant the go!ern&ent

there thought it a ity to unish such useful wor$&enwho coul" &a$e all sorts of furnitureS an" accor"inglyliberate" the& Things being in this state the churches wereagain bro$en oen but this ti&e the late was not reco!ere"The inhabitants beca&e "rea"fully enrage" an" "eclaringthat none but heretics woul" thus Neat Go" l&ightyN rocee"e"to torture so&e English&en with the intention of afterwar"s shooting the& t last the authorities interfere"an" eace was establishe"

18th 0n the &orning 0 starte" for the saltetrewor$s

a "istance of fourteen leagues ,a!ing ascen"e" the steecoast&ountains by a 9ig9ag san"y trac$ we soon ca&e in!iew of the &ines of Guantajaya an" -t +osa These twos&all !illages are lace" at the !ery &ouths of the &inesSan" being erche" u on hills they ha" a still &ore unnaturalan" "esolate aearance than the town of 0LuiLue (e "i"not reach the saltetrewor$s till after sunset ha!ing ri""enall "ay across an un"ulating country a co&lete an" utter "esert The roa" was strewe" with the bones an" "rie" s$insof &any beasts of bur"en which ha" erishe" on it fro&fatigue Exceting the Vultur aura which reys on thecarcasses 0 saw neither bir" Lua"rue" retile nor insect

:n the coast&ountains at the height of about 6777 feetwhere "uring this season the clou"s generally hang a !eryfew cacti were growing in the clefts of roc$S an" the loosesan" was strewe" o!er with a lichen which lies on the surfaceLuite unattache" This lant belongs to the genusCla"onia an" so&ewhat rese&bles the rein"eer lichen 0nso&e arts it was in sufficient Luantity to tinge the san"as seen fro& a "istance of a ale yellowish colour *urther inlan" "uring the whole ri"e of fourteen leagues 0 saw onlyone other !egetable ro"uction an" that was a &ost &inuteyellow lichen growing on the bones of the "ea" &ules Thiswas the first true "esert which 0 ha" seen5 the effect on &e

was not i&ressi!eS but 0 belie!e this was owing to &yha!ing beco&e gra"ually accusto&e" to such scenes as 0ro"e northwar" fro& Valaraiso through CoLui&bo to Coiao



The aearance of the country was re&ar$able fro&being co!ere" by a thic$ crust of co&&on salt an" of astratifie" saliferous allu!iu& which see&s to ha!e been"eosite" as the lan" slowly rose abo!e the le!el of the seaThe salt is white !ery har" an" co&act5 it occurs in water worn no"ules rojecting fro& the agglutinate" san" an" is

associate" with &uch gysu& The aearance of this suerficial&ass !ery closely rese&ble" that of a country after snow before the last "irty atches are thawe" The existenceof this crust of a soluble substance o!er the whole face of the country shows how extraor"inarily "ry the cli&ate &ustha!e been for a long erio"

t night 0 slet at the house of the owner of one of thesaltetre &ines The country is here as unro"ucti!e asnear the coastS but water ha!ing rather a bitter an" brac$ishtaste can be rocure" by "igging wells The well at thishouse was thirtysix yar"s "ee5 as scarcely any rain falls

it is e!i"ent the water is not thus "eri!e"S in"ee" if it wereit coul" not fail to be as salt as brine for the wholesurroun"ing country is incruste" with !arious saline substances(e &ust therefore conclu"e that it ercolates un"er groun"fro& the Cor"illera though "istant &any leagues 0n that"irection there are a few s&all !illages where the inhabitantsha!ing &ore water are enable" to irrigate a little lan"an" raise hay on which the &ules an" asses e&loye" incarrying the saltetre are fe" The nitrate of so"a was nowselling at the shi's si"e at fourteen shillings er hun"re"oun"s5 the chief exense is its transort to the seacoastThe &ine consists of a har" stratu& between two an" three

feet thic$ of the nitrate &ingle" with a little of the sulhateof so"a an" a goo" "eal of co&&on salt 0t lies close beneaththe surface an" follows for a length of one hun"re" an"fifty &iles the &argin of a gran" basin or lainS this fro&its outline &anifestly &ust once ha!e been a la$e or &orerobably an inlan" ar& of the sea as &ay be inferre" fro&the resence of io"ic salts in the saline stratu& The surfaceof the lain is 8877 feet abo!e the Pacific

1.th (e anchore" in the Bay of Callao the seaort of >i&a the caital of Peru (e staye" here six wee$s but

fro& the trouble" state of ublic affairs 0 saw !ery little of the country During our whole !isit the cli&ate was far fro& being so "elightful as it is generally reresente" "ull hea!y ban$ of clou"s constantly hung o!er the lan" sothat "uring the first sixteen "ays 0 ha" only one !iew of theCor"illera behin" >i&a These &ountains seen in stagesone abo!e the other through oenings in the clou"s ha" a!ery gran" aearance 0t is al&ost beco&e a ro!erb thatrain ne!er falls in the lower art of Peru Ret this canhar"ly be consi"ere" correctS for "uring al&ost e!ery "ay of our !isit there was a thic$ "ri99ling &ist which was sufficientto &a$e the streets &u""y an" one's clothes "a&5 this the

eole are lease" to call Peru!ian "ew That &uch rain"oes not fall is !ery certain for the houses are co!ere" onlywith flat roofs &a"e of har"ene" &u"S an" on the &ole shiloa"s



of wheat were ile" u being thus left for wee$s together without any shelter

0 cannot say 0 li$e" the !ery little 0 saw of Peru5 insu&&er howe!er it is sai" that the cli&ate is &uch leasanter0n all seasons both inhabitants an" foreigners suffer

fro& se!ere attac$s of ague This "isease is co&&on on thewhole coast of Peru but is un$nown in the interior Theattac$s of illness which arise fro& &ias&a ne!er fail to aear &ost &ysterious -o "ifficult is it to ju"ge fro& theasect of a country whether or not it is healthy that if aerson ha" been tol" to choose within the troics a situationaearing fa!ourable for health !ery robably he woul"ha!e na&e" this coast The lain roun" the outs$irts of Callao is saringly co!ere" with a coarse grass an" in so&earts there are a few stagnant though !ery s&all ools of water The &ias&a in all robability arises fro& these5for the town of rica was si&ilarly circu&stance" an" its

healthiness was &uch i&ro!e" by the "rainage of so&elittle ools =ias&a is not always ro"uce" by a luxuriant!egetation with an ar"ent cli&ateS for &any arts of Bra9ile!en where there are &arshes an" a ran$ !egetation are&uch &ore healthy than this sterile coast of Peru The"ensest forests in a te&erate cli&ate as in Chiloe "o notsee& in the slightest "egree to affect the healthy con"itionof the at&oshere

The islan" of -t ago at the Cae "e Ver"s offers another strongly &ar$e" instance of a country which any onewoul" ha!e execte" to fin" &ost healthy being !ery &uch

the contrary 0 ha!e "escribe" the bare an" oen lains assuorting "uring a few wee$s after the rainy season a thin!egetation which "irectly withers away an" "ries u5 at thiserio" the air aears to beco&e Luite oisonousS both nati!esan" foreigners often being affecte" with !iolent fe!ers:n the other han" the Galaagos rchielago in the Pacificwith a si&ilar soil an" erio"ically subject to the sa&erocess of !egetation is erfectly healthy ,u&bol"t hasobser!e" that Nun"er the torri" 9one the s&allest &arshesare the &ost "angerous being surroun"e" as at Vera Cru9an" Carthagena with an ari" an" san"y soil which raisesthe te&erature of the a&bient airN 2M4 :n the coast of Peru

howe!er the te&erature is not hot to any excessi!e "egreeSan" erhas in conseLuence the inter&ittent fe!ers are notof the &ost &alignant or"er 0n all unhealthy countries thegreatest ris$ is run by sleeing on shore 0s this owing tothe state of the bo"y "uring slee or to a greater abun"anceof &ias&a at such ti&esQ 0t aears certain that thosewho stay on boar" a !essel though anchore" at only a short"istance fro& the coast generally suffer less than thoseactually on shore :n the other han" 0 ha!e hear" of onere&ar$able case where a fe!er bro$e out a&ong the crew of a &anofwar so&e hun"re" &iles off the coast of fricaan" at the sa&e ti&e one of those fearful erio"s 2H4 of "eath

co&&ence" at -ierra >eone

;o state in -outh &erica since the "eclaration of



in"een"ence has suffere" &ore fro& anarchy than Peru tthe ti&e of our !isit there were four chiefs in ar&s conten"ingfor sure&acy in the go!ern&ent5 if one succee"e"in beco&ing for a ti&e !ery owerful the others coalesce"against hi&S but no sooner were they !ictorious than theywere again hostile to each other The other "ay at the

nni!ersary of the 0n"een"ence high &ass was erfor&e" thePresi"ent arta$ing of the sacra&ent5 "uring the @Te Deu&lau"a&us@ instea" of each regi&ent "islaying the Peru!ianflag a blac$ one with "eath's hea" was unfurle" 0&aginea go!ern&ent un"er which such a scene coul" be or"ere" onsuch an occasion to be tyical of their "eter&ination of fighting to "eath% This state of affairs haene" at a ti&e!ery unfortunately for &e as 0 was reclu"e" fro& ta$ingany excursions &uch beyon" the li&its of the town Thebarren islan" of -t >oren9o which for&s the harbour wasnearly the only lace where one coul" wal$ securely Theuer art which is uwar"s of 1777 feet in height "uring

this season of the year winter co&es within the lower li&it of the clou"sS an" in conseLuence an abun"ant crytoga&ic!egetation an" a few flowers co!er the su&&it :nthe hills near >i&a at a height but little greater the groun"is carete" with &oss an" be"s of beautiful yellow liliescalle" &ancaes This in"icates a !ery &uch greater "egreeof hu&i"ity than at a correson"ing height at 0LuiLueProcee"ing northwar" of >i&a the cli&ate beco&es "a&ertill on the ban$s of the GuayaLuil nearly un"er the eLuatorwe fin" the &ost luxuriant forests The change howe!erfro& the sterile coast of Peru to that fertile lan" is "escribe"as ta$ing lace rather abrutly in the latitu"e of Cae Blanco

two "egrees south of GuayaLuil

Callao is a filthy illbuilt s&all seaort The inhabitantsboth here an" at >i&a resent e!ery i&aginable sha"e of &ixture between Euroean ;egro an" 0n"ian bloo" Theyaear a "era!e" "run$en set of eole The at&oshereis loa"e" with foul s&ells an" that eculiar one which &aybe ercei!e" in al&ost e!ery town within the troics washere !ery strong The fortress which withstoo" >or" Cochrane'slong siege has an i&osing aearance But thePresi"ent "uring our stay sol" the brass guns an" rocee"e"to "is&antle arts of it The reason assigne" was

that he ha" not an officer to who& he coul" trust so i&ortanta charge ,e hi&self ha" goo" reason for thin$ingso as he ha" obtaine" the resi"entshi by rebelling whilein charge of this sa&e fortress fter we left -outh &ericahe ai" the enalty in the usual &anner by being conLuere"ta$en risoner an" shot

>i&a stan"s on a lain in a !alley for&e" "uring thegra"ual retreat of the sea 0t is se!en &iles fro& Callaoan" is ele!ate" M77 feet abo!e itS but fro& the sloe being!ery gra"ual the roa" aears absolutely le!elS so that whenat >i&a it is "ifficult to belie!e one has ascen"e" e!en one

hun"re" feet5 ,u&bol"t has re&ar$e" on this singularly "eceti!ecase -tee barren hills rise li$e islan"s fro& thelain which is "i!i"e" by straight &u"walls into large



green fiel"s 0n these scarcely a tree grows exceting a fewwillows an" an occasional clu& of bananas an" of orangesThe city of >i&a is now in a wretche" state of "ecay5 thestreets are nearly una!e"S an" heas of filth are ile" uin all "irections where the blac$ gallina9os ta&e as oultryic$ u bits of carrion The houses ha!e generally an uer

story built on account of the earthLua$es of lastere"woo"wor$ but so&e of the ol" ones which are now use" by se!eralfa&ilies are i&&ensely large an" woul" ri!al in suitesof aart&ents the &ost &agnificent in any lace >i&a theCity of the Uings &ust for&erly ha!e been a slen"i" townThe extraor"inary nu&ber of churches gi!es it e!en at theresent "ay a eculiar an" stri$ing character eseciallywhen !iewe" fro& a short "istance

:ne "ay 0 went out with so&e &erchants to hunt in thei&&e"iate !icinity of the city :ur sort was !ery oorSbut 0 ha" an oortunity of seeing the ruins of one of the

ancient 0n"ian !illages with its &oun" li$e a natural hill inthe centre The re&ains of houses enclosures irrigatingstrea&s an" burial &oun"s scattere" o!er this lain cannotfail to gi!e one a high i"ea of the con"ition an" nu&ber of the ancient oulation (hen their earthenware woollenclothes utensils of elegant for&s cut out of the har"est roc$stools of coer orna&ents of recious stones alaces an"hy"raulic wor$s are consi"ere" it is i&ossible not to resectthe consi"erable a"!ance &a"e by the& in the arts of ci!ili9ation The burial &oun"s calle" ,uacas are reallystuen"ousS although in so&e laces they aear to be naturalhills incase" an" &o"elle"

There is also another an" !ery "ifferent class of ruinswhich ossesses so&e interest na&ely those of ol" Callaoo!erwhel&e" by the great earthLua$e of 1/3H an" itsacco&anying wa!e The "estruction &ust ha!e been &oreco&lete e!en than at Talcahuano uantities of shingleal&ost conceal the foun"ations of the walls an" !ast &assesof bric$wor$ aear to ha!e been whirle" about li$e ebblesby the retiring wa!es 0t has been state" that the lan" subsi"e""uring this &e&orable shoc$5 0 coul" not "isco!er anyroof of thisS yet it see&s far fro& i&robable for thefor& of the coast &ust certainly ha!e un"ergone so&e change

since the foun"ation of the ol" townS as no eole in their senses woul" willingly ha!e chosen for their buil"ing lacethe narrow sit of shingle on which the ruins now stan"-ince our !oyage = Tschu"i has co&e to the conclusionby the co&arison of ol" an" &o"ern &as that the coastboth north an" south of >i&a has certainly subsi"e"

:n the islan" of -an >oren9o there are !ery satisfactoryroofs of ele!ation within the recent erio"S this of courseis not oose" to the belief of a s&all sin$ing of the groun"ha!ing subseLuently ta$en lace The si"e of this islan"fronting the Bay of Callao is worn into three obscure terraces

the lower one of which is co!ere" by a be" a &ile inlength al&ost wholly co&ose" of shells of eighteen seciesnow li!ing in the a"joining sea The height of this be" is



eightyfi!e feet =any of the shells are "eely corro"e" an"ha!e a &uch ol"er an" &ore "ecaye" aearance than thoseat the height of M77 or H77 feet on the coast of Chile Theseshells are associate" with &uch co&&on salt a little sulhateof li&e both robably left by the e!aoration of thesray as the lan" slowly rose together with sulhate of

so"a an" &uriate of li&e They rest on frag&ents of theun"erlying san"stone an" are co!ere" by a few inches thic$of "etritus The shells higher u on this terrace coul" betrace" scaling off in fla$es an" falling into an i&alableow"erS an" on an uer terrace at the height of 1/7 feetan" li$ewise at so&e consi"erably higher oints 0 foun" alayer of saline ow"er of exactly si&ilar aearance an"lying in the sa&e relati!e osition 0 ha!e no "oubt that thisuer layer originally existe" as a be" of shells li$e that onthe eightyfi!efeet le"geS but it "oes not now contain e!en atrace of organic structure The ow"er has been analy9e"for &e by =r T +ee$sS it consists of sulhates an" &uriates

both of li&e an" so"a with !ery little carbonate of li&e 0t is $nown that co&&on salt an" carbonate of li&eleft in a &ass for so&e ti&e together artly "eco&ose eachotherS though this "oes not haen with s&all Luantities insolution s the half"eco&ose" shells in the lower artsare associate" with &uch co&&on salt together with so&eof the saline substances co&osing the uer saline layeran" as these shells are corro"e" an" "ecaye" in a re&ar$able&anner 0 strongly susect that this "ouble "eco&ositionhas here ta$en lace The resultant salts howe!er oughtto be carbonate of so"a an" &uriate of li&e the latter isresent but not the carbonate of so"a ,ence 0 a& le" to

i&agine that by so&e unexlaine" &eans the carbonate of so"a beco&es change" into the sulhate 0t is ob!ious thatthe saline layer coul" not ha!e been reser!e" in any countryin which abun"ant rain occasionally fell5 on the other han" this !ery circu&stance which at first sight aears sohighly fa!ourable to the long reser!ation of exose" shellshas robably been the in"irect &eans through the co&&onsalt not ha!ing been washe" away of their "eco&ositionan" early "ecay

0 was &uch intereste" by fin"ing on the terrace at theheight of eightyfi!e feet @e&be""e"@ a&i"st the shells an"

&uch sea"rifte" rubbish so&e bits of cotton threa" laite"rush an" the hea" of a stal$ of 0n"ian corn5 0 co&are"these relics with si&ilar ones ta$en out of the ,uacas or ol"Peru!ian to&bs an" foun" the& i"entical in aearance:n the &ainlan" in front of -an >oren9o near Bella!istathere is an extensi!e an" le!el lain about a hun"re" feethigh of which the lower art is for&e" of alternating layersof san" an" i&ure clay together with so&e gra!el an" thesurface to the "eth of fro& three to six feet of a re""ishloa& containing a few scattere" seashells an" nu&erouss&all frag&ents of coarse re" earthenware &ore abun"antat certain sots than at others t first 0 was incline" to

belie!e that this suerficial be" fro& its wi"e extent an"s&oothness &ust ha!e been "eosite" beneath the seaS but0 afterwar"s foun" in one sot that it lay on an artificial



floor of roun" stones 0t see&s therefore &ost robablethat at a erio" when the lan" stoo" at a lower le!el therewas a lain !ery si&ilar to that now surroun"ing Callaowhich being rotecte" by a shingle beach is raise" but !erylittle abo!e the le!el of the sea :n this lain with itsun"erlying re"clay be"s 0 i&agine that the 0n"ians

&anufacture" their earthen !esselsS an" that "uring so&e!iolent earthLua$e the sea bro$e o!er the beach an" con!erte"the lain into a te&orary la$e as haene" roun" Callao in1/18 an" 1/3H The water woul" then ha!e "eosite" &u"containing frag&ents of ottery fro& the $ilns &ore abun"antat so&e sots than at others an" shells fro& the seaThis be" with fossil earthenware stan"s at about thesa&e height with the shells on the lower terrace of -an>oren9o in which the cottonthrea" an" other relics weree&be""e"

,ence we &ay safely conclu"e that within the 0n"ohu&an

erio" there has been an ele!ation as before allu"e" to of &ore than eightyfi!e feetS for so&e little ele!ation &ustha!e been lost by the coast ha!ing subsi"e" since the ol"&as were engra!e" t Valaraiso although in the 667years before our !isit the ele!ation cannot ha!e excee"e"nineteen feet yet subseLuently to 1I1/ there has been a riseartly insensible an" artly by a start "uring the shoc$ of 1I66 of ten or ele!en feet The antiLuity of the 0n"ohu&anrace here ju"ging by the eightyfi!e feet rise of the lan"since the relics were e&be""e" is the &ore re&ar$able as onthe coast of Patagonia when the lan" stoo" about the sa&enu&ber of feet lower the =acrauchenia was a li!ing beastS

but as the Patagonian coast is so&e way "istant fro& theCor"illera the rising there &ay ha!e been slower than here t Bahia Blanca the ele!ation has been only a few feetsince the nu&erous gigantic Lua"rue"s were there ento&be"San" accor"ing to the generally recei!e" oinionwhen these extinct ani&als were li!ing &an "i" not existBut the rising of that art of the coast of Patagonia iserhas no way connecte" with the Cor"illera but rather witha line of ol" !olcanic roc$s in Ban"a :riental so that it&ay ha!e been infinitely slower than on the shores of Peru ll these seculations howe!er &ust be !agueS for who willreten" to say that there &ay not ha!e been se!eral erio"s

of subsi"ence intercalate" between the &o!e&ents of ele!ationSfor we $now that along the whole coast of Patagoniathere ha!e certainly been &any an" long auses inthe uwar" action of the ele!atory forces

214 Vol i! 11 an" !ol ii 61/ *or the re&ar$s onGuayaLuil see -illi&an's ourn !ol xxi! 8I3 *or thoseon Tacna by =r ,a&ilton see Trans of British ssociation1I37 *or those on Coseguina see =r Cal"cleugh in Phil Trans1I8M 0n the for&er e"ition 0 collecte" se!eral references onthe coinci"ences between su""en falls in the baro&eter an"earthLua$esS an" between earthLua$es an" &eteors

264 :bser!a sobre el Cli&a "e >i&a H/ 9ara's Tra!els!ol i 8I1 <lloa's Voyage !ol ii 6I Burchell's



Tra!els !ol ii M63 (ebster's Descrition of the 9ores 163 Voyage a l'0sle "e *rance ar un :fficer "u+oi to& i 63I Descrition of -t ,elena 168

284 Te&le in his tra!els through <er Peru or Boli!ia ingoing fro& Potosi to :ruro says N0 saw &any 0n"ian !illages or

"wellings in ruins u e!en to the !ery tos of the &ountainsattesting a for&er oulation where now all is "esolateN ,e&a$es si&ilar re&ar$s in another laceS but 0 cannot tellwhether this "esolation has been cause" by a want of oulationor by an altere" con"ition of the lan"

234 E"inburgh Phil ourn an 1I87 /3S an" ril 1I87 6MI also Daubeny on Volcanoes 38IS an" Bengalourn !ol !ii 863

2M4 Political Essay on the Uing"o& of ;ew -ain !ol i! 1..

2H4 si&ilar interesting case is recor"e" in the =a"ras=e"ical uart ourn 1I8. 837 Dr *erguson in hisa"&irable Paer see .th !ol of E"inburgh +oyal Transshows clearly that the oison is generate" in the "ryingrocessS an" hence that "ry hot countries are often the &ostunhealthy

C,PTE+ V00

G>PG:- +C,0PE>G:

The whole Grou Volcanic ;u&bers of Craters >eaflessBushes Colony at Charles 0slan" a&es 0slan" -altla$e inCrater ;atural ,istory of the Grou :rnithology curious*inches +etiles Great Tortoises habits of =arine>i9ar" fee"s on -eawee" Terrestrial >i9ar" burrowinghabits herbi!orous 0&ortance of +etiles in the rchielago *ish -hells 0nsects Botany &erican Tyeof :rgani9ation Differences in the -ecies or +aces on"ifferent 0slan"s Ta&eness of the Bir"s *ear of =an anacLuire" 0nstinct

-EPTE=BE+ 1Mth This archielago consists of tenrincial islan"s of which fi!e excee" the others insi9e They are situate" un"er the ELuator an" betweenfi!e an" six hun"re" &iles westwar" of the coast of &erica They are all for&e" of !olcanic roc$sS a fewfrag&ents of granite curiously gla9e" an" altere" by theheat can har"ly be consi"ere" as an excetion -o&e of the craters sur&ounting the larger islan"s are of i&&ensesi9e an" they rise to a height of between three an" four thousan" feet Their flan$s are stu""e" by innu&erable

s&aller orifices 0 scarcely hesitate to affir& that there&ust be in the whole archielago at least two thousan"craters These consist either of la!a or scoriae or of finely



stratifie" san"stoneli$e tuff =ost of the latter arebeautifully sy&&etricalS they owe their origin to erutions of !olcanic &u" without any la!a5 it is a re&ar$able circu&stancethat e!ery one of the twentyeight tuffcraters whichwere exa&ine" ha" their southern si"es either &uch lower than the other si"es or Luite bro$en "own an" re&o!e" s

all these craters aarently ha!e been for&e" when stan"ingin the sea an" as the wa!es fro& the tra"e win" an" theswell fro& the oen Pacific here unite their forces on thesouthern coasts of all the islan"s this singular unifor&ityin the bro$en state of the craters co&ose" of the soft an"yiel"ing tuff is easily exlaine"

Consi"ering that these islan"s are lace" "irectly un"er the eLuator the cli&ate is far fro& being excessi!ely hotSthis see&s chiefly cause" by the singularly low te&eratureof the surroun"ing water brought here by the great southern

2&a4

Polar current Exceting "uring one short season !erylittle rain falls an" e!en then it is irregularS but the clou"sgenerally hang low ,ence whilst the lower arts of theislan"s are !ery sterile the uer arts at a height of athousan" feet an" uwar"s ossess a "a& cli&ate an" atolerably luxuriant !egetation This is esecially the caseon the win"war" si"es of the islan"s which first recei!e an"con"ense the &oisture fro& the at&oshere

0n the &orning 1/th we lan"e" on Chatha& 0slan"which li$e the others rises with a ta&e an" roun"e" outlinebro$en here an" there by scattere" hilloc$s the re&ainsof for&er craters ;othing coul" be less in!iting than thefirst aearance bro$en fiel" of blac$ basaltic la!athrown into the &ost rugge" wa!es an" crosse" by greatfissures is e!erywhere co!ere" by stunte" sunburnt brushwoo"which shows little signs of life The "ry an" arche"surface being heate" by the noon"ay sun ga!e to the air a close an" sultry feeling li$e that fro& a sto!e5 we fancie"e!en that the bushes s&elt unleasantly lthough 0 "iligently

trie" to collect as &any lants as ossible 0 succee"e"in getting !ery fewS an" such wretche"loo$ing littlewee"s woul" ha!e better beco&e an arctic than an eLuatorial*lora The brushwoo" aears fro& a short "istance asleafless as our trees "uring winterS an" it was so&e ti&ebefore 0 "isco!ere" that not only al&ost e!ery lant wasnow in full leaf but that the greater nu&ber were in flowerThe co&&onest bush is one of the Euhorbiaceae5 an acaciaan" a great o""loo$ing cactus are the only trees whichaffor" any sha"e fter the season of hea!y rains the islan"sare sai" to aear for a short ti&e artially green The!olcanic islan" of *ernan"o ;oronha lace" in &any resects

un"er nearly si&ilar con"itions is the only other country where 0 ha!e seen a !egetation at all li$e this of the Galaagos 0slan"s



The Beagle saile" roun" Chatha& 0slan" an" anchore"in se!eral bays :ne night 0 slet on shore on a art of theislan" where blac$ truncate" cones were extraor"inarilynu&erous5 fro& one s&all e&inence 0 counte" sixty of the& all sur&ounte" by craters &ore or less erfect The

greater nu&ber consiste" &erely of a ring of re" scoriaeor slags ce&ente" together5 an" their height abo!e the lainof la!a was not &ore than fro& fifty to a hun"re" feetS noneha" been !ery lately acti!e The entire surface of this artof the islan" see&s to ha!e been er&eate" li$e a sie!e bythe subterranean !aours5 here an" there the la!a whilstsoft has been blown into great bubblesS an" in other artsthe tos of ca!erns si&ilarly for&e" ha!e fallen in lea!ingcircular its with stee si"es *ro& the regular for& of the&any craters they ga!e to the country an artificial aearancewhich !i!i"ly re&in"e" &e of those arts of -taffor"shirewhere the great ironfoun"ries are &ost nu&erous

The "ay was glowing hot an" the scra&bling o!er the roughsurface an" through the intricate thic$ets was !ery fatiguingSbut 0 was well reai" by the strange Cycloean scene s 0 was wal$ing along 0 &et two large tortoises each of which &ust ha!e weighe" at least two hun"re" oun"s5 onewas eating a iece of cactus an" as 0 aroache" it stare"at &e an" slowly wal$e" awayS the other ga!e a "ee hissan" "rew in its hea" These huge retiles surroun"e" bythe blac$ la!a the leafless shrubs an" large cacti see&e" to&y fancy li$e so&e ante"ilu!ian ani&als The few "ullcoloure" bir"s care" no &ore for &e than they "i" for thegreat tortoises

68r" The Beagle rocee"e" to Charles 0slan" Thisarchielago has long been freLuente" first by the bucaniersan" latterly by whalers but it is only within the last sixyears that a s&all colony has been establishe" here Theinhabitants are between two an" three hun"re" in nu&berSthey are nearly all eole of colour who ha!e been banishe"for olitical cri&es fro& the +eublic of the ELuator of which uito is the caital The settle&ent is lace" aboutfour an" a half &iles inlan" an" at a height robably of athousan" feet 0n the first art of the roa" we asse"through leafless thic$ets as in Chatha& 0slan" ,igher u

the woo"s gra"ually beca&e greenerS an" as soon as wecrosse" the ri"ge of the islan" we were coole" by a finesoutherly bree9e an" our sight refreshe" by a green an"thri!ing !egetation 0n this uer region coarse grasses an"ferns aboun"S but there are no treeferns5 0 saw nowhereany &e&ber of the al& fa&ily which is the &ore singularas 8H7 &iles northwar" Cocos 0slan" ta$es its na&e fro&the nu&ber of cocoanuts The houses are irregularly scattere"o!er a flat sace of groun" which is culti!ate" withsweet otatoes an" bananas 0t will not easily be i&agine"how leasant the sight of blac$ &u" was to us after ha!ingbeen so long accusto&e" to the arche" soil of Peru an"

northern Chile The inhabitants although co&laining of o!erty obtain without &uch trouble the &eans of subsistence0n the woo"s there are &any wil" igs an" goatsS



but the stale article of ani&al foo" is sulie" by thetortoises Their nu&bers ha!e of course been greatly re"uce"in this islan" but the eole yet count on two "ays'hunting gi!ing the& foo" for the rest of the wee$ 0t issai" that for&erly single !essels ha!e ta$en away as &anyas se!en hun"re" an" that the shi's co&any of a frigate

so&e years since brought "own in one "ay two hun"re"tortoises to the beach

-ete&ber 6.th (e "ouble" the southwest extre&ity of lbe&arle 0slan" an" the next "ay were nearly becal&e"between it an" ;arborough 0slan" Both are co!ere" withi&&ense "eluges of blac$ na$e" la!a which ha!e flowe" either o!er the ri&s of the great cal"rons li$e itch o!er theri& of a ot in which it has been boile" or ha!e burst forthfro& s&aller orifices on the flan$sS in their "escent theyha!e srea" o!er &iles of the seacoast :n both of theseislan"s erutions are $nown to ha!e ta$en laceS an" in

lbe&arle we saw a s&all jet of s&o$e curling fro& thesu&&it of one of the great craters 0n the e!ening weanchore" in Ban$'s Co!e in lbe&arle 0slan" The next&orning 0 went out wal$ing To the south of the bro$entuffcrater in which the Beagle was anchore" there wasanother beautifully sy&&etrical one of an ellitic for&S itslonger axis was a little less than a &ile an" its "eth aboutM77 feet t its botto& there was a shallow la$e in the&i""le of which a tiny crater for&e" an islet The "ay waso!eroweringly hot an" the la$e loo$e" clear an" blue5 0hurrie" "own the cin"ery sloe an" cho$e" with "usteagerly taste" the water but to &y sorrow 0 foun" it salt

as brine

The roc$s on the coast aboun"e" with great blac$ li9ar"sbetween three an" four feet longS an" on the hills an uglyyellowishbrown secies was eLually co&&on (e saw &any of thislatter $in" so&e clu&sily running out of the way an" othersshuffling into their burrows 0 shall resently "escribe in&ore "etail the habits of both these retiles The whole of this northern art of lbe&arle 0slan" is &iserably sterile

:ctober Ith (e arri!e" at a&es 0slan"5 this islan" aswell as Charles 0slan" were long since thus na&e" after our

$ings of the -tuart line =r Bynoe &yself an" our ser!antswere left here for a wee$ with ro!isions an" a tentwhilst the Beagle went for water (e foun" here a artyof -aniar"s who ha" been sent fro& Charles 0slan" to "ryfish an" to salt tortoise&eat bout six &iles inlan" an"at the height of nearly 6777 feet a ho!el ha" been built inwhich two &en li!e" who were e&loye" in catching tortoiseswhilst the others were fishing on the coast 0 ai"this arty two !isits an" slet there one night s in theother islan"s the lower region was co!ere" by nearly leaflessbushes but the trees were here of a larger growth thanelsewhere se!eral being two feet an" so&e e!en two feet nine

inches in "ia&eter The uer region being $et "a& bythe clou"s suorts a green an" flourishing !egetation -o"a& was the groun" that there were large be"s of a coarse



cyerus in which great nu&bers of a !ery s&all waterrailli!e" an" bre" (hile staying in this uer region we li!e"entirely uon tortoise&eat5 the breastlate roaste" as theGauchos "o @carne con cuero@ with the flesh on it is !erygoo"S an" the young tortoises &a$e excellent souS butotherwise the &eat to &y taste is in"ifferent

:ne "ay we acco&anie" a arty of the -aniar"s intheir whaleboat to a salina or la$e fro& which salt isrocure" fter lan"ing we ha" a !ery rough wal$ o!er arugge" fiel" of recent la!a which has al&ost surroun"e" atuffcrater at the botto& of which the saltla$e lies Thewater is only three or four inches "ee an" rests on a layer of beautifully crystalli9e" white salt The la$e is Luitecircular an" is fringe" with a bor"er of bright green succulentlantsS the al&ost reciitous walls of the crater are clothe"with woo" so that the scene was altogether both icturesLuean" curious few years since the sailors belonging to a

sealing!essel &ur"ere" their catain in this Luiet sotS an"we saw his s$ull lying a&ong the bushes

During the greater art of our stay of a wee$ the s$ywas clou"less an" if the tra"ewin" faile" for an hour theheat beca&e !ery oressi!e :n two "ays the ther&o&eter within the tent stoo" for so&e hours at .8 "egsS but in the oenair in the win" an" sun at only IM "egs The san" was extre&elyhotS the ther&o&eter lace" in so&e of a brown colour i&&e"iately rose to 18/ "egs an" how &uch abo!e thatit woul" ha!e risen 0 "o not $now for it was not gra"uate"any higher The blac$ san" felt &uch hotter so that

e!en in thic$ boots it was Luite "isagreeable to wal$ o!er it

The natural history of these islan"s is e&inently curiousan" well "eser!es attention =ost of the organic ro"uctionsare aboriginal creations foun" nowhere elseS there is e!ena "ifference between the inhabitants of the "ifferent islan"sSyet all show a &ar$e" relationshi with those of &ericathough searate" fro& that continent by an oen sace of ocean between M77 an" H77 &iles in wi"th The archielagois a little worl" within itself or rather a satellite attache"to &erica whence it has "eri!e" a few stray colonists an"

has recei!e" the general character of its in"igenousro"uctions Consi"ering the s&all si9e of the islan"s we feelthe &ore astonishe" at the nu&ber of their aboriginal beingsan" at their confine" range -eeing e!ery height crowne"with its crater an" the boun"aries of &ost of the la!astrea&s still "istinct we are le" to belie!e that within aerio" geologically recent the unbro$en ocean was heresrea" out ,ence both in sace an" ti&e we see& to bebrought so&ewhat near to that great fact that &ystery of &ysteries the first aearance of new beings on this earth

:f terrestrial &a&&als there is only one which &ust be

consi"ere" as in"igenous na&ely a &ouse =us Galaagoensisan" this is confine" as far as 0 coul" ascertain toChatha& 0slan" the &ost easterly islan" of the grou 0t



belongs as 0 a& infor&e" by =r (aterhouse to a "i!isionof the fa&ily of &ice characteristic of &erica t a&es0slan" there is a rat sufficiently "istinct fro& the co&&on$in" to ha!e been na&e" an" "escribe" by =r (aterhouseSbut as it belongs to the ol"worl" "i!ision of the fa&ily an"as this islan" has been freLuente" by shis for the last hun"re"

an" fifty years 0 can har"ly "oubt that this rat is&erely a !ariety ro"uce" by the new an" eculiar cli&atefoo" an" soil to which it has been subjecte" lthough noone has a right to seculate without "istinct facts yet e!enwith resect to the Chatha& 0slan" &ouse it shoul" be bornein &in" that it &ay ossibly be an &erican secies i&orte"hereS for 0 ha!e seen in a &ost unfreLuente" art of the Pa&as a nati!e &ouse li!ing in the roof of a newlybuilt ho!el an" therefore its transortation in a !essel isnot i&robable5 analogous facts ha!e been obser!e" by Dr+ichar"son in ;orth &erica

:f lan"bir"s 0 obtaine" twentysix $in"s all eculiar tothe grou an" foun" nowhere else with the excetion of onelar$li$e finch fro& ;orth &erica Dolichonyx ory9i!oruswhich ranges on that continent as far north as M3 "egs an"generally freLuents &arshes The other twentyfi!e bir"sconsist firstly of a haw$ curiously inter&e"iate in structurebetween a bu99ar" an" the &erican grou of carrionfee"ingPolyboriS an" with these latter bir"s it agrees &ostclosely in e!ery habit an" e!en tone of !oice -econ"lythere are two owls reresenting the shorteare" an" whitebarnowls of Euroe Thir"ly a wren three tyrantflycatcherstwo of the& secies of Pyrocehalus one or both of

which woul" be ran$e" by so&e ornithologists as only !arietiesan" a "o!e all analogous to but "istinct fro& &ericansecies *ourthly a swallow which though "ifferingfro& the Progne ururea of both &ericas only in beingrather "uller colore" s&aller an" slen"erer is consi"ere"by =r Goul" as secifically "istinct *ifthly there are threesecies of &oc$ing thrush a for& highly characteristic of &erica The re&aining lan"bir"s for& a &ost singular grou of finches relate" to each other in the structure of their bea$s short tails for& of bo"y an" lu&age5 there arethirteen secies which =r Goul" has "i!i"e" into four subgrous ll these secies are eculiar to this archielagoS

an" so is the whole grou with the excetion of one seciesof the subgrou Cactornis lately brought fro& Bow 0slan"in the >ow rchielago :f Cactornis the two secies &aybe often seen cli&bing about the flowers of the great cactustreesS but all the other secies of this grou of finches&ingle" together in floc$s fee" on the "ry an" sterile groun"of the lower "istricts The &ales of all or certainly of thegreater nu&ber are jet blac$S an" the fe&ales with erhasone or two excetions are brown The &ost curious fact isthe erfect gra"ation in the si9e of the bea$s in the "ifferentsecies of Geosi9a fro& one as large as that of a hawfinchto that of a chaffinch an" if =r Goul" is right in inclu"ing

his subgrou Certhi"ea in the &ain grou e!en tothat of a warbler The largest bea$ in the genus Geosi9ais shown in *ig 1 an" the s&allest in *ig 8S but instea" of



there being only one inter&e"iate secies with a bea$ of the si9e shown in *ig 6 there are no less than six secieswith insensibly gra"uate" bea$s The bea$ of the subgrouCerthi"ea is shown in *ig 3 The bea$ of Cactornis is

2icture4

1 Geosi9a &agnirostris 6 Geosi9a fortis8 Geosi9a ar!ula 3 Certhi"ea oli!asea

so&ewhat li$e that of a starling an" that of the fourthsubgrou Ca&arhynchus is slightly arrotshae" -eeing thisgra"ation an" "i!ersity of structure in one s&all inti&atelyrelate" grou of bir"s one &ight really fancy that fro& anoriginal aucity of bir"s in this archielago one secies ha"been ta$en an" &o"ifie" for "ifferent en"s 0n a li$e &anner

it &ight be fancie" that a bir" originally a bu99ar" ha" beenin"uce" here to un"erta$e the office of the carrionfee"ingPolybori of the &erican continent

:f wa"ers an" waterbir"s 0 was able to get only ele!en$in"s an" of these only three inclu"ing a rail confine" tothe "a& su&&its of the islan"s are new secies Consi"eringthe wan"ering habits of the gulls 0 was surrise" tofin" that the secies inhabiting these islan"s is eculiar butallie" to one fro& the southern arts of -outh &ericaThe far greater eculiarity of the lan"bir"s na&elytwentyfi!e out of twentysix being new secies or at least

new races co&are" with the wa"ers an" webfoote" bir"s isin accor"ance with the greater range which these latter or"ers ha!e in all arts of the worl" (e shall hereafter see this law of aLuatic for&s whether &arine or freshwaterbeing less eculiar at any gi!en oint of the earth'ssurface than the terrestrial for&s of the sa&e classesstri$ingly illustrate" in the shells an" in a lesser "egree inthe insects of this archielago

Two of the wa"ers are rather s&aller than the sa&e seciesbrought fro& other laces5 the swallow is also s&allerthough it is "oubtful whether or not it is "istinct fro& its

analogue The two owls the two tyrantcatchers Pyrocehalusan" the "o!e are also s&aller than the analogousbut "istinct secies to which they are &ost nearly relate"Son the other han" the gull is rather larger The two owlsthe swallow all three secies of &oc$ingthrush the "o!ein its searate colours though not in its whole lu&age theTotanus an" the gull are li$ewise "us$ier coloure" thantheir analogous seciesS an" in the case of the &oc$ingthrush an" Totanus than any other secies of the two genera(ith the excetion of a wren with a fine yellow breastan" of a tyrantflycatcher with a scarlet tuft an" breast noneof the bir"s are brilliantly coloure" as &ight ha!e been

execte" in an eLuatorial "istrict ,ence it woul" aear robable that the sa&e causes which here &a$e the i&&igrantsof so&e eculiar secies s&aller &a$e &ost of the



eculiar Galaageian secies also s&aller as well as !erygenerally &ore "us$y coloure" ll the lants ha!e awretche" wee"y aearance an" 0 "i" not see one beautifulflower The insects again are s&allsi9e" an" "ullcoloure"an" as =r (aterhouse infor&s &e there is nothing in their general aearance which woul" ha!e le" hi& to i&agine

that they ha" co&e fro& un"er the eLuator 214 The bir"slants an" insects ha!e a "esert character an" are not &orebrilliantly coloure" than those fro& southern PatagoniaS we&ay therefore conclu"e that the usual gau"y colouring of the intertroical ro"uctions is not relate" either to theheat or light of those 9ones but to so&e other cause erhasto the con"itions of existence being generally fa!ourableto life

(e will now turn to the or"er of retiles which gi!esthe &ost stri$ing character to the 9oology of these islan"s

The secies are not nu&erous but the nu&bers of in"i!i"ualsof each secies are extraor"inarily great There is ones&all li9ar" belonging to a -outh &erican genus an" twosecies an" robably &ore of the &blyrhynchus a genusconfine" to the Galaagos 0slan"s There is one sna$e whichis nu&erousS it is i"entical as 0 a& infor&e" by = Bibronwith the Psa&&ohis Te&&inc$ii fro& Chile 264 :f seaturtle 0 belie!e there are &ore than one secies an" of tortoises there are as we shall resently show two or threesecies or races :f toa"s an" frogs there are none5 0 wassurrise" at this consi"ering how well suite" for the& thete&erate an" "a& uer woo"s aeare" to be 0t recalle"

to &y &in" the re&ar$ &a"e by Bory -t Vincent 284na&ely that none of this fa&ily are foun" on any of the!olcanic islan"s in the great oceans s far as 0 can ascertainfro& !arious wor$s this see&s to hol" goo" throughout thePacific an" e!en in the large islan"s of the -an"wicharchielago =auritius offers an aarent excetion where 0saw the +ana =ascariensis in abun"ance5 this frog is sai"now to inhabit the -eychelles =a"agascar an" BourbonSbut on the other han" Du Bois in his !oyage in 1HH. statesthat there were no retiles in Bourbon excet tortoisesS an"the :fficier "u +oi asserts that before 1/HI it ha" beenatte&te" without success to intro"uce frogs into =auritius

0 resu&e for the urose of eating5 hence it &ay be well"oubte" whether this frog is an aboriginal of these islan"sThe absence of the frog fa&ily in the oceanic islan"s is the&ore re&ar$able when contraste" with the case of li9ar"swhich swar& on &ost of the s&allest islan"s =ay this "ifferencenot be cause" by the greater facility with which theeggs of li9ar"s rotecte" by calcareous shells &ight betransorte" through saltwater than coul" the sli&y sawnof frogsQ

0 will first "escribe the habits of the tortoise Testu"onigra for&erly calle" 0n"ica which has been so freLuently

allu"e" to These ani&als are foun" 0 belie!e on all theislan"s of the archielagoS certainly on the greater nu&berThey freLuent in reference the high "a& arts but they



li$ewise li!e in the lower an" ari" "istricts 0 ha!e alrea"yshown fro& the nu&bers which ha!e been caught in a single"ay how !ery nu&erous they &ust be -o&e grow to ani&&ense si9e5 =r >awson an English&an an" !icego!ernor of the colony tol" us that he ha" seen se!eral so largethat it reLuire" six or eight &en to lift the& fro& the

groun"S an" that so&e ha" affor"e" as &uch as two hun"re"oun"s of &eat The ol" &ales are the largest the fe&alesrarely growing to so great a si9e5 the &ale can rea"ily be"istinguishe" fro& the fe&ale by the greater length of itstail The tortoises which li!e on those islan"s where thereis no water or in the lower an" ari" arts of the others fee"chiefly on the succulent cactus Those which freLuent thehigher an" "a& regions eat the lea!es of !arious trees a$in" of berry calle" guaya!ita which is aci" an" austerean" li$ewise a ale green fila&entous lichen <snera licatathat hangs fro& the boughs of the trees

The tortoise is !ery fon" of water "rin$ing large Luantitiesan" wallowing in the &u" The larger islan"s aloneossess srings an" these are always situate" towar"s thecentral arts an" at a consi"erable height The tortoisestherefore which freLuent the lower "istricts when thirstyare oblige" to tra!el fro& a long "istance ,ence broa" an"wellbeaten aths branch off in e!ery "irection fro& thewells "own to the seacoastS an" the -aniar"s by followingthe& u first "isco!ere" the wateringlaces (hen 0 lan"e"at Chatha& 0slan" 0 coul" not i&agine what ani&al tra!elle"so &etho"ically along wellchosen trac$s ;ear the sringsit was a curious sectacle to behol" &any of these huge

creatures one set eagerly tra!elling onwar"s with outstretche"nec$s an" another set returning after ha!ing"run$ their fill (hen the tortoise arri!es at the sringLuite regar"less of any sectator he buries his hea" in thewater abo!e his eyes an" gree"ily swallows great &outhfulsat the rate of about ten in a &inute The inhabitants sayeach ani&al stays three or four "ays in the neighbourhoo"of the water an" then returns to the lower countryS butthey "iffere" resecting the freLuency of these !isits Theani&al robably regulates the& accor"ing to the nature of the foo" on which it has li!e" 0t is howe!er certain thattortoises can subsist e!en on these islan"s where there is no

other water than what falls "uring a few rainy "ays in theyear

0 belie!e it is well ascertaine" that the bla""er of the frogacts as a reser!oir for the &oisture necessary to its existence5such see&s to be the case with the tortoise *or so&eti&e after a !isit to the srings their urinary bla""ers are"isten"e" with flui" which is sai" gra"ually to "ecrease in!olu&e an" to beco&e less ure The inhabitants whenwal$ing in the lower "istrict an" o!erco&e with thirst oftenta$e a"!antage of this circu&stance an" "rin$ the contentsof the bla""er if full5 in one 0 saw $ille" the flui" was Luite

li&i" an" ha" only a !ery slightly bitter taste Theinhabitants howe!er always first "rin$ the water in theericar"iu& which is "escribe" as being best



The tortoises when urosely &o!ing towar"s any ointtra!el by night an" "ay an" arri!e at their journey's en"&uch sooner than woul" be execte" The inhabitants fro&obser!ing &ar$e" in"i!i"uals consi"er that they tra!el a"istance of about eight &iles in two or three "ays :ne large

tortoise which 0 watche" wal$e" at the rate of sixty yar"sin ten &inutes that is 8H7 yar"s in the hour or four &iles a"ay allowing a little ti&e for it to eat on the roa" Duringthe bree"ing season when the &ale an" fe&ale are togetherthe &ale utters a hoarse roar or bellowing which it is sai"can be hear" at the "istance of &ore than a hun"re" yar"sThe fe&ale ne!er uses her !oice an" the &ale only at theseti&esS so that when the eole hear this noise they $nowthat the two are together They were at this ti&e :ctoberlaying their eggs The fe&ale where the soil is san"y "eositsthe& together an" co!ers the& u with san"S butwhere the groun" is roc$y she "ros the& in"iscri&inately

in any hole5 =r Bynoe foun" se!en lace" in a fissure Theegg is white an" shericalS one which 0 &easure" was se!eninches an" threeeighths in circu&ference an" thereforelarger than a hen's egg The young tortoises as soon as theyare hatche" fall a rey in great nu&bers to the carrionfee"ing bu99ar" The ol" ones see& generally to "ie fro&acci"ents as fro& falling "own reciices5 at least se!eralof the inhabitants tol" &e that they ne!er foun" one "ea"without so&e e!i"ent cause

The inhabitants belie!e that these ani&als are absolutely"eafS certainly they "o not o!erhear a erson wal$ing close

behin" the& 0 was always a&use" when o!erta$ing one of these great &onsters as it was Luietly acing along to seehow su""enly the instant 0 asse" it woul" "raw in its hea"an" legs an" uttering a "ee hiss fall to the groun" with ahea!y soun" as if struc$ "ea" 0 freLuently got on their bac$s an" then gi!ing a few ras on the hin"er art of their shells they woul" rise u an" wal$ awayS but 0 foun" it!ery "ifficult to $ee &y balance The flesh of this ani&al islargely e&loye" both fresh an" salte"S an" a beautifullyclear oil is reare" fro& the fat (hen a tortoise is caughtthe &an &a$es a slit in the s$in near its tail so as to seeinsi"e its bo"y whether the fat un"er the "orsal late is

thic$ 0f it is not the ani&al is liberate" an" it is sai" toreco!er soon fro& this strange oeration 0n or"er to securethe tortoise it is not sufficient to turn the& li$e turtle for they are often able to get on their legs again

There can be little "oubt that this tortoise is an aboriginalinhabitant of the GalaagosS for it is foun" on all or nearlyall the islan"s e!en on so&e of the s&aller ones where thereis no waterS ha" it been an i&orte" secies this woul"har"ly ha!e been the case in a grou which has been so littlefreLuente" =oreo!er the ol" Bucaniers foun" this tortoisein greater nu&bers e!en than at resent5 (oo" an" +ogers

also in 1/7I say that it is the oinion of the -aniar"s thatit is foun" nowhere else in this Luarter of the worl" 0t isnow wi"ely "istribute"S but it &ay be Luestione" whether



it is in any other lace an aboriginal The bones of a tortoiseat =auritius associate" with those of the extinct Do"oha!e generally been consi"ere" as belonging to this tortoiseSif this ha" been so un"oubte"ly it &ust ha!e been therein"igenousS but = Bibron infor&s &e that he belie!es thatit was "istinct as the secies now li!ing there certainly is

The &blyrhynchus a re&ar$able genus of li9ar"s is confine"to this archielagoS there are two secies rese&bling

2icture4

each other in general for& one being terrestrial an" theother aLuatic This latter secies cristatus was firstcharacteri9e" by =r Bell who well foresaw fro& its shortbroa" hea" an" strong claws of eLual length that its habitsof life woul" turn out !ery eculiar an" "ifferent fro& thoseof its nearest ally the 0guana 0t is extre&ely co&&on on all

the islan"s throughout the grou an" li!es exclusi!ely on theroc$y seabeaches being ne!er foun" at least 0 ne!er sawone e!en ten yar"s inshore 0t is a hi"eousloo$ing creatureof a "irty blac$ colour stui" an" sluggish in its &o!e&entsThe usual length of a fullgrown one is about a yar"but there are so&e e!en four feet longS a large one weighe"twenty oun"s5 on the islan" of lbe&arle they see& togrow to a greater si9e than elsewhere Their tails are flattene"si"eways an" all four feet artially webbe" They areoccasionally seen so&e hun"re" yar"s fro& the shoreswi&&ing aboutS an" Catain Collnett in his Voyage saysNThey go to sea in her"s afishing an" sun the&sel!es on

the roc$sS an" &ay be calle" alligators in &iniatureN 0t&ust not howe!er be suose" that they li!e on fish (henin the water this li9ar" swi&s with erfect ease an" Luic$nessby a serentine &o!e&ent of its bo"y an" flattene" tail the legs being &otionless an" closely collase" on its si"es sea&an on boar" san$ one with a hea!y weight attache"to it thin$ing thus to $ill it "irectlyS but when an hour afterwar"s he "rew u the line it was Luite acti!e Their li&bs an" strong claws are a"&irably a"ate" for crawling o!er the rugge" an" fissure" &asses of la!a which e!erywhere for&the coast 0n such situations a grou of six or se!en of these hi"eous retiles &ay oftenti&es be seen on the blac$

roc$s a few feet abo!e the surf bas$ing in the sun withoutstretche" legs

0 oene" the sto&achs of se!eral an" foun" the& largely"isten"e" with &ince" seawee" <l!ae which grows inthin foliaceous exansions of a bright green or a "ull re"colour 0 "o not recollect ha!ing obser!e" this seawee" inany Luantity on the ti"al roc$sS an" 0 ha!e reason to belie!eit grows at the botto& of the sea at so&e little "istance fro&the coast 0f such be the case the object of these ani&alsoccasionally going out to sea is exlaine" The sto&achcontaine" nothing but the seawee" =r Baynoe howe!er foun"

a iece of crab in oneS but this &ight ha!e got in acci"entallyin the sa&e &anner as 0 ha!e seen a caterillar inthe &i"st of so&e lichen in the aunch of a tortoise The



intestines were large as in other herbi!orous ani&als Thenature of this li9ar"'s foo" as well as the structure of itstail an" feet an" the fact of its ha!ing been seen !oluntarilyswi&&ing out at sea absolutely ro!e its aLuatic habitsSyet there is in this resect one strange ano&aly na&ely thatwhen frightene" it will not enter the water ,ence it is

easy to "ri!e these li9ar"s "own to any little oint o!erhangingthe sea where they will sooner allow a erson to catchhol" of their tails than ju& into the water They "o notsee& to ha!e any notion of bitingS but when &uch frightene"they sLuirt a "ro of flui" fro& each nostril 0 threw onese!eral ti&es as far as 0 coul" into a "ee ool left by theretiring ti"eS but it in!ariably returne" in a "irect line tothe sot where 0 stoo" 0t swa& near the botto& with a!ery graceful an" rai" &o!e&ent an" occasionally ai"e"itself o!er the une!en groun" with its feet s soon as itarri!e" near the e"ge but still being un"er water it trie" toconceal itself in the tufts of seawee" or it entere" so&e

cre!ice s soon as it thought the "anger was ast itcrawle" out on the "ry roc$s an" shuffle" away as Luic$lyas it coul" 0 se!eral ti&es caught this sa&e li9ar" by "ri!ingit "own to a oint an" though ossesse" of such erfectowers of "i!ing an" swi&&ing nothing woul" in"uce it toenter the waterS an" as often as 0 threw it in it returne" inthe &anner abo!e "escribe" Perhas this singular iece of aarent stui"ity &ay be accounte" for by the circu&stancethat this retile has no ene&y whate!er on shorewhereas at sea it &ust often fall a rey to the nu&erousshar$s ,ence robably urge" by a fixe" an" here"itaryinstinct that the shore is its lace of safety whate!er the

e&ergency &ay be it there ta$es refuge

During our !isit in :ctober 0 saw extre&ely few s&allin"i!i"uals of this secies an" none 0 shoul" thin$ un"er a year ol" *ro& this circu&stance it see&s robable thatthe bree"ing season ha" not then co&&ence" 0 as$e" se!eralof the inhabitants if they $new where it lai" its eggs5they sai" that they $new nothing of its roagation althoughwell acLuainte" with the eggs of the lan" $in" a factconsi"ering how !ery co&&on this li9ar" is not a littleextraor"inary

(e will now turn to the terrestrial secies De&arliiwith a roun" tail an" toes without webs This li9ar"instea" of being foun" li$e the other on all the islan"s isconfine" to the central art of the archielago na&ely to lbe&arle a&es Barrington an" 0n"efatigable islan"s Tothe southwar" in Charles ,oo" an" Chatha& islan"s an"to the northwar" in Towers Bin"loes an" bing"on 0neither saw nor hear" of any 0t woul" aear as if it ha"been create" in the centre of the archielago an" thence ha"been "iserse" only to a certain "istance -o&e of theseli9ar"s inhabit the high an" "a& arts of the islan"s butthey are &uch &ore nu&erous in the lower an" sterile

"istricts near the coast 0 cannot gi!e a &ore forcible roof of their nu&bers than by stating that when we were left ata&es 0slan" we coul" not for so&e ti&e fin" a sot free



fro& their burrows on which to itch our single tent >i$etheir brothers the sea$in" they are ugly ani&als of ayellowish orange beneath an" of a brownish re" colour abo!e5fro& their low facial angle they ha!e a singularly stui"aearance They are erhas of a rather less si9e than the&arine seciesS but se!eral of the& weighe" between ten an"

fifteen oun"s 0n their &o!e&ents they are la9y an" half tori" (hen not frightene" they slowly crawl along withtheir tails an" bellies "ragging on the groun" They oftensto an" "o9e for a &inute or two with close" eyes an" hin"legs srea" out on the arche" soil

They inhabit burrows which they so&eti&es &a$e betweenfrag&ents of la!a but &ore generally on le!el atches of thesoft san"stoneli$e tuff The holes "o not aear to be !ery"ee an" they enter the groun" at a s&all angleS so thatwhen wal$ing o!er these li9ar"warrens the soil is constantlygi!ing way &uch to the annoyance of the tire" wal$er This

ani&al when &a$ing its burrow wor$s alternately the oositesi"es of its bo"y :ne front leg for a short ti&escratches u the soil an" throws it towar"s the hin" footwhich is well lace" so as to hea!e it beyon" the &outh of the hole That si"e of the bo"y being tire" the other ta$esu the tas$ an" so on alternately 0 watche" one for a longti&e till half its bo"y was burie"S 0 then wal$e" u an" ulle"it by the tail at this it was greatly astonishe" an" soonshuffle" u to see what was the &atterS an" then stare" &ein the face as &uch as to say N(hat &a"e you ull &ytailQN

They fee" by "ay an" "o not wan"er far fro& their burrowsSif frightene" they rush to the& with a &ost aw$war"gait Excet when running "own hill they cannot &o!e!ery fast aarently fro& the lateral osition of their legsThey are not at all ti&orous5 when attenti!ely watching anyone they curl their tails an" raising the&sel!es on their front legs no" their hea"s !ertically with a Luic$ &o!e&entan" try to loo$ !ery fierceS but in reality they are not at allso5 if one just sta&s on the groun" "own go their tailsan" off they shuffle as Luic$ly as they can 0 ha!e freLuentlyobser!e" s&all flyeating li9ar"s when watching anythingno" their hea"s in recisely the sa&e &annerS but 0 "o not

at all $now for what urose 0f this &blyrhynchus is hel"an" lague" with a stic$ it will bite it !ery se!erelyS but0 caught &any by the tail an" they ne!er trie" to bite &e0f two are lace" on the groun" an" hel" together they willfight an" bite each other till bloo" is "rawn

The in"i!i"uals an" they are the greater nu&ber whichinhabit the lower country can scarcely taste a "ro of water throughout the yearS but they consu&e &uch of the succulentcactus the branches of which are occasionally bro$en off by the win" 0 se!eral ti&es threw a iece to two or threeof the& when togetherS an" it was a&using enough to see

the& trying to sei9e an" carry it away in their &ouths li$eso &any hungry "ogs with a bone They eat !ery "eliberatelybut "o not chew their foo" The little bir"s are aware



how har&less these creatures are5 0 ha!e seen one of thethic$bille" finches ic$ing at one en" of a iece of cactuswhich is &uch relishe" by all the ani&als of the lower region whilst a li9ar" was eating at the other en"S an"afterwar"s the little bir" with the ut&ost in"ifference hoe"on the bac$ of the retile

0 oene" the sto&achs of se!eral an" foun" the& full of !egetable fibres an" lea!es of "ifferent trees esecially of an acacia 0n the uer region they li!e chiefly on the aci"an" astringent berries of the guaya!ita un"er which trees0 ha!e seen these li9ar"s an" the huge tortoises fee"ingtogether To obtain the acacialea!es they crawl u the lowstunte" treesS an" it is not unco&&on to see a air Luietlybrowsing whilst seate" on a branch se!eral feet abo!e thegroun" These li9ar"s when coo$e" yiel" a white &eatwhich is li$e" by those whose sto&achs soar abo!e allreju"ices

,u&bol"t has re&ar$e" that in intertroical -outh &erica all li9ar"s which inhabit "ry regions are estee&e""elicacies for the table The inhabitants state that thosewhich inhabit the uer "a& arts "rin$ water but thatthe others "o not li$e the tortoises tra!el u for it fro&the lower sterile country t the ti&e of our !isit thefe&ales ha" within their bo"ies nu&erous large elongate"eggs which they lay in their burrows5 the inhabitants see$the& for foo"

These two secies of &blyrhynchus agree as 0 ha!e

alrea"y state" in their general structure an" in &any of their habits ;either ha!e that rai" &o!e&ent socharacteristic of the genera >acerta an" 0guana They are bothherbi!orous although the $in" of !egetation on which theyfee" is so !ery "ifferent =r Bell has gi!en the na&e to thegenus fro& the shortness of the snout5 in"ee" the for& of the &outh &ay al&ost be co&are" to that of the tortoise5one is le" to suose that this is an a"atation to their herbi!orous aetites 0t is !ery interesting thus to fin" awellcharacteri9e" genus ha!ing its &arine an" terrestrialsecies belonging to so confine" a ortion of the worl" TheaLuatic secies is by far the &ost re&ar$able because it is

the only existing li9ar" which li!es on &arine !egetablero"uctions s 0 at first obser!e" these islan"s are not sore&ar$able for the nu&ber of the secies of retiles as for that of the in"i!i"uals when we re&e&ber the wellbeatenaths &a"e by the thousan"s of huge tortoises the &anyturtles the great warrens of the terrestrial &blyrhynchus an" the grous of the &arine secies bas$ing on the coastroc$s of e!ery islan" we &ust a"&it that there is no other Luarter of the worl" where this :r"er relaces the herbi!orous&a&&alia in so extraor"inary a &anner The geologiston hearing this will robably refer bac$ in his &in" to the-econ"ary eochs when li9ar"s so&e herbi!orous so&e

carni!orous an" of "i&ensions co&arable only with our existing whales swar&e" on the lan" an" in the sea 0t istherefore worthy of his obser!ation that this archielago



instea" of ossessing a hu&i" cli&ate an" ran$ !egetationcannot be consi"ere" otherwise than extre&ely ari" an" for an eLuatorial region re&ar$ably te&erate

To finish with the 9oology5 the fifteen $in"s of seafishwhich 0 rocure" here are all new seciesS they belong to

twel!e genera all wi"ely "istribute" with the excetion of Prionotus of which the four re!iously $nown secies li!eon the eastern si"e of &erica :f lan"shells 0 collecte"sixteen $in"s an" two &ar$e" !arieties of which with theexcetion of one ,elix foun" at Tahiti all are eculiar tothis archielago5 a single freshwater shell Palu"ina isco&&on to Tahiti an" Van Die&en's >an" =r Cu&ingbefore our !oyage rocure" here ninety secies of seashellsan" this "oes not inclu"e se!eral secies not yet secificallyexa&ine" of Trochus Turbo =ono"onta an" ;assa ,ehas been $in" enough to gi!e &e the following interestingresults5 :f the ninety shells no less than fortyse!en are

un$nown elsewhere a won"erful fact consi"ering howwi"ely "istribute" seashells generally are :f the fortythree shells foun" in other arts of the worl" twentyfi!einhabit the western coast of &erica an" of these eight are"istinguishable as !arietiesS the re&aining eighteen inclu"ingone !ariety were foun" by =r Cu&ing in the >ow rchielago an" so&e of the& also at the Philiines Thisfact of shells fro& islan"s in the central arts of the Pacificoccurring here "eser!es notice for not one single seashell is$nown to be co&&on to the islan"s of that ocean an" to thewest coast of &erica The sace of oen sea running northan" south off the west coast searates two Luite "istinct

conchological ro!incesS but at the Galaagos rchielagowe ha!e a haltinglace where &any new for&s ha!e beencreate" an" whither these two great conchological ro!incesha!e each sent u se!eral colonists The &erican ro!incehas also sent here reresentati!e seciesS for there is aGalaageian secies of =onoceros a genus only foun" on thewest coast of &ericaS an" there are Galaageian seciesof *issurella an" Cancellaria genera co&&on on the westcoast but not foun" as 0 a& infor&e" by =r Cu&ing inthe central islan"s of the Pacific :n the other han" thereare Galaageian secies of :niscia an" -tylifer genera co&&onto the (est 0n"ies an" to the Chinese an" 0n"ian seas

but not foun" either on the west coast of &erica or in thecentral Pacific 0 &ay here a"" that after the co&arisonby =essrs Cu&ing an" ,in"s of about 6777 shells fro&the eastern an" western coasts of &erica only one singleshell was foun" in co&&on na&ely the Purura atulawhich inhabits the (est 0n"ies the coast of Pana&aan" the Galaagos (e ha!e therefore in this Luarter of the worl" three great conchological searo!inces Luite"istinct though surrisingly near each other being searate"by long north an" south saces either of lan" or of oen sea

0 too$ great ains in collecting the insects but excetingTierra "el *uego 0 ne!er saw in this resect so oor a countryE!en in the uer an" "a& region 0 rocure" !ery few



exceting so&e &inute Ditera an" ,y&enotera &ostly of co&&on &un"ane for&s s before re&ar$e" the insectsfor a troical region are of !ery s&all si9e an" "ull colours:f beetles 0 collecte" twentyfi!e secies exclu"ing aDer&estes an" Corynetes i&orte" where!er a shi touchesSof these two belong to the ,arali"ae two to the

,y"rohili"ae nine to three fa&ilies of the ,etero&era an" there&aining twel!e to as &any "ifferent fa&ilies Thiscircu&stance of insects an" 0 &ay a"" lants where few innu&ber belonging to &any "ifferent fa&ilies is 0 belie!e!ery general =r (aterhouse who has ublishe" 234 anaccount of the insects of this archielago an" to who& 0 a&in"ebte" for the abo!e "etails infor&s &e that there arese!eral new genera5 an" that of the genera not new oneor two are &erican an" the rest of &un"ane "istribution(ith the excetion of a woo"fee"ing ate an" of one or robably two waterbeetles fro& the &erican continentall the secies aear to be new

The botany of this grou is fully as interesting as the9oology Dr ,oo$er will soon ublish in the N>inneanTransactionsN a full account of the *lora an" 0 a& &uchin"ebte" to hi& for the following "etails :f floweringlants there are as far as at resent is $nown 1IM seciesan" 37 crytoga&ic secies &a$ing altogether 66MS of thisnu&ber 0 was fortunate enough to bring ho&e 1.8 :f theflowering lants 177 are new secies an" are robably confine"to this archielago Dr ,oo$er concei!es that of thelants not so confine" at least 17 secies foun" near theculti!ate" groun" at Charles 0slan" ha!e been i&orte"

0t is 0 thin$ surrising that &ore &erican secies ha!enot been intro"uce" naturally consi"ering that the "istanceis only between M77 an" H77 &iles fro& the continent an"that accor"ing to Collnet MI "riftwoo" ba&boos canesan" the nuts of a al& are often washe" on the southeasternshores The roortion of 177 flowering lants out of 1I8or 1/M exclu"ing the i&orte" wee"s being new is sufficient0 concei!e to &a$e the Galaagos rchielago a "istinctbotanical ro!inceS but this *lora is not nearly soeculiar as that of -t ,elena nor as 0 a& infor&e" byDr ,oo$er of uan *ernan"e9 The eculiarity of theGalaageian *lora is best shown in certain fa&iliesS thus

there are 61 secies of Co&ositae of which 67 are eculiar to this archielagoS these belong to twel!e genera an" of these genera no less than ten are confine" to the archielago%Dr ,oo$er infor&s &e that the *lora has an un"oubte"ly(estern &erican characterS nor can he "etect in it anyaffinity with that of the Pacific 0f therefore we excet theeighteen &arine the one freshwater an" one lan"shellwhich ha!e aarently co&e here as colonists fro& thecentral islan"s of the Pacific an" li$ewise the one "istinctPacific secies of the Galaageian grou of finches we seethat this archielago though stan"ing in the Pacific :ceanis 9oologically art of &erica

0f this character were owing &erely to i&&igrants fro& &erica there woul" be little re&ar$able in itS but we see



that a !ast &ajority of all the lan" ani&als an" that &orethan half of the flowering lants are aboriginal ro"uctions0t was &ost stri$ing to be surroun"e" by new bir"s newretiles new shells new insects new lants an" yet byinnu&erable trifling "etails of structure an" e!en by the tonesof !oice an" lu&age of the bir"s to ha!e the te&erate lains

of Patagonia or rather the hot "ry "eserts of ;orthern Chile!i!i"ly brought before &y eyes (hy on these s&all ointsof lan" which within a late geological erio" &ust ha!ebeen co!ere" by the ocean which are for&e" by basaltic la!aan" therefore "iffer in geological character fro& the &ericancontinent an" which are lace" un"er a eculiar cli&ate why were their aboriginal inhabitants associate" 0 &aya"" in "ifferent roortions both in $in" an" nu&ber fro&those on the continent an" therefore acting on each other in a "ifferent &anner why were they create" on &ericantyes of organi9ationQ 0t is robable that the islan"s of theCae "e Ver" grou rese&ble in all their hysical con"itions

far &ore closely the Galaagos 0slan"s than these latter hysically rese&ble the coast of &erica yet the aboriginalinhabitants of the two grous are totally unli$eS those of theCae "e Ver" 0slan"s bearing the i&ress of frica asthe inhabitants of the Galaagos rchielago are sta&e"with that of &erica

0 ha!e not as yet notice" by far the &ost re&ar$able featurein the natural history of this archielagoS it is thatthe "ifferent islan"s to a consi"erable extent are inhabite" bya "ifferent set of beings =y attention was first calle" tothis fact by the ViceGo!ernor =r >awson "eclaring that

the tortoises "iffere" fro& the "ifferent islan"s an" that hecoul" with certainty tell fro& which islan" any one wasbrought 0 "i" not for so&e ti&e ay sufficient attentionto this state&ent an" 0 ha" alrea"y artially &ingle" together the collections fro& two of the islan"s 0 ne!er "rea&e" that islan"s about M7 or H7 &iles aart an" &ost of the& in sight of each other for&e" of recisely the sa&eroc$s lace" un"er a Luite si&ilar cli&ate rising to a nearlyeLual height woul" ha!e been "ifferently tenante"S but weshall soon see that this is the case 0t is the fate of &ost!oyagers no sooner to "isco!er what is &ost interesting inany locality than they are hurrie" fro& itS but 0 ought

erhas to be than$ful that 0 obtaine" sufficient &aterials toestablish this &ost re&ar$able fact in the "istribution of organic beings

The inhabitants as 0 ha!e sai" state that they can "istinguishthe tortoises fro& the "ifferent islan"sS an" thatthey "iffer not only in si9e but in other characters CatainPorter has "escribe" 2M4 those fro& Charles an" fro& the nearestislan" to it na&ely ,oo" 0slan" as ha!ing their shellsin front thic$ an" turne" u li$e a -anish sa""le whilstthe tortoises fro& a&es 0slan" are roun"er blac$er an"ha!e a better taste when coo$e" = Bibron &oreo!er

infor&s &e that he has seen what he consi"ers two "istinctsecies of tortoise fro& the Galaagos but he "oes not $nowfro& which islan"s The seci&ens that 0 brought fro&



three islan"s were young ones5 an" robably owing to thiscause neither =r Gray nor &yself coul" fin" in the& anysecific "ifferences 0 ha!e re&ar$e" that the &arine &blyrhynchus was larger at lbe&arle 0slan" than elsewhereSan" = Bibron infor&s &e that he has seen two "istinctaLuatic secies of this genusS so that the "ifferent

islan"s robably ha!e their reresentati!e secies or racesof the &blyrhynchus as well as of the tortoise =y attentionwas first thoroughly arouse" by co&aring together the nu&erous seci&ens shot by &yself an" se!eral other arties on boar" of the &oc$ingthrushes when to &yastonish&ent 0 "isco!ere" that all those fro& Charles 0slan"belonge" to one secies =i&us trifasciatus all fro& lbe&arle 0slan" to = ar!ulusS an" all fro& a&es an"Chatha& 0slan"s between which two other islan"s are situate"as connecting lin$s belonge" to = &elanotis Thesetwo latter secies are closely allie" an" woul" by so&eornithologists be consi"ere" as only well&ar$e" races or

!arietiesS but the =i&us trifasciatus is !ery "istinct<nfortunately &ost of the seci&ens of the finch tribe were&ingle" togetherS but 0 ha!e strong reasons to susect thatso&e of the secies of the subgrou Geosi9a are confine"to searate islan"s 0f the "ifferent islan"s ha!e their reresentati!es of Geosi9a it &ay hel to exlain thesingularly large nu&ber of the secies of this subgrou in thisone s&all archielago an" as a robable conseLuence of their nu&bers the erfectly gra"uate" series in the si9e of their bea$s Two secies of the subgrou Cactornis an" two of the Ca&arhynchus were rocure" in the archielagoS an"of the nu&erous seci&ens of these two subgrous shot by

four collectors at a&es 0slan" all were foun" to belong toone secies of eachS whereas the nu&erous seci&ens shoteither on Chatha& or Charles 0slan" for the two sets were&ingle" together all belonge" to the two other secies5hence we &ay feel al&ost sure that these islan"s ossesstheir resecti!e secies of these two subgrous 0n lan"shells this law of "istribution "oes not aear to hol" goo"0n &y !ery s&all collection of insects =r (aterhousere&ar$s that of those which were tic$ete" with their localitynot one was co&&on to any two of the islan"s

0f we now turn to the *lora we shall fin" the aboriginal

lants of the "ifferent islan"s won"erfully "ifferent 0 gi!eall the following results on the high authority of &y frien"Dr ,oo$er 0 &ay re&ise that 0 in"iscri&inately collecte"e!erything in flower on the "ifferent islan"s an" fortunately$et &y collections searate Too &uch confi"encehowe!er &ust not be lace" in the roortional results asthe s&all collections brought ho&e by so&e other naturaliststhough in so&e resects confir&ing the results lainly showthat &uch re&ains to be "one in the botany of this grou5the >egu&inosae &oreo!er has as yet been only aroxi&atelywor$e" out5

;u&ber of -ecies



confine" to the ;u&ber of ;u&ber of Galaagos secies secies ;u&ber rchielago Total foun" in confine" confine" but foun";a&e ;u&ber other to the to the on &ore

of of arts of Galaagos one than the0slan" -ecies the worl" rchielago islan" one islan"a&es /1 88 8I 87 I lbe&arle 3 1I 6H 66 3Chatha& 86 1H 1H 16 3Charles HI 8. 6. 61 I or 6. if the robably i&orte" lants be subtracte"

,ence we ha!e the truly won"erful fact that in a&es0slan" of the thirtyeight Galaageian lants or those foun"in no other art of the worl" thirty are exclusi!ely confine"to this one islan"S an" in lbe&arle 0slan" of the twentysix aboriginal Galaageian lants twentytwo are confine"to this one islan" that is only four are at resent $nown togrow in the other islan"s of the archielagoS an" so on asshown in the abo!e table with the lants fro& Chatha& an"Charles 0slan"s This fact will erhas be ren"ere" e!en&ore stri$ing by gi!ing a few illustrations5 thus -calesia

a re&ar$able arborescent genus of the Co&ositae is confine"to the archielago5 it has six secies5 one fro& Chatha&one fro& lbe&arle one fro& Charles 0slan" two fro&a&es 0slan" an" the sixth fro& one of the three latter islan"s but it is not $nown fro& which5 not one of these sixsecies grows on any two islan"s gain Euhorbia a &un"aneor wi"ely "istribute" genus has here eight secies of which se!en are confine" to the archielago an" not onefoun" on any two islan"s5 calyha an" Borreria both &un"anegenera ha!e resecti!ely six an" se!en secies noneof which ha!e the sa&e secies on two islan"s with theexcetion of one Borreria which "oes occur on two islan"s

The secies of the Co&ositae are articularly localS an" Dr,oo$er has furnishe" &e with se!eral other &ost stri$ingillustrations of the "ifference of the secies on the "ifferentislan"s ,e re&ar$s that this law of "istribution hol"s goo"both with those genera confine" to the archielago an" those"istribute" in other Luarters of the worl"5 in li$e &anner we ha!e seen that the "ifferent islan"s ha!e their roer secies of the &un"ane genus of tortoise an" of the wi"ely"istribute" &erican genus of the &oc$ingthrush as wellas of two of the Galaageian subgrous of finches an"al&ost certainly of the Galaageian genus &blyrhynchus

The "istribution of the tenants of this archielago woul"not be nearly so won"erful if for instance one islan" ha"a &oc$ingthrush an" a secon" islan" so&e other Luite "istinct



genus if one islan" ha" its genus of li9ar" an" asecon" islan" another "istinct genus or none whate!erS or if the "ifferent islan"s were inhabite" not by reresentati!esecies of the sa&e genera of lants but by totally "ifferentgenera as "oes to a certain extent hol" goo"5 for to gi!eone instance a large berrybearing tree at a&es 0slan" has

no reresentati!e secies in Charles 0slan" But it is thecircu&stance that se!eral of the islan"s ossess their ownsecies of the tortoise &oc$ingthrush finches an" nu&erouslants these secies ha!ing the sa&e general habitsoccuying analogous situations an" ob!iously filling thesa&e lace in the natural econo&y of this archielago thatstri$es &e with won"er 0t &ay be susecte" that so&e of these reresentati!e secies at least in the case of thetortoise an" of so&e of the bir"s &ay hereafter ro!e to beonly well&ar$e" racesS but this woul" be of eLually greatinterest to the hilosohical naturalist 0 ha!e sai" that &ostof the islan"s are in sight of each other5 0 &ay secify that

Charles 0slan" is fifty &iles fro& the nearest art of Chatha&0slan" an" thirtythree &iles fro& the nearest art of lbe&arle 0slan" Chatha& 0slan" is sixty &iles fro& thenearest art of a&es 0slan" but there are two inter&e"iateislan"s between the& which were not !isite" by &e a&es0slan" is only ten &iles fro& the nearest art of lbe&arle0slan" but the two oints where the collections were &a"eare thirtytwo &iles aart 0 &ust reeat that neither thenature of the soil nor height of the lan" nor the cli&atenor the general character of the associate" beings an"therefore their action one on another can "iffer &uch in the"ifferent islan"s 0f there be any sensible "ifference in their

cli&ates it &ust be between the (in"war" grou na&elyCharles an" Chatha& 0slan"s an" that to leewar"S butthere see&s to be no correson"ing "ifference in the ro"uctionsof these two hal!es of the archielago

The only light which 0 can throw on this re&ar$able "ifferencein the inhabitants of the "ifferent islan"s is that!ery strong currents of the sea running in a westerly an"(;( "irection &ust searate as far as transortal by thesea is concerne" the southern islan"s fro& the northernonesS an" between these northern islan"s a strong ;( currentwas obser!e" which &ust effectually searate a&es

an" lbe&arle 0slan"s s the archielago is free to a&ost re&ar$able "egree fro& gales of win" neither thebir"s insects nor lighter see"s woul" be blown fro& islan"to islan" n" lastly the rofoun" "eth of the ocean betweenthe islan"s an" their aarently recent in a geologicalsense !olcanic origin ren"er it highly unli$ely that theywere e!er unite"S an" this robably is a far &ore i&ortantconsi"eration than any other with resect to the geograhical"istribution of their inhabitants +e!iewing the factshere gi!en one is astonishe" at the a&ount of creati!e forceif such an exression &ay be use" "islaye" on these s&allbarren an" roc$y islan"sS an" still &ore so at its "i!erse

yet analogous action on oints so near each other 0 ha!esai" that the Galaagos rchielago &ight be calle" a satelliteattache" to &erica but it shoul" rather be calle" a



grou of satellites hysically si&ilar organically "istinctyet inti&ately relate" to each other an" all relate" in a&ar$e" though &uch lesser "egree to the great &ericancontinent

0 will conclu"e &y "escrition of the natural history of

these islan"s by gi!ing an account of the extre&e ta&enessof the bir"s

This "isosition is co&&on to all the terrestrial seciesSna&ely to the &oc$ingthrushes the finches wrens tyrantflycatchers the "o!e an" carrionbu99ar" ll of the& areoften aroache" sufficiently near to be $ille" with a switchan" so&eti&es as 0 &yself trie" with a ca or hat gunis here al&ost suerfluousS for with the &u99le 0 ushe" ahaw$ off the branch of a tree :ne "ay whilst lying "owna &oc$ingthrush alighte" on the e"ge of a itcher &a"e of the shell of a tortoise which 0 hel" in &y han" an" began

!ery Luietly to si the waterS it allowe" &e to lift it fro&the groun" whilst seate" on the !essel5 0 often trie" an"!ery nearly succee"e" in catching these bir"s by their legs*or&erly the bir"s aear to ha!e been e!en ta&er than atresent Cowley in the year 1HI3 says that the NTurtle"o!eswere so ta&e that they woul" often alight on our hatsan" ar&s so as that we coul" ta$e the& ali!e they not fearing&an until such ti&e as so&e of our co&any "i" fire atthe& whereby they were ren"ere" &ore shyN Da&ier also in the sa&e year says that a &an in a &orning's wal$&ight $ill six or se!en "o9en of these "o!es t resentalthough certainly !ery ta&e they "o not alight on eole's

ar&s nor "o they suffer the&sel!es to be $ille" in such largenu&bers 0t is surrising that they ha!e not beco&e wil"erSfor these islan"s "uring the last hun"re" an" fifty years ha!ebeen freLuently !isite" by bucaniers an" whalersS an" thesailors wan"ering through the woo" in search of tortoisesalways ta$e cruel "elight in $noc$ing "own the little bir"sThese bir"s although now still &ore ersecute" "o notrea"ily beco&e wil" 0n Charles 0slan" which ha" thenbeen coloni9e" about six years 0 saw a boy sitting by a wellwith a switch in his han" with which he $ille" the "o!esan" finches as they ca&e to "rin$ ,e ha" alrea"y rocure"a little hea of the& for his "inner an" he sai" that he ha"

constantly been in the habit of waiting by this well for thesa&e urose 0t woul" aear that the bir"s of thisarchielago not ha!ing as yet learnt that &an is a &ore"angerous ani&al than the tortoise or the &blyrhynchus"isregar" hi& in the sa&e &anner as in Englan" shy bir"s suchas &agies "isregar" the cows an" horses gra9ing in our fiel"s

The *al$lan" 0slan"s offer a secon" instance of bir"swith a si&ilar "isosition The extraor"inary ta&eness of the little :etiorhynchus has been re&ar$e" by Pernety>esson an" other !oyagers 0t is not howe!er eculiar tothat bir"5 the Polyborus snie ulan" an" lowlan" goose

thrush bunting an" e!en so&e true haw$s are all &ore or less ta&e s the bir"s are so ta&e there where foxeshaw$s an" owls occur we &ay infer that the absence of all



raacious ani&als at the Galaagos is not the cause of their ta&eness here The ulan" geese at the *al$lan"s show bythe recaution they ta$e in buil"ing on the islets that theyare aware of their "anger fro& the foxesS but they are notby this ren"ere" wil" towar"s &an This ta&eness of thebir"s esecially of the waterfowl is strongly contraste" with

the habits of the sa&e secies in Tierra "el *uego where for ages ast they ha!e been ersecute" by the wil" inhabitants0n the *al$lan"s the sorts&an &ay so&eti&es $ill &oreof the ulan" geese in one "ay than he can carry ho&eSwhereas in Tierra "el *uego it is nearly as "ifficult to $illone as it is in Englan" to shoot the co&&on wil" goose

0n the ti&e of Pernety 1/H8 all the bir"s there aear to ha!e been &uch ta&er than at resentS he states that the:etiorhynchus woul" al&ost erch on his fingerS an" thatwith a wan" he $ille" ten in half an hour t that erio"the bir"s &ust ha!e been about as ta&e as they now are at

the Galaagos They aear to ha!e learnt caution &oreslowly at these latter islan"s than at the *al$lan"s wherethey ha!e ha" roortionate &eans of exerienceS for besi"esfreLuent !isits fro& !essels those islan"s ha!e been atinter!als coloni9e" "uring the entire erio" E!en for&erlywhen all the bir"s were so ta&e it was i&ossible by Pernety'saccount to $ill the blac$nec$e" swan a bir" of assage which robably brought with it the wis"o& learntin foreign countries

0 &ay a"" that accor"ing to Du Bois all the bir"s atBourbon in 1M/1/6 with the excetion of the fla&ingoes

an" geese were so extre&ely ta&e that they coul" be caughtby the han" or $ille" in any nu&ber with a stic$ gainat Tristan "'cunha in the tlantic Car&ichael 2H4 states thatthe only two lan"bir"s a thrush an" a bunting were Nsota&e as to suffer the&sel!es to be caught with a han"netN*ro& these se!eral facts we &ay 0 thin$ conclu"e first thatthe wil"ness of bir"s with regar" to &an is a articular instinct "irecte" against @hi&@ an" not "een"ent uon anygeneral "egree of caution arising fro& other sources of "angerS secon"ly that it is not acLuire" by in"i!i"ual bir"sin a short ti&e e!en when &uch ersecute"S but that in thecourse of successi!e generations it beco&es here"itary (ith

"o&esticate" ani&als we are accusto&e" to see new &entalhabits or instincts acLuire" or ren"ere" here"itaryS but withani&als in a state of nature it &ust always be &ost "ifficultto "isco!er instances of acLuire" here"itary $nowle"ge 0nregar" to the wil"ness of bir"s towar"s &an there is no wayof accounting for it excet as an inherite" habit5co&arati!ely few young bir"s in any one year ha!e beeninjure" by &an in Englan" yet al&ost all e!en nestlings areafrai" of hi&S &any in"i!i"uals on the other han" both at theGalaagos an" at the *al$lan"s ha!e been ursue" an"injure" by &an yet ha!e not learne" a salutary "rea" of hi& (e &ay infer fro& these facts what ha!oc the intro"uction

of any new beast of rey &ust cause in a countrybefore the instincts of the in"igenous inhabitants ha!ebeco&e a"ate" to the stranger's craft or ower



214 The rogress of research has shown that so&e of these bir"swhich were then thought to be confine" to the islan"s occur onthe &erican continent The e&inent ornithologist =r -claterinfor&s &e that this is the case with the -trix unctatissi&aan" Pyrocehalus nanusS an" robably with the :tus Galaagoensis

an" Wenai"a Galaagoensis5 so that the nu&ber of en"e&ic bir"sis re"uce" to twentythree or robably to twentyone =r-clater thin$s that one or two of these en"e&ic for&s shoul" beran$e" rather as !arieties than secies which always see&e" to&e robable

264 This is state" by Dr Gunther Woolog -oc an 63th1IM. to be a eculiar secies not $nown to inhabit any other country

284 Voyage aux uatre 0les "'friLue (ith resect to the-an"wich 0slan"s see Tyer&an an" Bennett's ournal !ol i

383 *or =auritius see Voyage ar un :fficier etcart i 1/7 There are no frogs in the Canary 0slan"s(ebb et Berthelot ,ist ;at "es 0les Canaries 0 sawnone at -t ago in the Cae "e Ver"s There are none at-t ,elena

234 nn an" =ag of ;at ,ist !ol x!i 1.

2M4 Voyage in the < - shi Essex !ol i 61M

2H4 >inn Trans !ol xii 3.H The &ost ano&alous fact onthis subject which 0 ha!e &et with is the wil"ness of the s&all

bir"s in the rctic arts of ;orth &erica as "escribe" by+ichar"son *auna Bor !ol ii 886 where they are sai"ne!er to be ersecute" This case is the &ore strange becauseit is asserte" that so&e of the sa&e secies in their winterLuarters in the <nite" -tates are ta&e There is &uch as Dr+ichar"son well re&ar$s utterly inexlicable connecte" with the"ifferent "egrees of shyness an" care with which bir"s concealtheir nests ,ow strange it is that the English woo"igeongenerally so wil" a bir" shoul" !ery freLuently rear its youngin shrubberies close to houses%

C,PTE+ V000

T,0T0 ;D ;E( WE>;D

Pass through the >ow rchielago Tahiti sect Vegetation on the =ountains View of Ei&eo Excursion intothe 0nterior Profoun" +a!ines -uccession of (aterfalls ;u&ber of wil" useful Plants Te&erance of the 0nhabitants Their &oral state Parlia&ent con!ene" ;ew Wealan" Bayof 0slan"s ,iahs Excursion to (ai&ate =issionaryEstablish&ent English (ee"s now run wil" (aio&io

*uneral of a ;ew Wealan" (o&an -ail for ustralia



:CT:BE+ 67th The sur!ey of the Galaagos rchielagobeing conclu"e" we steere" towar"s Tahitian" co&&ence" our long assage of 8677 &iles 0nthe course of a few "ays we saile" out of the gloo&y an"clou"e" ocean"istrict which exten"s "uring the winter far fro& the coast of -outh &erica (e then enjoye" bright

an" clear weather while running leasantly along at therate of 1M7 or 1H7 &iles a "ay before the stea"y tra"ewin"The te&erature in this &ore central art of the Pacific ishigher than near the &erican shore The ther&o&eter inthe oo cabin by night an" "ay range" between I7 an"I8 "egs which feels !ery leasantS but with one "egree or twohigher the heat beco&es oressi!e (e asse" throughthe >ow or Dangerous rchielago an" saw se!eral of those &ost curious rings of coral lan" just rising abo!e thewater's e"ge which ha!e been calle" >agoon 0slan"s long an" brilliantly white beach is cae" by a &argin of green !egetationS an" the stri loo$ing either way rai"ly

narrows away in the "istance an" sin$s beneath the hori9on*ro& the &asthea" a wi"e exanse of s&ooth water can beseen within the ring These low hollow coral islan"s bear no roortion to the !ast ocean out of which they abrutlyriseS an" it see&s won"erful that such wea$ in!a"ers arenot o!erwhel&e" by the allowerful an" ne!ertiring wa!esof that great sea &iscalle" the Pacific

;o!e&ber 1Mth t "aylight Tahiti an islan" which&ust for e!er re&ain classical to the !oyager in the -outh-ea was in !iew t a "istance the aearance was notattracti!e The luxuriant !egetation of the lower art coul"

not yet be seen an" as the clou"s rolle" ast the wil"estan" &ost reciitous ea$s showe" the&sel!es towar"s thecentre of the islan" s soon as we anchore" in =ata!aiBay we were surroun"e" by canoes This was our -un"aybut the =on"ay of Tahiti5 if the case ha" been re!erse"we shoul" not ha!e recei!e" a single !isitS for the injunctionnot to launch a canoe on the sabbath is rigi"ly obeye" fter "inner we lan"e" to enjoy all the "elights ro"uce"by the first i&ressions of a new country an" that countrythe char&ing Tahiti crow" of &en wo&en an" chil"renwas collecte" on the &e&orable Point Venus rea"y torecei!e us with laughing &erry faces They &arshalle"

us towar"s the house of =r (ilson the &issionary of the"istrict who &et us on the roa" an" ga!e us a !ery frien"lyrecetion fter sitting a !ery short ti&e in his house wesearate" to wal$ about but returne" there in the e!ening

The lan" caable of culti!ation is scarcely in any art&ore than a fringe of low allu!ial soil accu&ulate" roun"the base of the &ountains an" rotecte" fro& the wa!es of the sea by a coral reef which encircles the entire line of coast (ithin the reef there is an exanse of s&ooth waterli$e that of a la$e where the canoes of the nati!es can lywith safety an" where shis anchor The low lan" which

co&es "own to the beach of coralsan" is co!ere" by the&ost beautiful ro"uctions of the intertroical regions 0nthe &i"st of bananas orange cocoanut an" brea"fruit



trees sots are cleare" where ya&s sweet otatoes an"sugarcane an" ineales are culti!ate" E!en the brushwoo"is an i&orte" fruittree na&ely the gua!a whichfro& its abun"ance has beco&e as noxious as a wee" 0nBra9il 0 ha!e often a"&ire" the !arie" beauty of thebananas al&s an" orangetrees contraste" togetherS an"

here we also ha!e the brea"fruit consicuous fro& its largeglossy an" "eely "igitate" leaf 0t is a"&irable to behol"gro!es of a tree sen"ing forth its branches with the !igour of an English oa$ loa"e" with large an" &ost nutritiousfruit ,owe!er sel"o& the usefulness of an object canaccount for the leasure of behol"ing it in the case of thesebeautiful woo"s the $nowle"ge of their high ro"ucti!enessno "oubt enters largely into the feeling of a"&iration Thelittle win"ing aths cool fro& the surroun"ing sha"e le"to the scattere" housesS the owners of which e!erywherega!e us a cheerful an" &ost hositable recetion

0 was lease" with nothing so &uch as with the inhabitantsThere is a &il"ness in the exression of their countenanceswhich at once banishes the i"ea of a sa!ageS an"intelligence which shows that they are a"!ancing inci!ili9ation The co&&on eole when wor$ing $ee the uer art of their bo"ies Luite na$e"S an" it is then that theTahitians are seen to a"!antage They are !ery tall broa"shoul"ere" athletic an" wellroortione" 0t has beenre&ar$e" that it reLuires little habit to &a$e a "ar$ s$in&ore leasing an" natural to the eye of an Euroean thanhis own colour white &an bathing by the si"e of aTahitian was li$e a lant bleache" by the gar"ener's art

co&are" with a fine "ar$ green one growing !igorously inthe oen fiel"s =ost of the &en are tattooe" an" the orna&entsfollow the cur!ature of the bo"y so gracefully thatthey ha!e a !ery elegant effect :ne co&&on attern !aryingin its "etails is so&ewhat li$e the crown of a al&tree0t srings fro& the central line of the bac$ an" gracefullycurls roun" both si"es The si&ile &ay be a fanciful onebut 0 thought the bo"y of a &an thus orna&ente" was li$ethe trun$ of a noble tree e&brace" by a "elicate creeer

=any of the el"er eole ha" their feet co!ere" withs&all figures so lace" as to rese&ble a soc$ This fashion

howe!er is artly gone by an" has been succee"e" by others,ere although fashion is far fro& i&&utable e!ery one&ust abi"e by that re!ailing in his youth n ol" &anhas thus his age for e!er sta&e" on his bo"y an" he cannotassu&e the airs of a young "an"y The wo&en are tattooe"in the sa&e &anner as the &en an" !ery co&&only on their fingers :ne unbeco&ing fashion is now al&ost uni!ersal5na&ely sha!ing the hair fro& the uer art of the hea"in a circular for& so as to lea!e only an outer ring The&issionaries ha!e trie" to ersua"e the eole to change thishabitS but it is the fashion an" that is a sufficient answer at Tahiti as well as at Paris 0 was &uch "isaointe" in

the ersonal aearance of the wo&en5 they are far inferior in e!ery resect to the &en The custo& of wearing a whiteor scarlet flower in the bac$ of the hea" or through a s&all



hole in each ear is retty crown of wo!en cocoanutlea!es is also worn as a sha"e for the eyes The wo&enaear to be in greater want of so&e beco&ing costu&e e!enthan the &en

;early all the nati!es un"erstan" a little English that is

they $now the na&es of co&&on thingsS an" by the ai" of this together with signs a la&e sort of con!ersation coul"be carrie" on 0n returning in the e!ening to the boat westoe" to witness a !ery retty scene ;u&bers of chil"renwere laying on the beach an" ha" lighte" bonfireswhich illu&ine" the laci" sea an" surroun"ing treesSothers in circles were singing Tahitian !erses (e seate"oursel!es on the san" an" joine" their arty The songswere i&ro&tu an" 0 belie!e relate" to our arri!al5 onelittle girl sang a line which the rest too$ u in artsfor&ing a !ery retty chorus The whole scene &a"e usuneLui!ocally aware that we were seate" on the shores of an

islan" in the farfa&e" -outh -ea

1/th This "ay is rec$one" in the logboo$ as Tues"aythe 1/th instea" of =on"ay the 1Hth owing to our so farsuccessful chase of the sun Before brea$fast the shi washe&&e" in by a flotilla of canoesS an" when the nati!eswere allowe" to co&e on boar" 0 suose there coul" notha!e been less than two hun"re" 0t was the oinion of e!ery one that it woul" ha!e been "ifficult to ha!e ic$e" outan eLual nu&ber fro& any other nation who woul" ha!egi!en so little trouble E!erybo"y brought so&ething for sale5 shells were the &ain articles of tra"e The Tahitians

now fully un"erstan" the !alue of &oney an" refer it tool" clothes or other articles The !arious coins howe!er of English an" -anish "eno&ination u99le the& an" theyne!er see&e" to thin$ the s&all sil!er Luite secure untilchange" into "ollars -o&e of the chiefs ha!e accu&ulate"consi"erable su&s of &oney :ne chief not long sinceoffere" I77 "ollars about 1H7 oun"s sterling for a s&all!esselS an" freLuently they urchase whaleboats an" horses atthe rate of fro& M7 to 177 "ollars

fter brea$fast 0 went on shore an" ascen"e" the nearestsloe to a height of between two an" three thousan" feet

The outer &ountains are s&ooth an" conical but steeS an"the ol" !olcanic roc$s of which they are for&e" ha!e beencut through by &any rofoun" ra!ines "i!erging fro& thecentral bro$en arts of the islan" to the coast ,a!ingcrosse" the narrow low girt of inhabite" an" fertile lan"0 followe" a s&ooth stee ri"ge between two of the "eera!ines The !egetation was singular consisting al&ostexclusi!ely of s&all "warf ferns &ingle" higher u withcoarse grassS it was not !ery "issi&ilar fro& that on so&eof the (elsh hills an" this so close abo!e the orchar" of troical lants on the coast was !ery surrising t thehighest oint which 0 reache" trees again aeare" :f

the three 9ones of co&arati!e luxuriance the lower oneowes its &oisture an" therefore fertility to its flatnessSfor being scarcely raise" abo!e the le!el of the sea the water



fro& the higher lan" "rains away slowly The inter&e"iate9one "oes not li$e the uer one reach into a "a& an"clou"y at&oshere an" therefore re&ains sterile Thewoo"s in the uer 9one are !ery retty treeferns relacingthe cocoanuts on the coast 0t &ust not howe!er besuose" that these woo"s at all eLual in slen"our the

forests of Bra9il The !ast nu&bers of ro"uctions whichcharacteri9e a continent cannot be execte" to occur inan islan"

*ro& the highest oint which 0 attaine" there was a goo"!iew of the "istant islan" of Ei&eo "een"ent on the sa&eso!ereign with Tahiti :n the lofty an" bro$en innacleswhite &assi!e clou"s were ile" u which for&e" an islan"in the blue s$y as Ei&eo itself "i" in the blue ocean Theislan" with the excetion of one s&all gateway is co&letelyencircle" by a reef t this "istance a narrow but well"efine" brilliantly white line was alone !isible where the

wa!es first encountere" the wall of coral The &ountainsrose abrutly out of the glassy exanse of the lagoon inclu"e"within this narrow white line outsi"e which the hea!ingwaters of the ocean were "ar$coloure" The !iew wasstri$ing5 it &ay atly be co&are" to a fra&e" engra!ingwhere the fra&e reresents the brea$ers the &arginal aer the s&ooth lagoon an" the "rawing the islan" itself (henin the e!ening 0 "escen"e" fro& the &ountain a &an who&0 ha" lease" with a trifling gift &et &e bringing with hi&hot roaste" bananas a ineale an" cocoanuts fter wal$ing un"er a burning sun 0 "o not $now anything &ore"elicious than the &il$ of a young cocoanut Pineales

are here so abun"ant that the eole eat the& in the sa&ewasteful &anner as we &ight turnis They are of an excellentfla!or erhas e!en better than those culti!ate" inEnglan"S an" this 0 belie!e is the highest co&li&ent whichcan be ai" to any fruit Before going on boar" =r (ilsoninterrete" for &e to the Tahitian who ha" ai" &e so a"roitan attention that 0 wante" hi& an" another &an to acco&any&e on a short excursion into the &ountains

1Ith 0n the &orning 0 ca&e on shore early bringingwith &e so&e ro!isions in a bag an" two blan$ets for &yself an" ser!ant These were lashe" to each en" of a long

ole which was alternately carrie" by &y Tahitian co&anionson their shoul"ers These &en are accusto&e" thusto carry for a whole "ay as &uch as fifty oun"s at eachen" of their oles 0 tol" &y gui"es to ro!i"e the&sel!eswith foo" an" clothingS but they sai" that there was lentyof foo" in the &ountains an" for clothing that their s$inswere sufficient :ur line of &arch was the !alley of Tiaauru"own which a ri!er flows into the sea by Point VenusThis is one of the rincial strea&s in the islan" an" itssource lies at the base of the loftiest central innacleswhich rise to a height of about /777 feet The whole islan"is so &ountainous that the only way to enetrate into the

interior is to follow u the !alleys :ur roa" at first laythrough woo"s which bor"ere" each si"e of the ri!erS an"the gli&ses of the lofty central ea$s seen as through an



a!enue with here an" there a wa!ing cocoanut tree on onesi"e were extre&ely icturesLue The !alley soon began tonarrow an" the si"es to grow lofty an" &ore reciitous fter ha!ing wal$e" between three an" four hours wefoun" the wi"th of the ra!ine scarcely excee"e" that of thebe" of the strea& :n each han" the walls were nearly !ertical

yet fro& the soft nature of the !olcanic strata treesan" a ran$ !egetation srung fro& e!ery rojecting le"geThese reciices &ust ha!e been so&e thousan" feet highSan" the whole for&e" a &ountain gorge far &ore &agnificentthan anything which 0 ha" e!er before behel" <ntilthe &i""ay sun stoo" !ertically o!er the ra!ine the air feltcool an" "a& but now it beca&e !ery sultry -ha"e" by ale"ge of roc$ beneath a faca"e of colu&nar la!a we ate our "inner =y gui"es ha" alrea"y rocure" a "ish of s&allfish an" freshwater rawns They carrie" with the& as&all net stretche" on a hooS an" where the water was"ee an" in e""ies they "i!e" an" li$e otters with their

eyes oen followe" the fish into holes an" corners an" thuscaught the&

The Tahitians ha!e the "exterity of a&hibious ani&alsin the water n anec"ote &entione" by Ellis shows how&uch they feel at ho&e in this ele&ent (hen a horse waslan"ing for Po&arre in 1I1/ the slings bro$e an" it fellinto the waterS i&&e"iately the nati!es ju&e" o!erboar"an" by their cries an" !ain efforts at assistance al&ost"rowne" it s soon howe!er as it reache" the shore thewhole oulation too$ to flight an" trie" to hi"e the&sel!esfro& the &ancarrying ig as they christene" the horse

little higher u the ri!er "i!i"e" itself into three littlestrea&s The two northern ones were i&racticable owingto a succession of waterfalls which "escen"e" fro& the jagge" su&&it of the highest &ountainS the other to allaearance was eLually inaccessible but we &anage" to ascen"it by a &ost extraor"inary roa" The si"es of the!alley were here nearly reciitous but as freLuently haenswith stratifie" roc$s s&all le"ges rojecte" which werethic$ly co!ere" by wil" bananas lilaceous lants an" other luxuriant ro"uctions of the troics The Tahitians bycli&bing a&ongst these le"ges searching for fruit ha"

"isco!ere" a trac$ by which the whole reciice coul" be scale"The first ascent fro& the !alley was !ery "angerousS for itwas necessary to ass a steely incline" face of na$e" roc$by the ai" of roes which we brought with us ,ow anyerson "isco!ere" that this for&i"able sot was the onlyoint where the si"e of the &ountain was racticable 0 cannoti&agine (e then cautiously wal$e" along one of thele"ges till we ca&e to one of the three strea&s This le"gefor&e" a flat sot abo!e which a beautiful casca"e so&ehun"re" feet in height oure" "own its waters an" beneathanother high casca"e fell into the &ain strea& in the !alleybelow *ro& this cool an" sha"y recess we &a"e a

circuit to a!oi" the o!erhanging waterfall s before wefollowe" little rojecting le"ges the "anger being artlyconceale" by the thic$ness of the !egetation 0n assing



fro& one of the le"ges to another there was a !ertical wallof roc$ :ne of the Tahitians a fine acti!e &an lace"the trun$ of a tree against this cli&be" u it an" then bythe ai" of cre!ices reache" the su&&it ,e fixe" the roesto a rojecting oint an" lowere" the& for our "og an"luggage an" then we cla&bere" u oursel!es Beneath the

le"ge on which the "ea" tree was lace" the reciice &ustha!e been fi!e or six hun"re" feet "eeS an" if the abyssha" not been artly conceale" by the o!erhanging ferns an"lilies &y hea" woul" ha!e turne" gi""y an" nothing shoul"ha!e in"uce" &e to ha!e atte&te" it (e continue" toascen" so&eti&es along le"ges an" so&eti&es along $nifee"ge" ri"ges ha!ing on each han" rofoun" ra!ines 0nthe Cor"illera 0 ha!e seen &ountains on a far gran"er scale but for abrutness nothing at all co&arable with this0n the e!ening we reache" a flat little sot on the ban$sof the sa&e strea& which we ha" continue" to follow an"which "escen"s in a chain of waterfalls5 here we bi!ouac$e"

for the night :n each si"e of the ra!ine there were greatbe"s of the &ountainbanana co!ere" with rie fruit =anyof these lants were fro& twenty to twentyfi!e feet highan" fro& three to four in circu&ference By the ai" of stris of bar$ for roe the ste&s of ba&boos for raftersan" the large leaf of the banana for a thatch the Tahitiansin a few &inutes built us an excellent houseS an" withwithere" lea!es &a"e a soft be"

They then rocee"e" to &a$e a fire an" coo$ our e!ening&eal light was rocure" by rubbing a blunt ointe"stic$ in a groo!e &a"e in another as if with intention of

"eeening it until by the friction the "ust beca&e ignite" eculiarly white an" !ery light woo" the ,ibiscus tiliareusis alone use" for this urose5 it is the sa&e whichser!es for oles to carry any bur"en an" for the floatingoutriggers to their canoes The fire was ro"uce" in a fewsecon"s5 but to a erson who "oes not un"erstan" the artit reLuires as 0 foun" the greatest exertionS but at last to&y great ri"e 0 succee"e" in igniting the "ust TheGaucho in the Pa&as uses a "ifferent &etho"5 ta$ing anelastic stic$ about eighteen inches long he resses one en"on his breast an" the other ointe" en" into a hole in a ieceof woo" an" then rai"ly turns the cur!e" art li$e a

carenter's centrebit The Tahitians ha!ing &a"e a s&all fireof stic$s lace" a score of stones of about the si9e of cric$etballs on the burning woo" 0n about ten &inutes thestic$s were consu&e" an" the stones hot They ha" re!iouslyfol"e" u in s&all arcels of lea!es ieces of beeffish rie an" unrie bananas an" the tos of the wil" aru&These green arcels were lai" in a layer between two layersof the hot stones an" the whole then co!ere" u withearth so that no s&o$e or stea& coul" escae 0n abouta Luarter of an hour the whole was &ost "eliciously coo$e"The choice green arcels were now lai" on a cloth of banana lea!es an" with a cocoanut shell we "ran$ the

cool water of the running strea&S an" thus we enjoye" our rustic &eal



0 coul" not loo$ on the surroun"ing lants without a"&iration:n e!ery si"e were forests of bananaS the fruitof which though ser!ing for foo" in !arious ways lay inheas "ecaying on the groun" 0n front of us there was anextensi!e bra$e of wil" sugarcaneS an" the strea& wassha"e" by the "ar$ green $notte" ste& of the !a so fa&ous

in for&er "ays for its owerful intoxicating effects 0chewe" a iece an" foun" that it ha" an acri" an" unleasanttaste which woul" ha!e in"uce" any one at once toha!e ronounce" it oisonous Than$s to the &issionariesthis lant now thri!es only in these "ee ra!ines innocuous toe!ery one Close by 0 saw the wil" aru& the roots of whichwhen well ba$e" are goo" to eat an" the young lea!esbetter than sinach There was the wil" ya& an" a liliaceouslant calle" Ti which grows in abun"ance an" has a softbrown root in shae an" si9e li$e a huge log of woo"5 thisser!e" us for "essert for it is as sweet as treacle an" witha leasant taste There were &oreo!er se!eral other wil"

fruits an" useful !egetables The little strea& besi"es itscool water ro"uce" eels an" crayfish 0 "i" in"ee" a"&irethis scene when 0 co&are" it with an unculti!ate" one inthe te&erate 9ones 0 felt the force of the re&ar$ that&an at least sa!age &an with his reasoning owers onlyartly "e!eloe" is the chil" of the troics

s the e!ening "rew to a close 0 strolle" beneath thegloo&y sha"e of the bananas u the course of the strea&=y wal$ was soon brought to a close by co&ing to a waterfallbetween two an" three hun"re" feet highS an" againabo!e this there was another 0 &ention all these waterfalls

in this one broo$ to gi!e a general i"ea of the inclinationof the lan" 0n the little recess where the water fell it "i"not aear that a breath of win" ha" e!er blown The thine"ges of the great lea!es of the banana "a& with sraywere unbro$en instea" of being as is so generally the caseslit into a thousan" shre"s *ro& our osition al&ostsusen"e" on the &ountain si"e there were gli&ses into the"eths of the neighbouring !alleysS an" the lofty oints of the central &ountains towering u within sixty "egrees of the 9enith hi" half the e!ening s$y Thus seate" it wasa subli&e sectacle to watch the sha"es of night gra"uallyobscuring the last an" highest innacles

Before we lai" oursel!es "own to slee the el"er Tahitianfell on his $nees an" with close" eyes reeate" a longrayer in his nati!e tongue ,e raye" as a Christian shoul""o with fitting re!erence an" without the fear of ri"iculeor any ostentation of iety t our &eals neither of the &enwoul" taste foo" without saying beforehan" a short graceThose tra!ellers who thin$ that a Tahitian rays only whenthe eyes of the &issionary are fixe" on hi& shoul" ha!eslet with us that night on the &ountainsi"e Before &orningit raine" !ery hea!ilyS but the goo" thatch of bananalea!es $et us "ry

;o!e&ber 1.th t "aylight &y frien"s after their &orning rayer reare" an excellent brea$fast in the sa&e



&anner as in the e!ening They the&sel!es certainly artoo$of it largelyS in"ee" 0 ne!er saw any &en eat near so&uch 0 suose such enor&ously caacious sto&achs &ustbe the effect of a large art of their "iet consisting of fruitan" !egetables which contain in a gi!en bul$ a co&arati!elys&all ortion of nutri&ent <nwittingly 0 was the

&eans of &y co&anions brea$ing as 0 afterwar"s learne"one of their own laws an" resolutions5 0 too$ with &e aflas$ of sirits which they coul" not refuse to arta$e ofSbut as often as they "ran$ a little they ut their fingersbefore their &ouths an" uttere" the wor" N=issionaryN bout two years ago although the use of the a!a was re!ente""run$enness fro& the intro"uction of sirits beca&e!ery re!alent The &issionaries re!aile" on a few goo"&en who saw that their country was rai"ly going to ruinto join with the& in a Te&erance -ociety *ro& goo"sense or sha&e all the chiefs an" the Lueen were at lastersua"e" to join 0&&e"iately a law was asse" that no

sirits shoul" be allowe" to be intro"uce" into the islan"an" that he who sol" an" he who bought the forbi""enarticle shoul" be unishe" by a fine (ith re&ar$able justicea certain erio" was allowe" for stoc$ in han" to besol" before the law ca&e into effect But when it "i" ageneral search was &a"e in which e!en the houses of the&issionaries were not exe&te" an" all the a!a as thenati!es call all ar"ent sirits was oure" on the groun"(hen one reflects on the effect of inte&erance on theaborigines of the two &ericas 0 thin$ it will be ac$nowle"ge"that e!ery wellwisher of Tahiti owes no co&&on "ebtof gratitu"e to the &issionaries s long as the little islan"

of -t ,elena re&aine" un"er the go!ern&ent of the East0n"ia Co&any sirits owing to the great injury they ha"ro"uce" were not allowe" to be i&orte"S but wine wassulie" fro& the Cae of Goo" ,oe 0t is rather a stri$ingan" not !ery gratifying fact that in the sa&e year that sirits were allowe" to be sol" in ,elena their use wasbanishe" fro& Tahiti by the free will of the eole

fter brea$fast we rocee"e" on our ourney s &y objectwas &erely to see a little of the interior scenery wereturne" by another trac$ which "escen"e" into the &ain!alley lower "own *or so&e "istance we woun" by a &ost

intricate ath along the si"e of the &ountain which for&e"the !alley 0n the less reciitous arts we asse" throughextensi!e gro!es of the wil" banana The Tahitians withtheir na$e" tattooe" bo"ies their hea"s orna&ente" withflowers an" seen in the "ar$ sha"e of these gro!es woul"ha!e for&e" a fine icture of &an inhabiting so&e ri&e!allan" 0n our "escent we followe" the line of ri"gesS thesewere excee"ingly narrow an" for consi"erable lengths steeas a la""erS but all clothe" with !egetation The extre&ecare necessary in oising each ste ren"ere" the wal$ fatiguing0 "i" not cease to won"er at these ra!ines an"reciices5 when !iewing the country fro& one of the $nife

e"ge" ri"ges the oint of suort was so s&all that theeffect was nearly the sa&e as it &ust be fro& a balloon 0nthis "escent we ha" occasion to use the roes only once at



the oint where we entere" the &ain !alley (e slet un"er the sa&e le"ge of roc$ where we ha" "ine" the "ay before5the night was fine but fro& the "eth an" narrowness of thegorge rofoun"ly "ar$

Before actually seeing this country 0 foun" it "ifficult

to un"erstan" two facts &entione" by EllisS na&ely thatafter the &ur"erous battles of for&er ti&es the sur!i!orson the conLuere" si"e retire" into the &ountains where ahan"ful of &en coul" resist a &ultitu"e Certainly half a "o9en &en at the sot where the Tahitian reare" the ol"tree coul" easily ha!e reulse" thousan"s -econ"ly thatafter the intro"uction of Christianity there were wil" &enwho li!e" in the &ountains an" whose retreats were un$nownto the &ore ci!ili9e" inhabitants

;o!e&ber 67th 0n the &orning we starte" early an"reache" =ata!ai at noon :n the roa" we &et a large arty

of noble athletic &en going for wil" bananas 0 foun" thatthe shi on account of the "ifficulty in watering ha" &o!e"to the harbour of Paawa to which lace 0 i&&e"iatelywal$e" This is a !ery retty sot The co!e is surroun"e"by reefs an" the water as s&ooth as in a la$e Theculti!ate" groun" with its beautiful ro"uctions interserse"with cottages co&es close "own to the water's e"ge*ro& the !arying accounts which 0 ha" rea" before reachingthese islan"s 0 was !ery anxious to for& fro& &y ownobser!ation a ju"g&ent of their &oral state although such ju"g&ent woul" necessarily be !ery i&erfect *irst i&ressionsat all ti&es !ery &uch "een" on one's re!iously

acLuire" i"eas =y notions were "rawn fro& Ellis's NPolynesian+esearchesN an a"&irable an" &ost interestingwor$ but naturally loo$ing at e!erything un"er a fa!ourableoint of !iew fro& Beechey's VoyageS an" fro& that of Uot9ebue which is strongly a"!erse to the whole &issionarysyste& ,e who co&ares these three accounts will 0 thin$for& a tolerably accurate concetion of the resent state of Tahiti :ne of &y i&ressions which 0 too$ fro& the twolast authorities was "eci"e"ly incorrectS !i9 that theTahitians ha" beco&e a gloo&y race an" li!e" in fear of the&issionaries :f the latter feeling 0 saw no trace unlessin"ee" fear an" resect be confoun"e" un"er one na&e

0nstea" of "iscontent being a co&&on feeling it woul" be"ifficult in Euroe to ic$ out of a crow" half so &any &erryan" hay faces The rohibition of the flute an" "ancingis in!eighe" against as wrong an" foolishS the &ore thanresbyterian &anner of $eeing the sabbath is loo$e" at ina si&ilar light :n these oints 0 will not reten" to offer any oinion to &en who ha!e resi"e" as &any years as 0was "ays on the islan"

:n the whole it aears to &e that the &orality an"religion of the inhabitants are highly cre"itable There are&any who attac$ e!en &ore acri&oniously than Uot9ebue

both the &issionaries their syste& an" the effects ro"uce"by it -uch reasoners ne!er co&are the resent state withthat of the islan" only twenty years agoS nor e!en with that



of Euroe at this "ayS but they co&are it with the highstan"ar" of Gosel erfection They exect the &issionariesto effect that which the ostles the&sel!es faile" to "o0nas&uch as the con"ition of the eole falls short of this high stan"ar" bla&e is attache" to the &issionary instea"of cre"it for that which he has effecte" They forget

or will not re&e&ber that hu&an sacrifices an" the ower of an i"olatrous riesthoo" a syste& of rofligacyunarallele" in any other art of the worl" infantici"e aconseLuence of that syste& bloo"y wars where the conLuerorssare" neither wo&en nor chil"ren that all these ha!e beenabolishe"S an" that "ishonesty inte&erance an" licentiousnessha!e been greatly re"uce" by the intro"uction of Christianity0n a !oyager to forget these things is base ingratitu"eS for shoul" he chance to be at the oint of shiwrec$ on so&eun$nown coast he will &ost "e!outly ray that the lesson of the &issionary &ay ha!e exten"e" thus far

0n oint of &orality the !irtue of the wo&en it has beenoften sai" is &ost oen to excetion But before they arebla&e" too se!erely it will be well "istinctly to call to &in"the scenes "escribe" by Catain Coo$ an" =r Ban$s inwhich the gran"&others an" &others of the resent racelaye" a art Those who are &ost se!ere shoul" consi"er how &uch of the &orality of the wo&en in Euroe is owingto the syste& early i&resse" by &others on their "aughtersan" how &uch in each in"i!i"ual case to the recets of religion But it is useless to argue against such reasonersS 0 belie!e that "isaointe" in not fin"ing the fiel" of licentiousness Luite so oen as for&erly they will not gi!e

cre"it to a &orality which they "o not wish to ractise or to areligion which they un"er!alue if not "esise

-un"ay 66n" The harbour of Paiete where the Lueenresi"es &ay be consi"ere" as the caital of the islan"5 it isalso the seat of go!ern&ent an" the chief resort of shiingCatain *it9 +oy too$ a arty there this "ay to hear "i!ineser!ice first in the Tahitian language an" afterwar"s in our own =r Pritchar" the lea"ing &issionary in the islan"erfor&e" the ser!ice The chael consiste" of a large airyfra&ewor$ of woo"S an" it was fille" to excess by ti"y cleaneole of all ages an" both sexes 0 was rather "isaointe"

in the aarent "egree of attentionS but 0 belie!e &yexectations were raise" too high t all e!ents the aearancewas Luite eLual to that in a country church in Englan"The singing of the hy&ns was "eci"e"ly !ery leasing butthe language fro& the ulit although fluently "eli!ere" "i"not soun" well5 a constant reetition of wor"s li$e Ntatata &ata &aiN ren"ere" it &onotonous fter English ser!icea arty returne" on foot to =ata!ai 0t was a leasantwal$ so&eti&es along the seabeach an" so&eti&es un"er the sha"e of the &any beautiful trees

bout two years ago a s&all !essel un"er English colours

was lun"ere" by so&e of the inhabitants of the >ow 0slan"swhich were then un"er the "o&inion of the ueen of Tahiti0t was belie!e" that the eretrators were instigate" to this



act by so&e in"iscreet laws issue" by her &ajesty TheBritish go!ern&ent "e&an"e" co&ensationS which was acce"e"to an" the su& of nearly three thousan" "ollars wasagree" to be ai" on the first of last -ete&ber The Co&&o"oreat >i&a or"ere" Catain *it9 +oy to inLuire concerningthis "ebt an" to "e&an" satisfaction if it were not

ai" Catain *it9 +oy accor"ingly reLueste" an inter!iewwith the ueen Po&arre since fa&ous fro& the illtreat&entshe ha" recei!e" fro& the *renchS an" a arlia&ent washel" to consi"er the Luestion at which all the rincial chiefsof the islan" an" the Lueen were asse&ble" 0 will not atte&tto "escribe what too$ lace after the interesting accountgi!en by Catain *it9 +oy The &oney it aeare"ha" not been ai"S erhas the allege" reasons were rather eLui!ocalS but otherwise 0 cannot sufficiently exress our general surrise at the extre&e goo" sense the reasoningowers &o"eration can"our an" ro&t resolution whichwere "islaye" on all si"es 0 belie!e we all left the &eeting

with a !ery "ifferent oinion of the Tahitians fro& what weentertaine" when we entere" The chiefs an" eole resol!e"to subscribe an" co&lete the su& which was wantingSCatain *it9 +oy urge" that it was har" that their ri!ateroerty shoul" be sacrifice" for the cri&es of "istantislan"ers They relie" that they were grateful for hisconsi"eration but that Po&arre was their ueen an" that theywere "eter&ine" to hel her in this her "ifficulty Thisresolution an" its ro&t execution for a boo$ was oene"early the next &orning &a"e a erfect conclusion to this!ery re&ar$able scene of loyalty an" goo" feeling

fter the &ain "iscussion was en"e" se!eral of the chiefstoo$ the oortunity of as$ing Catain *it9 +oy &any intelligentLuestions on international custo&s an" laws relatingto the treat&ent of shis an" foreigners :n so&eoints as soon as the "ecision was &a"e the law was issue"!erbally on the sot This Tahitian arlia&ent laste" for se!eral hoursS an" when it was o!er Catain *it9 +oy in!ite"ueen Po&arre to ay the Beagle a !isit

;o!e&ber 6Mth 0n the e!ening four boats were sent for her &ajestyS the shi was "resse" with flags an" the yar"s&anne" on her co&ing on boar" -he was acco&anie" by

&ost of the chiefs The beha!iour of all was !ery roer5they begge" for nothing an" see&e" &uch lease" with Catain*it9 +oy's resents The Lueen is a large aw$war"wo&an without any beauty grace or "ignity -he has onlyone royal attribute5 a erfect i&&o!ability of exressionun"er all circu&stances an" that rather a sullen one Theroc$ets were &ost a"&ire" an" a "ee N:h%N coul" behear" fro& the shore all roun" the "ar$ bay after eachexlosion The sailors' songs were also &uch a"&ire"S an"the Lueen sai" she thought that one of the &ost boisterousones certainly coul" not be a hy&n% The royal arty "i"not return on shore till ast &i"night

6Hth 0n the e!ening with a gentle lan"bree9e a coursewas steere" for ;ew Wealan"S an" as the sun set we ha" a



farewell !iew of the &ountains of Tahiti the islan" to whiche!ery !oyager has offere" u his tribute of a"&iration

Dece&ber 1.th 0n the e!ening we saw in the "istance;ew Wealan" (e &ay now consi"er that we ha!e nearlycrosse" the Pacific 0t is necessary to sail o!er this great

ocean to co&rehen" its i&&ensity =o!ing Luic$ly onwar"sfor wee$s together we &eet with nothing but thesa&e blue rofoun"ly "ee ocean E!en within thearchielagoes the islan"s are &ere sec$s an" far "istant onefro& the other ccusto&e" to loo$ at &as "rawn on as&all scale where "ots sha"ing an" na&es are crow"e"together we "o not rightly ju"ge how infinitely s&all theroortion of "ry lan" is to water of this !ast exanseThe &eri"ian of the ntio"es has li$ewise been asse"S an"now e!ery league it &a"e us hay to thin$ was one leaguenearer to Englan" These ntio"es call to one's &in" ol"recollections of chil"ish "oubt an" won"er :nly the other

"ay 0 loo$e" forwar" to this airy barrier as a "efinite ointin our !oyage ho&ewar"sS but now 0 fin" it an" all suchrestinglaces for the i&agination are li$e sha"ows whicha &an &o!ing onwar"s cannot catch gale of win" lastingfor so&e "ays has lately gi!en us full leisure to &easurethe future stages in our ho&ewar" !oyage an" to wish&ost earnestly for its ter&ination

Dece&ber 61st Early in the &orning we entere" the Bayof 0slan"s an" being becal&e" for so&e hours near the&outh we "i" not reach the anchorage till the &i""le of the"ay The country is hilly with a s&ooth outline an" is

"eely intersecte" by nu&erous ar&s of the sea exten"ingfro& the bay The surface aears fro& a "istance as if clothe" with coarse asture but this in truth is nothing butfern :n the &ore "istant hills as well as in arts of the!alleys there is a goo" "eal of woo"lan" The general tintof the lan"scae is not a bright greenS an" it rese&bles thecountry a short "istance to the south of Concecion in Chile0n se!eral arts of the bay little !illages of sLuare ti"yloo$ing houses are scattere" close "own to the water's e"geThree whalingshis were lying at anchor an" a canoe e!erynow an" then crosse" fro& shore to shoreS with theseexcetions an air of extre&e Luietness reigne" o!er the

whole "istrict :nly a single canoe ca&e alongsi"e Thisan" the asect of the whole scene affor"e" a re&ar$ablean" not !ery leasing contrast with our joyful an" boisterouswelco&e at Tahiti

0n the afternoon we went on shore to one of the larger grous of houses which yet har"ly "eser!es the title of a!illage 0ts na&e is Pahia5 it is the resi"ence of the&issionariesS an" there are no nati!e resi"ents excet ser!antsan" labourers 0n the !icinity of the Bay of 0slan"s thenu&ber of English&en inclu"ing their fa&ilies a&ounts tobetween two an" three hun"re" ll the cottages &any of

which are whitewashe" an" loo$ !ery neat are the roertyof the English The ho!els of the nati!es are so "i&inuti!ean" altry that they can scarcely be ercei!e" fro& a "istance



t Pahia it was Luite leasing to behol" the Englishflowers in the gar"ens before the housesS there wereroses of se!eral $in"s honeysuc$le jas&ine stoc$s an"whole he"ges of sweetbrier

Dece&ber 66n" 0n the &orning 0 went out wal$ingS but

0 soon foun" that the country was !ery i&racticable llthe hills are thic$ly co!ere" with tall fern together witha low bush which grows li$e a cyressS an" !ery littlegroun" has been cleare" or culti!ate" 0 then trie" theseabeachS but rocee"ing towar"s either han" &y wal$was soon stoe" by saltwater cree$s an" "ee broo$s Theco&&unication between the inhabitants of the "ifferentarts of the bay is as in Chiloe al&ost entirely $et uby boats 0 was surrise" to fin" that al&ost e!ery hill which0 ascen"e" ha" been at so&e for&er ti&e &ore or lessfortifie" The su&&its were cut into stes or successi!eterraces an" freLuently they ha" been rotecte" by "ee

trenches 0 afterwar"s obser!e" that the rincial hills inlan"in li$e &anner showe" an artificial outline These arethe Pas so freLuently &entione" by Catain Coo$ un"er thena&e of NhiahSN the "ifference of soun" being owing tothe refixe" article

That the Pas ha" for&erly been &uch use" was e!i"entfro& the iles of shells an" the its in which as 0 wasinfor&e" sweet otatoes use" to be $et as a reser!e sthere was no water on these hills the "efen"ers coul" ne!er ha!e anticiate" a long siege but only a hurrie" attac$ for lun"er against which the successi!e terraces woul" ha!e

affor"e" goo" rotection The general intro"uction of firear&shas change" the whole syste& of warfareS an" an exose"situation on the to of a hill is now worse than uselessThe Pas in conseLuence are at the resent "ay always builton a le!el iece of groun" They consist of a "ouble stoc$a"eof thic$ an" tall osts lace" in a 9ig9ag line so that e!eryart can be flan$e" (ithin the stoc$a"e a &oun" of earth isthrown u behin" which the "efen"ers can rest in safety or use their firear&s o!er it :n the le!el of the groun"little archways so&eti&es ass through this breastwor$by which &eans the "efen"ers can crawl out to the stoc$a"ean" reconnoitre their ene&ies The +e! ( (illia&s who

ga!e &e this account a""e" that in one Pas he ha" notice"surs or buttresses rojecting on the inner an" rotecte"si"e of the &oun" of earth :n as$ing the chief the useof the& he relie" that if two or three of his &en wereshot their neighbours woul" not see the bo"ies an" so be"iscourage"

These Pas are consi"ere" by the ;ew Wealan"ers as !eryerfect &eans of "efence5 for the attac$ing force is ne!er so well "isciline" as to rush in a bo"y to the stoc$a"e cutit "own an" effect their entry (hen a tribe goes to warthe chief cannot or"er one arty to go here an" another

thereS but e!ery &an fights in the &anner which best leaseshi&selfS an" to each searate in"i!i"ual to aroach a stoc$a"e"efen"e" by firear&s &ust aear certain "eath 0



shoul" thin$ a &ore warli$e race of inhabitants coul" notbe foun" in any art of the worl" than the ;ew Wealan"ersTheir con"uct on first seeing a shi as "escribe" by CatainCoo$ strongly illustrates this5 the act of throwing !olleysof stones at so great an" no!el an object an" their "efianceof NCo&e on shore an" we will $ill an" eat you allN shows

unco&&on bol"ness This warli$e sirit is e!i"ent in &anyof their custo&s an" e!en in their s&allest actions 0f a;ew Wealan"er is struc$ although but in jo$e the blow&ust be returne" an" of this 0 saw an instance with oneof our officers

t the resent "ay fro& the rogress of ci!ili9ation thereis &uch less warfare excet a&ong so&e of the southerntribes 0 hear" a characteristic anec"ote of what too$ laceso&e ti&e ago in the south &issionary foun" a chief an"his tribe in rearation for warS their &us$ets clean an"bright an" their a&&unition rea"y ,e reasone" long on

the inutility of the war an" the little ro!ocation whichha" been gi!en for it The chief was &uch sha$en in hisresolution an" see&e" in "oubt5 but at length it occurre"to hi& that a barrel of his gunow"er was in a ba" state an"that it woul" not $ee &uch longer This was brought forwar"as an unanswerable argu&ent for the necessity of i&&e"iately"eclaring war5 the i"ea of allowing so &uch goo"gunow"er to soil was not to be thought ofS an" this settle"the oint 0 was tol" by the &issionaries that in thelife of -hongi the chief who !isite" Englan" the lo!e of war was the one an" lasting sring of e!ery action Thetribe in which he was a rincial chief ha" at one ti&e been

oresse" by another tribe fro& the Tha&es +i!er sole&n oath was ta$en by the &en that when their boysshoul" grow u an" they shoul" be owerful enough theywoul" ne!er forget or forgi!e these injuries To fulfil thisoath aears to ha!e been -hongi's chief &oti!e for goingto Englan"S an" when there it was his sole object Presentswere !alue" only as they coul" be con!erte" into ar&sSof the arts those alone intereste" hi& which were connecte"with the &anufacture of ar&s (hen at -y"ney -hongiby a strange coinci"ence &et the hostile chief of the Tha&es+i!er at the house of =r =ars"en5 their con"uct was ci!ilto each otherS but -hongi tol" hi& that when again in ;ew

Wealan" he woul" ne!er cease to carry war into his countryThe challenge was accete"S an" -hongi on his return fulfille"the threat to the ut&ost letter The tribe on theTha&es +i!er was utterly o!erthrown an" the chief towho& the challenge ha" been gi!en was hi&self $ille"-hongi although harbouring such "ee feelings of hatre"an" re!enge is "escribe" as ha!ing been a goo"nature"erson

0n the e!ening 0 went with Catain *it9 +oy an" =rBa$er one of the &issionaries to ay a !isit to Uorora"i$a5we wan"ere" about the !illage an" saw an" con!erse" with

&any of the eole both &en wo&en an" chil"ren >oo$ingat the ;ew Wealan"er one naturally co&ares hi& withthe TahitianS both belonging to the sa&e fa&ily of &an$in"



The co&arison howe!er tells hea!ily against the ;ewWealan"er ,e &ay erhas be suerior in energy butin e!ery other resect his character is of a &uch lower or"er :ne glance at their resecti!e exressions bringscon!iction to the &in" that one is a sa!age the other aci!ili9e" &an 0t woul" be !ain to see$ in the whole of

;ew Wealan" a erson with the face an" &ien of the ol"Tahitian chief <ta&&e ;o "oubt the extraor"inary &anner in which tattooing is here ractise" gi!es a "isagreeableexression to their countenances The co&licate" butsy&&etrical figures co!ering the whole face u99le an" &islea"an unaccusto&e" eye5 it is &oreo!er robable that the "eeincisions by "estroying the lay of the suerficial &usclesgi!e an air of rigi" inflexibility But besi"es this there isa twin$ling in the eye which cannot in"icate anything butcunning an" ferocity Their figures are tall an" bul$yS butnot co&arable in elegance with those of the wor$ingclasses in Tahiti

But their ersons an" houses are filthily "irty an" offensi!e5the i"ea of washing either their bo"ies or their clothesne!er see&s to enter their hea"s 0 saw a chief who waswearing a shirt blac$ an" &atte" with filth an" when as$e"how it ca&e to be so "irty he relie" with surrise NDonot you see it is an ol" oneQN -o&e of the &en ha!e shirtsSbut the co&&on "ress is one or two large blan$ets generallyblac$ with "irt which are thrown o!er their shoul"ers in a!ery incon!enient an" aw$war" fashion few of the rincialchiefs ha!e "ecent suits of English clothesS but theseare only worn on great occasions

Dece&ber 68r" t a lace calle" (ai&ate about fifteen&iles fro& the Bay of 0slan"s an" &i"way between theeastern an" western coasts the &issionaries ha!e urchase"so&e lan" for agricultural uroses 0 ha" been intro"uce"to the +e! ( (illia&s who uon &y exressing a wishin!ite" &e to ay hi& a !isit there =r Bushby the Britishresi"ent offere" to ta$e &e in his boat by a cree$ where 0shoul" see a retty waterfall an" by which &eans &ywal$ woul" be shortene" ,e li$ewise rocure" for &e agui"e

<on as$ing a neighbouring chief to reco&&en" a &an thechief hi&self offere" to goS but his ignorance of the !alueof &oney was so co&lete that at first he as$e" how &anyoun"s 0 woul" gi!e hi& but afterwar"s was well contente"with two "ollars (hen 0 showe" the chief a !ery s&allbun"le which 0 wante" carrie" it beca&e absolutely necessaryfor hi& to ta$e a sla!e These feelings of ri"e arebeginning to wear awayS but for&erly a lea"ing &an woul"sooner ha!e "ie" than un"ergone the in"ignity of carryingthe s&allest bur"en =y co&anion was a light acti!e &an"resse" in a "irty blan$et an" with his face co&letelytattooe" ,e ha" for&erly been a great warrior ,e aeare"

to be on !ery cor"ial ter&s with =r BushbyS but at!arious ti&es they ha" Luarrelle" !iolently =r Bushbyre&ar$e" that a little Luiet irony woul" freLuently silence



any one of these nati!es in their &ost blustering &o&entsThis chief has co&e an" harangue" =r Bushby in a hectoring&anner saying Ngreat chief a great &an a frien"of &ine has co&e to ay &e a !isit you &ust gi!e hi&so&ething goo" to eat so&e fine resents etcN =r Bushbyhas allowe" hi& to finish his "iscourse an" then has Luietly

relie" by so&e answer such as N(hat else shall your sla!e"o for youQN The &an woul" then instantly with a !eryco&ical exression cease his bragga"ocio

-o&e ti&e ago =r Bushby suffere" a far &ore seriousattac$ chief an" a arty of &en trie" to brea$ into hishouse in the &i""le of the night an" not fin"ing this so easyco&&ence" a bris$ firing with their &us$ets =r Bushbywas slightly woun"e" but the arty was at length "ri!enaway -hortly afterwar"s it was "isco!ere" who was theaggressorS an" a general &eeting of the chiefs was con!ene"to consi"er the case 0t was consi"ere" by the ;ew Wealan"ers

as !ery atrocious inas&uch as it was a night attac$ an"that =rs Bushby was lying ill in the house5 this latter circu&stance &uch to their honour being consi"ere" in allcases as a rotection The chiefs agree" to confiscate thelan" of the aggressor to the Uing of Englan" The wholerocee"ing howe!er in thus trying an" unishing a chief was entirely without rece"ent The aggressor &oreo!erlost caste in the esti&ation of his eLuals an" this wasconsi"ere" by the British as of &ore conseLuence than theconfiscation of his lan"

s the boat was sho!ing off a secon" chief stee" into

her who only wante" the a&use&ent of the assage u an""own the cree$ 0 ne!er saw a &ore horri" an" ferociousexression than this &an ha" 0t i&&e"iately struc$ &e0 ha" so&ewhere seen his li$eness5 it will be foun" in+et9ch's outlines to -chiller's balla" of *ri"olin where two&en are ushing +obert into the burning iron furnace 0tis the &an who has his ar& on +obert's breast Physiogno&yhere so$e the truthS this chief ha" been a notorious&ur"erer an" was an arrant cowar" to boot t the ointwhere the boat lan"e" =r Bushby acco&anie" &e a fewhun"re" yar"s on the roa"5 0 coul" not hel a"&iring thecool i&u"ence of the hoary ol" !illain who& we left lying

in the boat when he shoute" to =r Bushby NDo not youstay long 0 shall be tire" of waiting hereN

(e now co&&ence" our wal$ The roa" lay along awell beaten ath bor"ere" on each si"e by the tall fernwhich co!ers the whole country fter tra!elling so&e&iles we ca&e to a little country !illage where a few ho!elswere collecte" together an" so&e atches of groun" culti!ate"with otatoes The intro"uction of the otato hasbeen the &ost essential benefit to the islan"S it is now &uch&ore use" than any nati!e !egetable ;ew Wealan" isfa!oure" by one great natural a"!antageS na&ely that the

inhabitants can ne!er erish fro& fa&ine The wholecountry aboun"s with fern5 an" the roots of this lant if not !ery alatable yet contain &uch nutri&ent nati!e



can always subsist on these an" on the shellfish which areabun"ant on all arts of the seacoast The !illages arechiefly consicuous by the latfor&s which are raise" onfour osts ten or twel!e feet abo!e the groun" an" onwhich the ro"uce of the fiel"s is $et secure fro& allacci"ents

:n co&ing near one of the huts 0 was &uch a&use" byseeing in "ue for& the cere&ony of rubbing or as it oughtto be calle" ressing noses The wo&en on our first aroachbegan uttering so&ething in a &ost "olorous !oiceSthey then sLuatte" the&sel!es "own an" hel" u their facesS&y co&anion stan"ing o!er the& one after another lace"the bri"ge of his nose at right angles to theirs an" co&&ence"ressing This laste" rather longer than a cor"ialsha$e of the han" with us an" as we !ary the force of thegras of the han" in sha$ing so "o they in ressing Duringthe rocess they uttere" co&fortable little grunts !ery

&uch in the sa&e &anner as two igs "o when rubbingagainst each other 0 notice" that the sla!e woul" ressnoses with any one he &et in"ifferently either before or after his &aster the chief lthough a&ong the sa!ages thechief has absolute ower of life an" "eath o!er his sla!eyet there is an entire absence of cere&ony between the&=r Burchell has re&ar$e" the sa&e thing in -outhern fricawith the ru"e Bachains (here ci!ili9ation hasarri!e" at a certain oint co&lex for&alities soon arisebetween the "ifferent gra"es of society5 thus at Tahiti allwere for&erly oblige" to unco!er the&sel!es as low as thewaist in resence of the $ing

The cere&ony of ressing noses ha!ing been "uly co&lete"with all resent we seate" oursel!es in a circle in thefront of one of the ho!els an" reste" there halfanhour ll the ho!els ha!e nearly the sa&e for& an" "i&ensionsan" all agree in being filthily "irty They rese&ble a cowshe" with one en" oen but ha!ing a artition a little waywithin with a sLuare hole in it &a$ing a s&all gloo&ycha&ber 0n this the inhabitants $ee all their roertyan" when the weather is col" they slee there They eathowe!er an" ass their ti&e in the oen art in front =ygui"es ha!ing finishe" their ies we continue" our wal$

The ath le" through the sa&e un"ulating country the wholeunifor&ly clothe" as before with fern :n our right han"we ha" a serentine ri!er the ban$s of which were fringe"with trees an" here an" there on the hill si"es there was aclu& of woo" The whole scene in site of its green colourha" rather a "esolate asect The sight of so &uch ferni&resses the &in" with an i"ea of sterility5 this howe!eris not correctS for where!er the fern grows thic$ an" breasthigh the lan" by tillage beco&es ro"ucti!e -o&e of theresi"ents thin$ that all this extensi!e oen country originallywas co!ere" with forests an" that it has been cleare" by fire0t is sai" that by "igging in the barest sots lu&s of the

$in" of resin which flows fro& the $auri ine are freLuentlyfoun" The nati!es ha" an e!i"ent &oti!e in clearing thecountryS for the fern for&erly a stale article of foo"



flourishes only in the oen cleare" trac$s The al&ost entireabsence of associate" grasses which for&s so re&ar$able afeature in the !egetation of this islan" &ay erhas beaccounte" for by the lan" ha!ing been aboriginally co!ere"with foresttrees

The soil is !olcanicS in se!eral arts we asse" o!er shaggy la!as an" craters coul" clearly be "istinguishe" onse!eral of the neighbouring hills lthough the scenery isnowhere beautiful an" only occasionally retty 0 enjoye"&y wal$ 0 shoul" ha!e enjoye" it &ore if &y co&anionthe chief ha" not ossesse" extraor"inary con!ersationalowers 0 $new only three wor"s5 Ngoo"N Nba"N an"Nyes5N an" with these 0 answere" all his re&ar$s withoutof course ha!ing un"erstoo" one wor" he sai" This howe!erwas Luite sufficient5 0 was a goo" listener an agreeableerson an" he ne!er cease" tal$ing to &e

t length we reache" (ai&ate fter ha!ing asse" o!er so &any &iles of an uninhabite" useless country the su""enaearance of an English far&house an" its well"resse"fiel"s lace" there as if by an enchanter's wan" wasexcee"ingly leasant =r (illia&s not being at ho&e 0 recei!e"in =r Da!ies's house a cor"ial welco&e fter "rin$ing teawith his fa&ily arty we too$ a stroll about the far& t(ai&ate there are three large houses where the &issionarygentle&en =essrs (illia&s Da!ies an" Clar$e resi"eSan" near the& are the huts of the nati!e labourers :n ana"joining sloe fine cros of barley an" wheat were stan"ingin full earS an" in another art fiel"s of otatoes an" clo!er

But 0 cannot atte&t to "escribe all 0 sawS there were largegar"ens with e!ery fruit an" !egetable which Englan" ro"ucesSan" &any belonging to a war&er cli&e 0 &ay instanceasaragus $i"ney beans cucu&bers rhubarb alesears figs eaches aricots graes oli!es gooseberriescurrants hos gorse for fences an" English oa$sS also &any$in"s of flowers roun" the far&yar" there were stablesa thrashingbarn with its winnowing &achine a blac$s&ith'sforge an" on the groun" loughshares an" other tools5 inthe &i""le was that hay &ixture of igs an" oultry lyingco&fortably together as in e!ery English far&yar" t the"istance of a few hun"re" yar"s where the water of a little

rill ha" been "a&&e" u into a ool there was a large an"substantial water&ill

ll this is !ery surrising when it is consi"ere" that fi!eyears ago nothing but the fern flourishe" here =oreo!ernati!e wor$&anshi taught by the &issionaries has effecte"this changeS the lesson of the &issionary is the enchanter'swan" The house ha" been built the win"ows fra&e" thefiel"s loughe" an" e!en the trees grafte" by a ;ew Wealan"er t the &ill a ;ew Wealan"er was seen ow"ere"white with flower li$e his brother &iller in Englan" (hen0 loo$e" at this whole scene 0 thought it a"&irable 0t was

not &erely that Englan" was brought !i!i"ly before &y&in"S yet as the e!ening "rew to a close the "o&esticsoun"s the fiel"s of corn the "istant un"ulating country



with its trees &ight well ha!e been &ista$en for our fatherlan"5nor was it the triu&hant feeling at seeing what English&encoul" effectS but rather the high hoes thus insire"for the future rogress of this fine islan"

-e!eral young &en re"ee&e" by the &issionaries fro&sla!ery were e&loye" on the far& They were "resse" ina shirt jac$et an" trousers an" ha" a resectable aearanceu"ging fro& one trifling anec"ote 0 shoul" thin$they &ust be honest (hen wal$ing in the fiel"s a younglabourer ca&e u to =r Da!ies an" ga!e hi& a $nife an"gi&let saying that he ha" foun" the& on the roa" an" "i"not $now to who& they belonge"% These young &en an"boys aeare" !ery &erry an" goo"hu&oure" 0n the e!ening0 saw a arty of the& at cric$et5 when 0 thought of theausterity of which the &issionaries ha!e been accuse" 0 wasa&use" by obser!ing one of their own sons ta$ing an acti!e

art in the ga&e &ore "eci"e" an" leasing change was&anifeste" in the young wo&en who acte" as ser!ants withinthe houses Their clean ti"y an" healthy aearance li$ethat of the "airy&ai"s in Englan" for&e" a won"erfulcontrast with the wo&en of the filthy ho!els in Uorora"i$aThe wi!es of the &issionaries trie" to ersua"e the& not tobe tattooe"S but a fa&ous oerator ha!ing arri!e" fro& thesouth they sai" N(e really &ust just ha!e a few lines onour lisS else when we grow ol" our lis will shri!el an" weshall be so !ery uglyN There is not nearly so &uch tattooingas for&erlyS but as it is a ba"ge of "istinction between thechief an" the sla!e it will robably long be ractise" -o

soon "oes any train of i"eas beco&e habitual that the&issionaries tol" &e that e!en in their eyes a lain face loo$e"&ean an" not li$e that of a ;ew Wealan" gentle&an

>ate in the e!ening 0 went to =r (illia&s's house where0 asse" the night 0 foun" there a large arty of chil"rencollecte" together for Christ&as Day an" all sitting roun"a table at tea 0 ne!er saw a nicer or &ore &erry grouS an"to thin$ that this was in the centre of the lan" of cannibalis&&ur"er an" all atrocious cri&es% The cor"iality an"hainess so lainly icture" in the faces of the little circleaeare" eLually felt by the ol"er ersons of the &ission

Dece&ber 63th 0n the &orning rayers were rea" inthe nati!e tongue to the whole fa&ily fter brea$fast 0ra&ble" about the gar"ens an" far& This was a &ar$et"ay when the nati!es of the surroun"ing ha&lets bring their otatoes 0n"ian corn or igs to exchange for blan$etstobacco an" so&eti&es through the ersuasions of the&issionaries for soa =r Da!ies's el"est son who &anages afar& of his own is the &an of business in the &ar$et Thechil"ren of the &issionaries who ca&e while young to theislan" un"erstan" the language better than their arentsan" can get anything &ore rea"ily "one by the nati!es

little before noon =essrs (illia&s an" Da!ies wal$e"with &e to a art of a neighbouring forest to show &e the



fa&ous $auri ine 0 &easure" one of the noble trees an"foun" it thirtyone feet in circu&ference abo!e the rootsThere was another close by which 0 "i" not see thirtythreefeetS an" 0 hear" of one no less than forty feet These treesare re&ar$able for their s&ooth cylin"rical boles which runu to a height of sixty an" e!en ninety feet with a nearly

eLual "ia&eter an" without a single branch The crownof branches at the su&&it is out of all roortion s&all tothe trun$S an" the lea!es are li$ewise s&all co&are" withthe branches The forest was here al&ost co&ose" of the$auriS an" the largest trees fro& the arallelis& of their si"es stoo" u li$e gigantic colu&ns of woo" The ti&ber of the $auri is the &ost !aluable ro"uction of the islan"S&oreo!er a Luantity of resin oo9es fro& the bar$ which issol" at a enny a oun" to the &ericans but its use wasthen un$nown -o&e of the ;ew Wealan" forest &ust bei&enetrable to an extraor"inary "egree =r =atthewsinfor&e" &e that one forest only thirtyfour &iles in wi"th

an" searating two inhabite" "istricts ha" only lately for the first ti&e been crosse" ,e an" another &issionaryeach with a arty of about fifty &en un"ertoo$ to oen aroa" but it cost &ore than a fortnight's labour% 0nthe woo"s 0 saw !ery few bir"s (ith regar" to ani&alsit is a &ost re&ar$able fact that so large an islan" exten"ingo!er &ore than /77 &iles in latitu"e an" in &any artsninety broa" with !arie" stations a fine cli&ate an" lan"of all heights fro& 13777 feet "ownwar"s with the excetionof a s&all rat "i" not ossess one in"igenous ani&alThe se!eral secies of that gigantic genus of bir"s theDeinornis see& here to ha!e relace" &a&&iferous Lua"rue"s

in the sa&e &anner as the retiles still "o at the Galaagosarchielago 0t is sai" that the co&&on ;orway rat inthe short sace of two years annihilate" in this northernen" of the islan" the ;ew Wealan" secies 0n &any laces0 notice" se!eral sorts of wee"s which li$e the rats 0 wasforce" to own as country&en lee$ has o!errun whole"istricts an" will ro!e !ery troubleso&e but it was i&orte"as a fa!our by a *rench !essel The co&&on "oc$is also wi"ely "isse&inate" an" will 0 fear for e!er re&aina roof of the rascality of an English&an who sol" the see"sfor those of the tobacco lant

:n returning fro& our leasant wal$ to the house 0 "ine"with =r (illia&sS an" then a horse being lent &e 0 returne"to the Bay of 0slan"s 0 too$ lea!e of the &issionarieswith than$fulness for their $in" welco&e an" with feelingsof high resect for their gentle&anli$e useful an"uright characters 0 thin$ it woul" be "ifficult to fin"a bo"y of &en better a"ate" for the high office whichthey fulfil

Christ&as Day 0n a few &ore "ays the fourth year of our absence fro& Englan" will be co&lete" :ur firstChrist&as Day was sent at Ply&outh the secon" at -t

=artin's Co!e near Cae ,ornS the thir" at Port Desirein PatagoniaS the fourth at anchor in a wil" harbour in theeninsula of Tres =ontes this fifth here an" the next 0



trust in Pro!i"ence will be in Englan" (e atten"e" "i!ineser!ice in the chael of PahiaS art of the ser!ice beingrea" in English an" art in the nati!e language (hilst at;ew Wealan" we "i" not hear of any recent acts of cannibalis&Sbut =r -to$es foun" burnt hu&an bones strewe"roun" a firelace on a s&all islan" near the anchorageS but

these re&ains of a co&fortable banLuet &ight ha!e beenlying there for se!eral years 0t is robable that the &oralstate of the eole will rai"ly i&ro!e =r Bushby &entione"one leasing anec"ote as a roof of the sincerity of so&e at least of those who rofess Christianity :ne of his young &en left hi& who ha" been accusto&e" to rea"rayers to the rest of the ser!ants -o&e wee$s afterwar"shaening to ass late in the e!ening by an outhouse he sawan" hear" one of his &en rea"ing the Bible with "ifficultyby the light of the fire to the others fter this the arty$nelt an" raye"5 in their rayers they &entione" =rBushby an" his fa&ily an" the &issionaries each searately

in his resecti!e "istrict

Dece&ber 6Hth =r Bushby offere" to ta$e =r -uli!anan" &yself in his boat so&e &iles u the ri!er to CawaCawa an" roose" afterwar"s to wal$ on to the !illage of (aio&io where there are so&e curious roc$s *ollowingone of the ar&s of the bay we enjoye" a leasant row an"asse" through retty scenery until we ca&e to a !illagebeyon" which the boat coul" not ass *ro& this lace achief an" a arty of &en !olunteere" to wal$ with us to(aio&io a "istance of four &iles The chief was at thisti&e rather notorious fro& ha!ing lately hung one of his

wi!es an" a sla!e for a"ultery (hen one of the &issionariesre&onstrate" with hi& he see&e" surrise" an" sai"he thought he was exactly following the English &etho":l" -hongi who haene" to be in Englan" "uring theueen's trial exresse" great "isarobation at the wholerocee"ing5 he sai" he ha" fi!e wi!es an" he woul" rather cut off all their hea"s than be so &uch trouble" about one>ea!ing this !illage we crosse" o!er to another seate" ona hillsi"e at a little "istance The "aughter of a chief whowas still a heathen ha" "ie" there fi!e "ays before Theho!el in which she ha" exire" ha" been burnt to the groun"5her bo"y being enclose" between two s&all canoes was

lace" uright on the groun" an" rotecte" by an enclosurebearing woo"en i&ages of their go"s an" the whole wasainte" bright re" so as to be consicuous fro& afar ,er gown was fastene" to the coffin an" her hair being cut off was cast at its foot The relati!es of the fa&ily ha" tornthe flesh of their ar&s bo"ies an" faces so that they wereco!ere" with clotte" bloo"S an" the ol" wo&en loo$e" &ostfilthy "isgusting objects :n the following "ay so&e of theofficers !isite" this lace an" foun" the wo&en still howlingan" cutting the&sel!es

(e continue" our wal$ an" soon reache" (aio&io ,ere

there are so&e singular &asses of li&estone rese&blingruine" castles These roc$s ha!e long ser!e" for buriallaces an" in conseLuence are hel" too sacre" to be aroache"



:ne of the young &en howe!er crie" out N>etus all be bra!eN an" ran on ahea"S but when within a hun"re"yar"s the whole arty thought better of it an" stoe"short (ith erfect in"ifference howe!er they allowe" usto exa&ine the whole lace t this !illage we reste" so&ehours "uring which ti&e there was a long "iscussion with

=r Bushby concerning the right of sale of certain lan"s:ne ol" &an who aeare" a erfect genealogist illustrate"the successi!e ossessors by bits of stic$ "ri!en into thegroun" Before lea!ing the houses a little bas$etful of roaste" sweet otatoes was gi!en to each of our artyS an"we all accor"ing to the custo& carrie" the& away to eaton the roa" 0 notice" that a&ong the wo&en e&loye" incoo$ing there was a &ansla!e5 it &ust be a hu&iliatingthing for a &an in this warli$e country to be e&loye" in"oing that which is consi"ere" as the lowest wo&an's wor$-la!es are not allowe" to go to warS but this erhas canhar"ly be consi"ere" as a har"shi 0 hear" of one oor

wretch who "uring hostilities ran away to the oositeartyS being &et by two &en he was i&&e"iately sei9e"Sbut as they coul" not agree to who& he shoul" belong eachstoo" o!er hi& with a stone hatchet an" see&e" "eter&ine"that the other at least shoul" not ta$e hi& away ali!e Theoor &an al&ost "ea" with fright was only sa!e" by thea""ress of a chief's wife (e afterwar"s enjoye" a leasantwal$ bac$ to the boat but "i" not reach the shi till late inthe e!ening

Dece&ber 87th 0n the afternoon we stoo" out of theBay of 0slan"s on our course to -y"ney 0 belie!e we were

all gla" to lea!e ;ew Wealan" 0t is not a leasant lace &ongst the nati!es there is absent that char&ing si&licitywhich is foun" in TahitiS an" the greater art of the Englishare the !ery refuse of society ;either is the country itself attracti!e 0 loo$ bac$ but to one bright sot an" that is(ai&ate with its Christian inhabitants

C,PTE+ 0

<-T+>0

-y"ney Excursion to Bathurst sect of the (oo"s Partyof ;ati!es Gra"ual Extinction of the borigines 0nfectiongenerate" by associate" =en in health Blue =ountains Viewof the gran" gulfli$e Valleys Their origin an" for&ation Bathurst general ci!ility of the >ower :r"ers -tate of -ociety Van Die&en's >an" ,obart Town borigines allbanishe" =ount (ellington Uing George's -oun" Cheerless sect of the Country Bal" ,ea" calcareous castsof branches of Trees Party of ;ati!es >ea!e ustralia

;<+R 16th 1I8H Early in the &orning a light air carrie" us towar"s the entrance of Port ac$son 0nstea"of behol"ing a !er"ant country interserse" with



fine houses a straight line of yellowish cliff brought to our &in"s the coast of Patagonia solitary lighthouse built of white stone alone tol" us that we were near a great an"oulous city ,a!ing entere" the harbour it aears finean" sacious with clifffor&e" shores of hori9ontallystratifie" san"stone The nearly le!el country is co!ere" with

thin scrubby trees besea$ing the curse of sterilityProcee"ing further inlan" the country i&ro!es5 beautiful!illas an" nice cottages are here an" there scattere" along thebeach 0n the "istance stone houses two an" three stories highan" win"&ills stan"ing on the e"ge of a ban$ ointe" out to usthe neighbourhoo" of the caital of ustralia

t last we anchore" within -y"ney Co!e (e foun" thelittle basin occuie" by &any large shis an" surroun"e" bywarehouses 0n the e!ening 0 wal$e" through the town an"returne" full of a"&iration at the whole scene 0t is a &ost&agnificent testi&ony to the ower of the British nation

,ere in a less ro&ising country scores of years ha!e "one&any &ore ti&es &ore than an eLual nu&ber of centuriesha!e effecte" in -outh &erica =y first feeling was tocongratulate &yself that 0 was born an English&an <onseeing &ore of the town afterwar"s erhas &y a"&irationfell a littleS but yet it is a fine town The streets areregular broa" clean an" $et in excellent or"erS the housesare of a goo" si9e an" the shos well furnishe" 0t &ay befaithfully co&are" to the large suburbs which stretch out fro&>on"on an" a few other great towns in Englan"S but not e!en near >on"on or Bir&ingha& is there an aearance of such rai"growth The nu&ber of large houses an" other buil"ings just

finishe" was truly surrisingS ne!ertheless e!ery oneco&laine" of the high rents an" "ifficulty in rocuring ahouse Co&ing fro& -outh &erica where in the towns e!ery &anof roerty is $nown no one thing surrise" &e &ore thannot being able to ascertain at once to who& this or thatcarriage belonge"

0 hire" a &an an" two horses to ta$e &e to Bathurst a!illage about one hun"re" an" twenty &iles in the interioran" the centre of a great astoral "istrict By this &eans 0hoe" to gain a general i"ea of the aearance of the country:n the &orning of the 1Hth anuary 0 set out on &y excursion

The first stage too$ us to Para&atta a s&all countrytown next to -y"ney in i&ortance The roa"s were excellentan" &a"e uon the =ac"a& rincile whinstone ha!ingbeen brought for the urose fro& the "istance of se!eral&iles 0n all resects there was a close rese&blance to Englan"5erhas the alehouses here were &ore nu&erous The iron gangsor arties of con!icts who ha!e co&&itte" here so&e offenseaeare" the least li$e Englan"5 they were wor$ing in chainsun"er the charge of sentries with loa"e" ar&s

The ower which the go!ern&ent ossesses by &eansof force" labour of at once oening goo" roa"s throughout

the country has been 0 belie!e one &ain cause of the earlyroserity of this colony 0 slet at night at a !eryco&fortable inn at E&u ferry thirtyfi!e &iles fro& -y"ney



an" near the ascent of the Blue =ountains This line of roa" is the &ost freLuente" an" has been the longest inhabite"of any in the colony The whole lan" is enclose"with high railings for the far&ers ha!e not succee"e" inrearing he"ges There are &any substantial houses an" goo"cottages scattere" aboutS but although consi"erable ieces of

lan" are un"er culti!ation the greater art yet re&ains aswhen first "isco!ere"

The extre&e unifor&ity of the !egetation is the &ostre&ar$able feature in the lan"scae of the greater art of ;ew -outh (ales E!erywhere we ha!e an oen woo"lan"the groun" being artially co!ere" with a !ery thin asturewith little aearance of !er"ure The trees nearly allbelong to one fa&ily an" &ostly ha!e their lea!es lace" ina !ertical instea" of as in Euroe in a nearly hori9ontalosition5 the foliage is scanty an" of a eculiar ale greentint without any gloss ,ence the woo"s aear light an"

sha"owless5 this although a loss of co&fort to the tra!eller un"er the scorching rays of su&&er is of i&ortance to thefar&er as it allows grass to grow where it otherwise woul"not The lea!es are not she" erio"ically5 this character aears co&&on to the entire southern he&ishere na&ely-outh &erica ustralia an" the Cae of Goo" ,oe Theinhabitants of this he&ishere an" of the intertroicalregions thus lose erhas one of the &ost glorious thoughto our eyes co&&on sectacles in the worl" the firstbursting into full foliage of the leafless tree They &ayhowe!er say that we ay "early for this by ha!ing the lan"co!ere" with &ere na$e" s$eletons for so &any &onths This is

too true but our senses thus acLuire a $een relish for theexLuisite green of the sring which the eyes of those li!ingwithin the troics sate" "uring the long year with the gorgeousro"uctions of those glowing cli&ates can ne!er exerienceThe greater nu&ber of the trees with the excetionof so&e of the Bluegu&s "o not attain a large si9eSbut they grow tall an" tolerably straight an" stan" wellaart The bar$ of so&e of the Eucalyti falls annually or hangs "ea" in long shre"s which swing about with the win"an" gi!e to the woo"s a "esolate an" unti"y aearance 0cannot i&agine a &ore co&lete contrast in e!ery resectthan between the forests of Val"i!ia or Chiloe an" the

woo"s of ustralia

t sunset a arty of a score of the blac$ aborigines asse"by each carrying in their accusto&e" &anner a bun"le of sears an" other weaons By gi!ing a lea"ing young &an ashilling they were easily "etaine" an" threw their sears for &y a&use&ent They were all artly clothe" an" se!eralcoul" sea$ a little English5 their countenances were goo"hu&oure" an" leasant an" they aeare" far fro& beingsuch utterly "egra"e" beings as they ha!e usually beenreresente" 0n their own arts they are a"&irable ca beingfixe" at thirty yar"s "istance they transfixe" it with a sear

"eli!ere" by the throwingstic$ with the rai"ity of an arrowfro& the bow of a ractise" archer 0n trac$ing ani&als or &en they show &ost won"erful sagacityS an" 0 hear" of se!eral



of their re&ar$s which &anifeste" consi"erable acutenessThey will not howe!er culti!ate the groun" or buil"houses an" re&ain stationary or e!en ta$e the trouble of ten"ing a floc$ of shee when gi!en to the& :n the wholethey aear to &e to stan" so&e few "egrees higher in thescale of ci!ili9ation than the *uegians

0t is !ery curious thus to see in the &i"st of a ci!ili9e"eole a set of har&less sa!ages wan"ering about without$nowing where they shall slee at night an" gaining their li!elihoo" by hunting in the woo"s s the white &an hastra!elle" onwar"s he has srea" o!er the country belongingto se!eral tribes These although thus enclose" by one co&&oneole $ee u their ancient "istinctions an" so&eti&esgo to war with each other 0n an engage&ent whichtoo$ lace lately the two arties &ost singularly chose thecentre of the !illage of Bathurst for the fiel" of battle Thiswas of ser!ice to the "efeate" si"e for the runaway warriors

too$ refuge in the barrac$s

The nu&ber of aborigines is rai"ly "ecreasing 0n &ywhole ri"e with the excetion of so&e boys brought u byEnglish&en 0 saw only one other arty This "ecrease no"oubt &ust be artly owing to the intro"uction of sirits toEuroean "iseases e!en the &il"er ones of which such asthe &easles 214 ro!e !ery "estructi!e an" to the gra"ualextinction of the wil" ani&als 0t is sai" that nu&bers of their chil"ren in!ariably erish in !ery early infancy fro&the effects of their wan"ering lifeS an" as the "ifficulty of rocuring foo" increases so &ust their wan"ering habits

increaseS an" hence the oulation without any aarent"eaths fro& fa&ine is reresse" in a &anner extre&elysu""en co&are" to what haens in ci!ili9e" countrieswhere the father though in a""ing to his labour he &ay injurehi&self "oes not "estroy his offsring

Besi"es the se!eral e!i"ent causes of "estruction thereaears to be so&e &ore &ysterious agency generally atwor$ (here!er the Euroean has tro" "eath see&s to ursuethe aboriginal (e &ay loo$ to the wi"e extent of the &ericas Polynesia the Cae of Goo" ,oe an" ustraliaan" we fin" the sa&e result ;or is it the white &an alone

that thus acts the "estroyerS the Polynesian of =alay extractionhas in arts of the East 0n"ian archielago thus "ri!enbefore hi& the "ar$coloure" nati!e The !arieties of &ansee& to act on each other in the sa&e way as "ifferent seciesof ani&als the stronger always extirating the wea$er 0twas &elancholy at ;ew Wealan" to hear the fine energeticnati!es saying that they $new the lan" was "oo&e" to assfro& their chil"ren E!ery one has hear" of the inexlicablere"uction of the oulation in the beautiful an" healthy islan"of Tahiti since the "ate of Catain Coo$'s !oyages5 althoughin that case we &ight ha!e execte" that it woul" ha!e beenincrease"S for infantici"e which for&erly re!aile" to so

extraor"inary a "egree has cease"S rofligacy has greatly"i&inishe" an" the &ur"erous wars beco&e less freLuent



The +e! (illia&s in his interesting wor$ 264 says thatthe first intercourse between nati!es an" Euroeans Nisin!ariably atten"e" with the intro"uction of fe!er "ysenteryor so&e other "isease which carries off nu&bers of the eoleN gain he affir&s N0t is certainly a fact which cannotbe contro!erte" that &ost of the "iseases which ha!e rage"

in the islan"s "uring &y resi"ence there ha!e been intro"uce"by shisS 284 an" what ren"ers this fact re&ar$able isthat there &ight be no aearance of "isease a&ong the crewof the shi which con!eye" this "estructi!e i&ortationNThis state&ent is not Luite so extraor"inary as it at firstaearsS for se!eral cases are on recor" of the &ost &alignantfe!ers ha!ing bro$en out although the arties the&sel!eswho were the cause were not affecte" 0n the earlyart of the reign of George 000 a risoner who ha" beenconfine" in a "ungeon was ta$en in a coach with four constablesbefore a &agistrateS an" although the &an hi&self was not ill the four constables "ie" fro& a short utri"

fe!erS but the contagion exten"e" to no others *ro& thesefacts it woul" al&ost aear as if the efflu!iu& of one setof &en shut u for so&e ti&e together was oisonous wheninhale" by othersS an" ossibly &ore so if the &en be of "ifferent races =ysterious as this circu&stance aears tobe it is not &ore surrising than that the bo"y of one'sfellowcreature "irectly after "eath an" before utrefactionhas co&&ence" shoul" often be of so "eleterious a Lualitythat the &ere uncture fro& an instru&ent use" in its"issection shoul" ro!e fatal

1/th Early in the &orning we asse" the ;eean in a

ferryboat The ri!er although at this sot both broa" an""ee ha" a !ery s&all bo"y of running water ,a!ingcrosse" a low iece of lan" on the oosite si"e we reache"the sloe of the Blue =ountains The ascent is not steethe roa" ha!ing been cut with &uch care on the si"e of asan"stone cliff :n the su&&it an al&ost le!el lain exten"swhich rising i&ercetibly to the westwar" at last attainsa height of &ore than 8777 feet *ro& so gran" a title asBlue =ountains an" fro& their absolute altitu"e 0 execte"to ha!e seen a bol" chain of &ountains crossing the countrySbut instea" of this a sloing lain resents &erely aninconsi"erable front to the low lan" near the coast *ro&

this first sloe the !iew of the extensi!e woo"lan" to theeast was stri$ing an" the surroun"ing trees grew bol" an"lofty But when once on the san"stone latfor& the scenerybeco&es excee"ingly &onotonousS each si"e of the roa" isbor"ere" by scrubby trees of the ne!erfailing Eucalytusfa&ilyS an" with the excetion of two or three s&all innsthere are no houses or culti!ate" lan"5 the roa" &oreo!eris solitaryS the &ost freLuent object being a bulloc$waggonile" u with bales of wool

0n the &i""le of the "ay we baite" our horses at a littleinn calle" the (eatherboar" The country here is ele!ate"

6I77 feet abo!e the sea bout a &ile an" a half fro& thislace there is a !iew excee"ingly well worth !isiting *ollowing"own a little !alley an" its tiny rill of water an



i&&ense gulf unexecte"ly oens through the trees whichbor"er the athway at the "eth of erhas 1M77 feet(al$ing on a few yar"s one stan"s on the brin$ of a !astreciice an" below one sees a gran" bay or gulf for 0 $nownot what other na&e to gi!e it thic$ly co!ere" with forestThe oint of !iew is situate" as if at the hea" of a bay the

line of cliff "i!erging on each si"e an" showing hea"lan"behin" hea"lan" as on a bol" seacoast These cliffs areco&ose" of hori9ontal strata of whitish san"stoneS an"are so absolutely !ertical that in &any laces a ersonstan"ing on the e"ge an" throwing "own a stone can see itstri$e the trees in the abyss below -o unbro$en is the lineof cliff that in or"er to reach the foot of the waterfallfor&e" by this little strea& it is sai" to be necessary to gosixteen &iles roun" bout fi!e &iles "istant in frontanother line of cliff exten"s which thus aears co&letelyto encircle the !alleyS an" hence the na&e of bay is justifie"as alie" to this gran" a&hitheatrical "eression 0f we

i&agine a win"ing harbour with its "ee water surroun"e"by bol" cliffli$e shores to be lai" "ry an" a forest tosring u on its san"y botto& we shoul" then ha!e theaearance an" structure here exhibite" This $in" of !iew wasto &e Luite no!el an" extre&ely &agnificent

0n the e!ening we reache" the Blac$heath The san"stonelateau has here attaine" the height of 8377 feetS an"is co!ere" as before with the sa&e scrubby woo"s *ro&the roa" there were occasional gli&ses into a rofoun"!alley of the sa&e character as the one "escribe"S but fro&the steeness an" "eth of its si"es the botto& was scarcely

e!er to be seen The Blac$heath is a !ery co&fortable inn$et by an ol" sol"ierS an" it re&in"e" &e of the s&all innsin ;orth (ales

1Ith Very early in the &orning 0 wal$e" about three&iles to see Go!ett's >eaS a !iew of a si&ilar character with that near the (eatherboar" but erhas e!en &orestuen"ous -o early in the "ay the gulf was fille" with athin blue ha9e which although "estroying the general effectof the !iew a""e" to the aarent "eth at which the forestwas stretche" out beneath our feet These !alleys which solong resente" an insuerable barrier to the atte&ts of the

&ost enterrising of the colonists to reach the interior are&ost re&ar$able Great ar&li$e bays exan"ing at their uer en"s often branch fro& the &ain !alleys an" enetratethe san"stone latfor&S on the other han" the latfor&often sen"s ro&ontories into the !alleys an" e!enlea!es in the& great al&ost insulate" &asses To "escen"into so&e of these !alleys it is necessary to go roun" twenty&ilesS an" into others the sur!eyors ha!e only latelyenetrate" an" the colonists ha!e not yet been able to "ri!e intheir cattle But the &ost re&ar$able feature in their structureis that although se!eral &iles wi"e at their hea"s theygenerally contract towar"s their &ouths to such a "egree

as to beco&e i&assable The -ur!eyorGeneral -ir T=itchell 234 en"ea!oure" in !ain first wal$ing an" then bycrawling between the great fallen frag&ents of san"stone



to ascen" through the gorge by which the ri!er Grose joinsthe ;eean yet the !alley of the Grose in its uer artas 0 saw for&s a &agnificent le!el basin so&e &iles inwi"th an" is on all si"es surroun"e" by cliffs the su&&itsof which are belie!e" to be nowhere less than 8777 feetabo!e the le!el of the sea (hen cattle are "ri!en into the

!alley of the (olgan by a ath which 0 "escen"e" artlynatural an" artly &a"e by the owner of the lan" they cannotescaeS for this !alley is in e!ery other art surroun"e"by eren"icular cliffs an" eight &iles lower "own itcontracts fro& an a!erage wi"th of half a &ile to a &erechas& i&assable to &an or beast -ir T =itchell statesthat the great !alley of the Cox ri!er with all its branchescontracts where it unites with the ;eean into a gorge6677 yar"s in wi"th an" about 1777 feet in "eth :ther si&ilar cases &ight ha!e been a""e"

The first i&ression on seeing the correson"ence of the

hori9ontal strata on each si"e of these !alleys an" greata&hitheatrical "eressions is that they ha!e been hollowe"out li$e other !alleys by the action of waterS but when onereflects on the enor&ous a&ount of stone which on this!iew &ust ha!e been re&o!e" through &ere gorges or chas&s one is le" to as$ whether these saces &ay not ha!esubsi"e" But consi"ering the for& of the irregularlybranching !alleys an" of the narrow ro&ontories rojectinginto the& fro& the latfor&s we are co&elle" to aban"onthis notion To attribute these hollows to the resent allu!ialaction woul" be reosterousS nor "oes the "rainagefro& the su&&itle!el always fall as 0 re&ar$e" near the

(eatherboar" into the hea" of these !alleys but into onesi"e of their bayli$e recesses -o&e of the inhabitantsre&ar$e" to &e that they ne!er !iewe" one of those bayli$erecesses with the hea"lan"s rece"ing on both han"s withoutbeing struc$ with their rese&blance to a bol" seacoast Thisis certainly the caseS &oreo!er on the resent coast of ;ew-outh (ales the nu&erous fine wi"elybranching harbourswhich are generally connecte" with the sea by a narrow&outh worn through the san"stone coastcliffs !arying fro&one &ile in wi"th to a Luarter of a &ile resent a li$enessthough on a &iniature scale to the great !alleys of theinterior But then i&&e"iately occurs the startling "ifficulty

why has the sea worn out these great though circu&scribe""eressions on a wi"e latfor& an" left &ere gorges at theoenings through which the whole !ast a&ount of triturate"&atter &ust ha!e been carrie" awayQ The only light 0 canthrow uon this enig&a is by re&ar$ing that ban$s of the&ost irregular for&s aear to be now for&ing in so&e seasas in arts of the (est 0n"ies an" in the +e" -ea an" thattheir si"es are excee"ingly stee -uch ban$s 0 ha!e beenle" to suose ha!e been for&e" by se"i&ent heae" bystrong currents on an irregular botto& That in so&e casesthe sea instea" of srea"ing out se"i&ent in a unifor& sheetheas it roun" sub&arine roc$s an" islan"s it is har"ly

ossible to "oubt after exa&ining the charts of the (est0n"iesS an" that the wa!es ha!e ower to for& high an"reciitous cliffs e!en in lan"loc$e" harbours 0 ha!e notice"



in &any arts of -outh &erica To aly these i"eas to thesan"stone latfor&s of ;ew -outh (ales 0 i&agine that thestrata were heae" by the action of strong currents an" of the un"ulations of an oen sea on an irregular botto&S an"that the !alleyli$e saces thus left unfille" ha" their steelysloing flan$s worn into cliffs "uring a slow ele!ation of

the lan"S the worn"own san"stone being re&o!e" either atthe ti&e when the narrow gorges were cut by the retreatingsea or subseLuently by allu!ial action

-oon after lea!ing the Blac$heath we "escen"e" fro& thesan"stone latfor& by the ass of =ount Victoria To effectthis ass an enor&ous Luantity of stone has been cutthroughS the "esign an" its &anner of execution beingworthy of any line of roa" in Englan" (e now entere"uon a country less ele!ate" by nearly a thousan" feet an"consisting of granite (ith the change of roc$ the !egetation

i&ro!e" the trees were both finer an" stoo" farther aartS an" the asture between the& was a little greener an"&ore lentiful t ,assan's (alls 0 left the high roa"an" &a"e a short "etour to a far& calle" (alerawangS tothe suerinten"ent of which 0 ha" a letter of intro"uctionfro& the owner in -y"ney =r Browne ha" the $in"ness toas$ &e to stay the ensuing "ay which 0 ha" &uch leasurein "oing This lace offers an exa&le of one of the largefar&ing or rather sheegra9ing establish&ents of thecolony Cattle an" horses are howe!er in this case rather &ore nu&erous than usual owing to so&e of the !alleysbeing swa&y an" ro"ucing a coarser asture Two or

three flat ieces of groun" near the house were cleare" an"culti!ate" with corn which the har!est&en were now reaing5but no &ore wheat is sown than sufficient for the annualsuort of the labourers e&loye" on the establish&ent Theusual nu&ber of assigne" con!ictser!ants here is aboutforty but at the resent ti&e there were rather &ore lthoughthe far& was well stoc$e" with e!ery necessarythere was an aarent absence of co&fortS an" not onesingle wo&an resi"e" here The sunset of a fine "ay willgenerally cast an air of hay content&ent on any sceneSbut here at this retire" far&house the brightest tints onthe surroun"ing woo"s coul" not &a$e &e forget that forty

har"ene" rofligate &en were ceasing fro& their "ailylabours li$e the sla!es fro& frica yet without their holyclai& for co&assion

Early on the next &orning =r rcher the joint suerinten"entha" the $in"ness to ta$e &e out $angaroohunting(e continue" ri"ing the greater art of the "ay but ha"!ery ba" sort not seeing a $angaroo or e!en a wil" "ogThe greyhoun"s ursue" a $angaroo rat into a hollow treeout of which we "ragge" it5 it is an ani&al as large as arabbit but with the figure of a $angaroo few years sincethis country aboun"e" with wil" ani&alsS but now the e&u

is banishe" to a long "istance an" the $angaroo is beco&escarceS to both the English greyhoun" has been highly"estructi!e 0t &ay be long before these ani&als are altogether



exter&inate" but their "oo& is fixe" The aborigines arealways anxious to borrow the "ogs fro& the far&houses5the use of the& the offal when an ani&al is $ille" an" so&e&il$ fro& the cows are the eaceofferings of the settlerswho ush farther an" farther towar"s the interior Thethoughtless aboriginal blin"e" by these trifling a"!antages

is "elighte" at the aroach of the white &an who see&sre"estine" to inherit the country of his chil"ren

lthough ha!ing oor sort we enjoye" a leasant ri"eThe woo"lan" is generally so oen that a erson on horsebac$can gallo through it 0t is tra!erse" by a few flatbotto&e" !alleys which are green an" free fro& trees5 insuch sots the scenery was retty li$e that of a ar$ 0n thewhole country 0 scarcely saw a lace without the &ar$s of afireS whether these ha" been &ore or less recent whether the stu&s were &ore or less blac$ was the greatest changewhich !arie" the unifor&ity so weariso&e to the tra!eller's

eye 0n these woo"s there are not &any bir"sS 0 saw howe!erso&e large floc$s of the white coc$atoo fee"ing in acornfiel" an" a few &ost beautiful arrotsS crows li$e our jac$"aws were not unco&&on an" another bir" so&ethingli$e the &agie 0n the "us$ of the e!ening 0 too$ a strollalong a chain of on"s which in this "ry country reresente"the course of a ri!er an" ha" the goo" fortune to see se!eralof the fa&ous :rnithorhynchus ara"oxus They were"i!ing an" laying about the surface of the water butshowe" so little of their bo"ies that they &ight easily ha!ebeen &ista$en for waterrats =r Browne shot one5 certainlyit is a &ost extraor"inary ani&alS a stuffe" seci&en "oes not

at all gi!e a goo" i"ea of the aearance of the hea" an" bea$when freshS the latter beco&ing har" an" contracte" 2M4

67th long "ay's ri"e to Bathurst Before joining thehighroa" we followe" a &ere ath through the forestS an"the country with the excetion of a few sLuatters' huts was!ery solitary (e exerience" this "ay the siroccoli$e win"of ustralia which co&es fro& the arche" "eserts of theinterior Clou"s of "ust were tra!elling in e!ery "irectionSan" the win" felt as if it ha" asse" o!er a fire 0 afterwar"shear" that the ther&o&eter out of "oors ha" stoo" at11. "egs an" in a close" roo& at .H "egs 0n the afternoon we

ca&e in !iew of the "owns of Bathurst These un"ulating butnearly s&ooth lains are !ery re&ar$able in this countryfro& being absolutely "estitute of trees They suort onlya thin brown asture (e ro"e so&e &iles o!er this countryan" then reache" the townshi of Bathurst seate" in the&i""le of what &ay be calle" either a !ery broa" !alley or narrow lain 0 was tol" at -y"ney not to for& too ba" anoinion of ustralia by ju"ging of the country fro& theroa"si"e nor too goo" a one fro& BathurstS in this latter resect 0 "i" not feel &yself in the least "anger of beingreju"ice" The season it &ust be owne" ha" been one of great"rought an" the country "i" not wear a fa!ourable asectS

although 0 un"erstan" it was inco&arably worse two or three &onths before The secret of the rai"ly growingroserity of Bathurst is that the brown asture which



aears to the stranger's eye so wretche" is excellent for sheegra9ing The town stan"s at the height of 6677 feetabo!e the sea on the ban$s of the =acLuarie This is one of the ri!ers flowing into the !ast an" scarcely $nown interiorThe line of watershe" which "i!i"es the inlan" strea&s fro&those on the coast has a height of about 8777 feet an" runs

in a north an" south "irection at the "istance of fro& eightyto a hun"re" &iles fro& the seasi"e The =acLuarie figuresin the &a as a resectable ri!er an" it is the largest of those "raining this art of the watershe"S yet to &y surrise0 foun" it a &ere chain of on"s searate" fro& each other by saces al&ost "ry Generally a s&all strea& is runningSan" so&eti&es there are high an" i&etuous floo"s -cantyas the suly of the water is throughout this "istrict itbeco&es still scantier further inlan"

66n" 0 co&&ence" &y return an" followe" a new roa"calle" >oc$yer's >ine along which the country is rather &ore

hilly an" icturesLue This was a long "ay's ri"eS an" thehouse where 0 wishe" to slee was so&e way off the roa"an" not easily foun" 0 &et on this occasion an" in"ee" onall others a !ery general an" rea"y ci!ility a&ong the lower or"ers which when one consi"ers what they are an" whatthey ha!e been woul" scarcely ha!e been execte" Thefar& where 0 asse" the night was owne" by two young&en who ha" only lately co&e out an" were beginning asettler's life The total want of al&ost e!ery co&fort wasnot attracti!eS but future an" certain roserity was beforetheir eyes an" that not far "istant

The next "ay we asse" through large tracts of country infla&es !olu&es of s&o$e sweeing across the roa" Beforenoon we joine" our for&er roa" an" ascen"e" =ount Victoria0 slet at the (eatherboar" an" before "ar$ too$another wal$ to the a&hitheatre :n the roa" to -y"ney0 sent a !ery leasant e!ening with Catain Uing at Dunhe!e"San" thus en"e" &y little excursion in the colony of ;ew -outh (ales

Before arri!ing here the three things which intereste" &e&ost were the state of society a&ongst the higher classesthe con"ition of the con!icts an" the "egree of attraction

sufficient to in"uce ersons to e&igrate :f course after so !ery short a !isit one's oinion is worth scarcely anythingSbut it is as "ifficult not to for& so&e oinion as it isto for& a correct ju"g&ent :n the whole fro& what 0hear" &ore than fro& what 0 saw 0 was "isaointe" in thestate of society The whole co&&unity is rancorously"i!i"e" into arties on al&ost e!ery subject &ong thosewho fro& their station in life ought to be the best &anyli!e in such oen rofligacy that resectable eole cannotassociate with the& There is &uch jealousy between thechil"ren of the rich e&anciist an" the free settlers thefor&er being lease" to consi"er honest &en as interloers

The whole oulation oor an" rich are bent on acLuiringwealth5 a&ongst the higher or"ers wool an" sheegra9ingfor& the constant subject of con!ersation There are &any



serious "rawbac$s to the co&forts of a fa&ily the chief of which erhas is being surroun"e" by con!ict ser!ants,ow thoroughly o"ious to e!ery feeling to be waite" on bya &an who the "ay before erhas was flogge" fro& your reresentation for so&e trifling &is"e&eanor The fe&aleser!ants are of course &uch worse5 hence chil"ren learn the

!ilest exressions an" it is fortunate if not eLually !ilei"eas

:n the other han" the caital of a erson without anytrouble on his art ro"uces hi& treble interest to what itwill in Englan"S an" with care he is sure to grow rich Theluxuries of life are in abun"ance an" !ery little "earer thanin Englan" an" &ost articles of foo" are cheaer Thecli&ate is slen"i" an" erfectly healthyS but to &y &in"its char&s are lost by the unin!iting asect of the country-ettlers ossess a great a"!antage in fin"ing their sons of ser!ice when !ery young t the age of fro& sixteen to

twenty they freLuently ta$e charge of "istant far&ing stationsThis howe!er &ust haen at the exense of their boys associating entirely with con!ict ser!ants 0 a& notaware that the tone of society has assu&e" any eculiar characterS but with such habits an" without intellectualursuits it can har"ly fail to "eteriorate =y oinion issuch that nothing but rather shar necessity shoul" co&el&e to e&igrate

The rai" roserity an" future rosects of this colonyare to &e not un"erstan"ing these subjects !ery u99lingThe two &ain exorts are wool an" whaleoil an" to both

of these ro"uctions there is a li&it The country is totallyunfit for canals therefore there is a not !ery "istant ointbeyon" which the lan"carriage of wool will not reay theexense of shearing an" ten"ing shee Pasture e!erywhereis so thin that settlers ha!e alrea"y ushe" far into theinterior5 &oreo!er the country further inlan" beco&es extre&elyoor griculture on account of the "roughts canne!er succee" on an exten"e" scale5 therefore so far as 0can see ustralia &ust ulti&ately "een" uon being thecentre of co&&erce for the southern he&ishere an" erhason her future &anufactories Possessing coal shealways has the &o!ing ower at han" *ro& the habitable

country exten"ing along the coast an" fro& her Englishextraction she is sure to be a &ariti&e nation 0 for&erlyi&agine" that ustralia woul" rise to be as gran" an" owerfula country as ;orth &erica but now it aears to &ethat such future gran"eur is rather roble&atical

(ith resect to the state of the con!icts 0 ha" still fewer oortunities of ju"ging than on other oints The firstLuestion is whether their con"ition is at all one of unish&ent5 no one will &aintain that it is a !ery se!ere oneThis howe!er 0 suose is of little conseLuence as long asit continues to be an object of "rea" to cri&inals at ho&e

The cororeal wants of the con!icts are tolerably well sulie"5their rosect of future liberty an" co&fort is not"istant an" after goo" con"uct certain Ntic$et of



lea!eN which as long as a &an $ees clear of susicion aswell as of cri&e &a$es hi& free within a certain "istrict isgi!en uon goo" con"uct after years roortional to thelength of the sentenceS yet with all this an" o!erloo$ingthe re!ious i&rison&ent an" wretche" assage out 0belie!e the years of assign&ent are asse" away with "iscontent

an" unhainess s an intelligent &an re&ar$e" to&e the con!icts $now no leasure beyon" sensuality an" inthis they are not gratifie" The enor&ous bribe which Go!ern&entossesses in offering free ar"ons together with the"ee horror of the seclu"e" enal settle&ents "estroysconfi"ence between the con!icts an" so re!ents cri&e s to asense of sha&e such a feeling "oes not aear to be $nownan" of this 0 witnesse" so&e !ery singular roofs Thoughit is a curious fact 0 was uni!ersally tol" that the character of the con!ict oulation is one of arrant cowar"ice5 notunfreLuently so&e beco&e "eserate an" Luite in"ifferent asto life yet a lan reLuiring cool or continue" courage is

sel"o& ut into execution The worst feature in the wholecase is that although there exists what &ay be calle" a legalrefor& an" co&arati!ely little is co&&itte" which the lawcan touch yet that any &oral refor& shoul" ta$e laceaears to be Luite out of the Luestion 0 was assure" bywellinfor&e" eole that a &an who shoul" try to i&ro!ecoul" not while li!ing with other assigne" ser!antsS hislife woul" be one of intolerable &isery an" ersecution ;or &ust the conta&ination of the con!ictshis an" risons bothhere an" in Englan" be forgotten :n the whole as a laceof unish&ent the object is scarcely gaine"S as a real syste&of refor& it has faile" as erhas woul" e!ery other lanS

but as a &eans of &a$ing &en outwar"ly honest of con!erting!agabon"s &ost useless in one he&ishere intoacti!e citi9ens of another an" thus gi!ing birth to a newan" slen"i" country a gran" centre of ci!ili9ation it hassuccee"e" to a "egree erhas unarallele" in history

87th The Beagle saile" for ,obart Town in Van Die&en's>an" :n the Mth of *ebruary after a six "ays' assageof which the first art was fine an" the latter !ery col"an" sLually we entere" the &outh of -tor& Bay5 the weather justifie" this awful na&e The bay shoul" rather be calle"

an estuary for it recei!es at its hea" the waters of theDerwent ;ear the &outh there are so&e extensi!e basalticlatfor&sS but higher u the lan" beco&es &ountainous an"is co!ere" by a light woo" The lower arts of the hillswhich s$irt the bay are cleare"S an" the bright yellow fiel"sof corn an" "ar$ green ones of otatoes aear !ery luxuriant>ate in the e!ening we anchore" in the snug co!eon the shores of which stan"s the caital of Tas&ania Thefirst asect of the lace was !ery inferior to that of -y"neySthe latter &ight be calle" a city this is only a town 0tstan"s at the base of =ount (ellington a &ountain 8177feet high but of little icturesLue beautyS fro& this source

howe!er it recei!es a goo" suly of water +oun" the co!ethere are so&e fine warehouses an" on one si"e a s&all fortCo&ing fro& the -anish settle&ents where such &agnificent



care has generally been ai" to the fortifications the&eans of "efence in these colonies aeare" !ery conte&tibleCo&aring the town with -y"ney 0 was chiefly struc$with the co&arati!e fewness of the large houses either built or buil"ing ,obart Town fro& the census of 1I8Mcontaine" 18I6H inhabitants an" the whole of Tas&ania 8HM7M

ll the aborigines ha!e been re&o!e" to an islan" inBass's -traits so that Van Die&en's >an" enjoys the greata"!antage of being free fro& a nati!e oulation This&ost cruel ste see&s to ha!e been Luite una!oi"able asthe only &eans of stoing a fearful succession of robberiesburnings an" &ur"ers co&&itte" by the blac$sS an" whichsooner or later woul" ha!e en"e" in their utter "estruction0 fear there is no "oubt that this train of e!il an" itsconseLuences originate" in the infa&ous con"uct of so&e of our country&en Thirty years is a short erio" in which toha!e banishe" the last aboriginal fro& his nati!e islan"

an" that islan" nearly as large as 0relan" The correson"enceon this subject which too$ lace between the go!ern&entat ho&e an" that of Van Die&en's >an" is !ery interesting lthough nu&bers of nati!es were shot an" ta$en risonersin the s$ir&ishing which was going on at inter!als for se!eralyearsS nothing see&s fully to ha!e i&resse" the& withthe i"ea of our o!erwhel&ing ower until the whole islan"in 1I87 was ut un"er &artial law an" by rocla&ation thewhole oulation co&&an"e" to assist in one great atte&tto secure the entire race The lan a"ote" was nearly si&ilar to that of the great hunting&atches in 0n"ia5 a line wasfor&e" reaching across the islan" with the intention of

"ri!ing the nati!es into a @cul"esac@ on Tas&an's eninsulaThe atte&t faile"S the nati!es ha!ing tie" u their "ogsstole "uring one night through the lines This is far fro&surrising when their ractise" senses an" usual &anner of crawling after wil" ani&als is consi"ere" 0 ha!e beenassure" that they can conceal the&sel!es on al&ost baregroun" in a &anner which until witnesse" is scarcely cre"ibleStheir "us$y bo"ies being easily &ista$en for the blac$ene"stu&s which are scattere" all o!er the country 0 wastol" of a trial between a arty of English&en an" a nati!ewho was to stan" in full !iew on the si"e of a bare hillS if theEnglish&en close" their eyes for less than a &inute he

woul" sLuat "own an" then they were ne!er able to "istinguishhi& fro& the surroun"ing stu&s But to return tothe hunting&atchS the nati!es un"erstan"ing this $in" of warfare were terribly alar&e" for they at once ercei!e"the ower an" nu&bers of the whites -hortly afterwar"sa arty of thirteen belonging to two tribes ca&e inS an"conscious of their unrotecte" con"ition "eli!ere" the&sel!esu in "esair -ubseLuently by the intrei" exertionsof =r +obinson an acti!e an" bene!olent &an whofearlessly !isite" by hi&self the &ost hostile of the nati!esthe whole were in"uce" to act in a si&ilar &anner Theywere then re&o!e" to an islan" where foo" an" clothes

were ro!i"e" the& Count -tr9elec$i states 2H4 that Nat theeoch of their "eortation in 1I8M the nu&ber of nati!esa&ounte" to 617 0n 1I36 that is after the inter!al of se!en



years they &ustere" only fiftyfour in"i!i"ualsS an" whileeach fa&ily of the interior of ;ew -outh (ales unconta&inate"by contact with the whites swar&s with chil"ren thoseof *lin"ers' 0slan" ha" "uring eight years an accession of only fourteen in nu&ber%N

The Beagle staye" here ten "ays an" in this ti&e 0 &a"ese!eral leasant little excursions chiefly with the object of exa&ining the geological structure of the i&&e"iateneighbourhoo" The &ain oints of interest consist first inso&e highly fossiliferous strata belonging to the De!onian or Carboniferous erio"S secon"ly in roofs of a late s&all riseof the lan"S an" lastly in a solitary an" suerficial atch of yellowish li&estone or tra!ertin which contains nu&erousi&ressions of lea!es of trees together with lan"shells notnow existing 0t is not i&robable that this one s&all Luarryinclu"es the only re&aining recor" of the !egetation of VanDie&en's >an" "uring one for&er eoch

The cli&ate here is "a&er than in ;ew -outh (alesan" hence the lan" is &ore fertile griculture flourishesSthe culti!ate" fiel"s loo$ well an" the gar"ens aboun" withthri!ing !egetables an" fruittrees -o&e of the far&housessituate" in retire" sots ha" a !ery attracti!e aearanceThe general asect of the !egetation is si&ilar tothat of ustraliaS erhas it is a little &ore green an"cheerfulS an" the asture between the trees rather &oreabun"ant :ne "ay 0 too$ a long wal$ on the si"e of the bayoosite to the town5 0 crosse" in a stea&boat two of whichare constantly lying bac$war"s an" forwar"s The &achinery

of one of these !essels was entirely &anufacture" inthis colony which fro& its !ery foun"ation then nu&bere"only three an" thirty years% nother "ay 0 ascen"e" =ount(ellingtonS 0 too$ with &e a gui"e for 0 faile" in a firstatte&t fro& the thic$ness of the woo" :ur gui"e howe!erwas a stui" fellow an" con"ucte" us to the southernan" "a& si"e of the &ountain where the !egetation was!ery luxuriantS an" where the labour of the ascent fro& thenu&ber of rotten trun$s was al&ost as great as on a &ountainin Tierra "el *uego or in Chiloe 0t cost us fi!e an" ahalf hours of har" cli&bing before we reache" the su&&it0n &any arts the Eucalyti grew to a great si9e an" co&ose"

a noble forest 0n so&e of the "a&est ra!ines treeferns flourishe" in an extraor"inary &annerS 0 saw onewhich &ust ha!e been at least twenty feet high to the baseof the fron"s an" was in girth exactly six feet The fron"sfor&ing the &ost elegant arasols ro"uce" a gloo&y sha"eli$e that of the first hour of the night The su&&it of the&ountain is broa" an" flat an" is co&ose" of huge angular &asses of na$e" greenstone 0ts ele!ation is 8177 feet abo!ethe le!el of the sea The "ay was slen"i"ly clear an" weenjoye" a &ost extensi!e !iewS to the north the countryaeare" a &ass of woo"e" &ountains of about the sa&e heightwith that on which we were stan"ing an" with an eLually

ta&e outline5 to the south the bro$en lan" an" water for&ing&any intricate bays was &ae" with clearness beforeus fter staying so&e hours on the su&&it we foun" a



better way to "escen" but "i" not reach the Beagle till eighto'cloc$ after a se!ere "ay's wor$

*ebruary /th The Beagle saile" fro& Tas&ania an"on the Hth of the ensuing &onth reache" Uing George's-oun" situate" close to the - ( corner of ustralia (e

staye" there eight "aysS an" we "i" not "uring our !oyageass a &ore "ull an" uninteresting ti&e The country!iewe" fro& an e&inence aears a woo"y lain with herean" there roun"e" an" artly bare hills of granite rotru"ing:ne "ay 0 went out with a arty in hoes of seeing a$angaroo hunt an" wal$e" o!er a goo" &any &iles of countryE!erywhere we foun" the soil san"y an" !ery oorSit suorte" either a coarse !egetation of thin low brushwoo"an" wiry grass or a forest of stunte" trees Thescenery rese&ble" that of the high san"stone latfor& of theBlue =ountainsS the Casuarina a tree so&ewhat rese&blinga -cotch fir is howe!er here in greater nu&ber an"

the Eucalytus in rather less 0n the oen arts there were&any grasstrees a lant which in aearance has so&eaffinity with the al&S but instea" of being sur&ounte" bya crown of noble fron"s it can boast &erely of a tuft of !ery coarse grassli$e lea!es The general bright green colour of the brushwoo" an" other lants !iewe" fro& a "istancesee&e" to ro&ise fertility single wal$ howe!er was enoughto "isel such an illusionS an" he who thin$s with &e will ne!er wish to wal$ again in so unin!iting a country

:ne "ay 0 acco&anie" Catain *it9 +oy to Bal" ,ea"Sthe lace &entione" by so &any na!igators where so&e i&agine"

that they saw corals an" others that they saw etrifie"trees stan"ing in the osition in which they ha" grown ccor"ing to our !iew the be"s ha!e been for&e" by thewin" ha!ing heae" u fine san" co&ose" of &inute roun"e"articles of shells an" corals "uring which rocessbranches an" roots of trees together with &any lan"shellsbeca&e enclose" The whole then beca&e consoli"ate" bythe ercolation of calcareous &atterS an" the cylin"ricalca!ities left by the "ecaying of the woo" were thus alsofille" u with a har" seu"ostalactical stone The weather is now wearing away the softer arts an" in conseLuencethe har" casts of the roots an" branches of the trees roject

abo!e the surface an" in a singularly "eceti!e &annerrese&ble the stu&s of a "ea" thic$et

large tribe of nati!es calle" the (hite Coc$atoo &enhaene" to ay the settle&ent a !isit while we were thereThese &en as well as those of the tribe belonging to UingGeorge's -oun" being te&te" by the offer of so&e tubs of rice an" sugar were ersua"e" to hol" a NcorroberyN or great "ancingarty s soon as it grew "ar$ s&all fireswere lighte" an" the &en co&&ence" their toilet whichconsiste" in ainting the&sel!es white in sots an" lines s soon as all was rea"y large fires were $et bla9ing

roun" which the wo&en an" chil"ren were collecte" as sectatorsSthe Coc$atoo an" Uing George's &en for&e" two "istinctarties an" generally "ance" in answer to each other



The "ancing consiste" in their running either si"eways or in0n"ian file into an oen sace an" sta&ing the groun" withgreat force as they &arche" together Their hea!y footsteswere acco&anie" by a $in" of grunt by beating their clubs an" sears together an" by !arious other gesticulationssuch as exten"ing their ar&s an" wriggling their

bo"ies 0t was a &ost ru"e barbarous scene an" to our i"eas without any sort of &eaningS but we obser!e" thatthe blac$ wo&en an" chil"ren watche" it with the greatestleasure Perhas these "ances originally reresente" actionssuch as wars an" !ictoriesS there was one calle" the E&u"ance in which each &an exten"e" his ar& in a bent &annerli$e the nec$ of that bir" 0n another "ance one &ani&itate" the &o!e&ents of a $angaroo gra9ing in the woo"swhilst a secon" crawle" u an" reten"e" to sear hi&(hen both tribes &ingle" in the "ance the groun" tre&ble"with the hea!iness of their stes an" the air resoun"e" withtheir wil" cries E!ery one aeare" in high sirits an" the

grou of nearly na$e" figures !iewe" by the light of thebla9ing fires all &o!ing in hi"eous har&ony for&e" a erfect"islay of a festi!al a&ongst the lowest barbarians 0nTierra "el *uego we ha!e behel" &any curious scenes insa!age life but ne!er 0 thin$ one where the nati!es werein such high sirits an" so erfectly at their ease fter the "ancing was o!er the whole arty for&e" a great circleon the groun" an" the boile" rice an" sugar was "istribute"to the "elight of all

fter se!eral te"ious "elays fro& clou"e" weather on the13th of =arch we gla"ly stoo" out of Uing George's -oun"

on our course to Ueeling 0slan" *arewell ustralia% youare a rising chil" an" "oubtless so&e "ay will reign a greatrincess in the -outh5 but you are too great an" a&bitiousfor affection yet not great enough for resect 0 lea!e your shores without sorrow or regret

214 0t is re&ar$able how the sa&e "isease is &o"ifie" in"ifferent cli&ates t the little islan" of -t ,elena theintro"uction of scarlet fe!er is "rea"e" as a lague 0n so&ecountries foreigners an" nati!es are as "ifferently affecte" bycertain contagious "isor"ers as if they ha" been "ifferentani&alsS of which fact so&e instances ha!e occurre" in ChileS

an" accor"ing to ,u&bol"t in =exico Polit Essay ;ew -ain!ol i!

264 ;arrati!e of =issionary Enterrise 6I6

284 Catain Beechey cha i! !ol i states that theinhabitants of Pitcairn 0slan" are fir&ly con!ince" that after the arri!al of e!ery shi they suffer cutaneous an" other "isor"ers Catain Beechey attributes this to the change of "iet"uring the ti&e of the !isit Dr =acculloch (estern 0sles!ol ii 86 says5 N0t is asserte" that on the arri!al of astranger at -t Uil"a all the inhabitants in the co&&on

hraseology catch a col"N Dr =acculloch consi"ers the wholecase although often re!iously affir&e" as lu"icrous ,e a""showe!er that Nthe Luestion was ut by us to the inhabitants who



unani&ously agree" in the storyN 0n Vancou!er's Voyage thereis a so&ewhat si&ilar state&ent with resect to :taheite DrDieffenbach in a note to his translation of the ournal statesthat the sa&e fact is uni!ersally belie!e" by the inhabitants of the Chatha& 0slan"s an" in arts of ;ew Wealan" 0t isi&ossible that such a belief shoul" ha!e beco&e uni!ersal in

the northern he&ishere at the ntio"es an" in the Pacificwithout so&e goo" foun"ation ,u&bol"t Polit Essay on Uing of ;ew -ain !ol i! says that the great ei"e&ics of Pana&aan" Callao are N&ar$e"N by the arri!al of shis fro& Chilebecause the eole fro& that te&erate region first exeriencethe fatal effects of the torri" 9ones 0 &ay a"" that 0 ha!ehear" it state" in -hroshire that shee which ha!e beeni&orte" fro& !essels although the&sel!es in a healthycon"ition if lace" in the sa&e fol" with others freLuentlyro"uce sic$ness in the floc$

234 Tra!els in ustralia !ol i 1M3 0 &ust exress &y

obligation to -ir T =itchell for se!eral interesting ersonalco&&unications on the subject of these great !alleys of ;ew-outh (ales

2M4 0 was intereste" by fin"ing here the hollow conical itfallof the lionant or so&e other insectS first a fly fell "own thetreacherous sloe an" i&&e"iately "isaeare"S then ca&e a largebut unwary antS its struggles to escae being !ery !iolentthose curious little jets of san" "escribe" by Uirby an" -enceEnto&ol !ol i 36M as being flirte" by the insect'stail were ro&tly "irecte" against the execte" !icti& Butthe ant enjoye" a better fate than the fly an" escae" the

fatal jaws which lay conceale" at the base of the conicalhollow This ustralian itfall was only about half the si9e of that &a"e by the Euroean lionant

2H4 Physical Descrition of ;ew -outh (ales an" Van Die&en's>an" 8M3

C,PTE+

UEE>0;G 0->;D5 C:+> *:+=T0:;-

Ueeling 0slan" -ingular aearance -canty *lora Transort of -ee"s Bir"s an" 0nsects Ebbing an" flowing-rings *iel"s of "ea" Coral -tones transorte" in theroots of Trees Great Crab -tinging Corals Coraleating *ish Coral *or&ations >agoon 0slan"s or tolls Deth at which reefbuil"ing Corals can li!e Vast reasinterserse" with low Coral 0slan"s -ubsi"ence of their foun"ations Barrier +eefs *ringing +eefs Con!ersion of *ringing +eefs into Barrier +eefs an" into tolls E!i"enceof changes in >e!el Breaches in Barrier +eefs =al"i!a tolls their eculiar structure Dea" an" sub&erge" +eefs

reas of subsi"ence an" ele!ation Distribution of Volcanoes -ubsi"ence slow an" !ast in a&ount



P+0> 1st (e arri!e" in !iew of the Ueeling or Cocos0slan"s situate" in the 0n"ian :cean an" about six hun"re"&iles "istant fro& the coast of -u&atra This is one of thelagoonislan"s or atolls of coral for&ation si&ilar tothose in the >ow rchielago which we asse" near (hen

the shi was in the channel at the entrance =r >ies$an English resi"ent ca&e off in his boat The historyof the inhabitants of this lace in as few wor"s asossible is as follows bout nine years ago =r ,area worthless character brought fro& the East 0n"ianarchielago a nu&ber of =alay sla!es which now inclu"ingchil"ren a&ount to &ore than a hun"re" -hortly afterwar"sCatain +oss who ha" before !isite" these islan"s in his&erchantshi arri!e" fro& Englan" bringingwith hi& his fa&ily an" goo"s for settle&ent along withhi& ca&e =r >ies$ who ha" been a &ate in his !esselThe =alay sla!es soon ran away fro& the islet on which

=r ,are was settle" an" joine" Catain +oss's arty =r,are uon this was ulti&ately oblige" to lea!e the lace

The =alays are now no&inally in a state of free"o& an"certainly are so as far as regar"s their ersonal treat&entSbut in &ost other oints they are consi"ere" as sla!es *ro&their "iscontente" state fro& the reeate" re&o!als fro&islet to islet an" erhas also fro& a little &is&anage&entthings are not !ery roserous The islan" has no "o&esticLua"rue" exceting the ig an" the &ain !egetable ro"uctionis the cocoanut The whole roserity of the lace"een"s on this tree5 the only exorts being oil fro& the nut

an" the nuts the&sel!es which are ta$en to -ingaore an"=auritius where they are chiefly use" when grate" in &a$ingcurries :n the cocoanut also the igs which areloa"e" with fat al&ost entirely subsist as "o the "uc$s an"oultry E!en a huge lan"crab is furnishe" by nature withthe &eans to oen an" fee" on this &ost useful ro"uction

The ringfor&e" reef of the lagoonislan" is sur&ounte"in the greater art of its length by linear islets :n thenorthern or leewar" si"e there is an oening through which!essels can ass to the anchorage within :n entering thescene was !ery curious an" rather rettyS its beauty howe!er

entirely "een"e" on the brilliancy of the surroun"ingcolours The shallow clear an" still water of the lagoonresting in its greater art on white san" is when illu&ine"by a !ertical sun of the &ost !i!i" green This brilliantexanse se!eral &iles in wi"th is on all si"es "i!i"e" either by a line of snowwhite brea$ers fro& the "ar$ hea!ingwaters of the ocean or fro& the blue !ault of hea!en bythe stris of lan" crowne" by the le!el tos of the cocoanuttrees s a white clou" here an" there affor"s a leasingcontrast with the a9ure s$y so in the lagoon ban"s of li!ing coral "ar$en the e&eral" green water

The next &orning after anchoring 0 went on shore onDirection 0slan" The stri of "ry lan" is only a few hun"re"yar"s in wi"thS on the lagoon si"e there is a white calcareous



beach the ra"iation fro& which un"er this sultrycli&ate was !ery oressi!eS an" on the outer coast a soli"broa" flat of coralroc$ ser!e" to brea$ the !iolence of theoen sea Exceting near the lagoon where there is so&esan" the lan" is entirely co&ose" of roun"e" frag&ents of coral 0n such a loose "ry stony soil the cli&ate of the

intertroical regions alone coul" ro"uce a !igorous !egetation:n so&e of the s&aller islets nothing coul" be &oreelegant than the &anner in which the young an" fullgrowncocoanut trees without "estroying each other's sy&&etrywere &ingle" into one woo" beach of glittering whitesan" for&e" a bor"er to these fairy sots

0 will now gi!e a s$etch of the natural history of theseislan"s which fro& its !ery aucity ossesses a eculiar interest The cocoanut tree at first glance see&s toco&ose the whole woo"S there are howe!er fi!e or sixother trees :ne of these grows to a !ery large si9e but

fro& the extre&es of softness of its woo" is uselessS another sort affor"s excellent ti&ber for shibuil"ing Besi"es thetrees the nu&ber of lants is excee"ingly li&ite" an" consistsof insignificant wee"s 0n &y collection which inclu"es0 belie!e nearly the erfect *lora there are twentysecies without rec$oning a &oss lichen an" fungus Tothis nu&ber two trees &ust be a""e"S one of which was notin flower an" the other 0 only hear" of The latter is asolitary tree of its $in" an" grows near the beach wherewithout "oubt the one see" was thrown u by the wa!es Guilan"ina also grows on only one of the islets 0 "o notinclu"e in the abo!e list the sugarcane banana so&e other

!egetables fruittrees an" i&orte" grasses s the islan"sconsist entirely of coral an" at one ti&e &ust ha!e existe"as &ere waterwashe" reefs all their terrestrial ro"uctions&ust ha!e been transorte" here by the wa!es of the sea0n accor"ance with this the *lorula has Luite the character of a refuge for the "estitute5 Professor ,enslow infor&s&e that of the twenty secies nineteen belong to "ifferentgenera an" these again to no less than sixteen fa&ilies% 214

0n ,ol&an's 264 Tra!els an account is gi!en on the authorityof =r - Ueating who resi"e" twel!e &onths on theseislan"s of the !arious see"s an" other bo"ies which ha!e

been $nown to ha!e been washe" on shore N-ee"s an"lants fro& -u&atra an" a!a ha!e been "ri!en u by thesurf on the win"war" si"e of the islan"s &ong the& ha!ebeen foun" the Ui&iri nati!e of -u&atra an" the eninsulaof =alaccaS the cocoanut of Balci $nown by its shae an"si9eS the Da"ass which is lante" by the =alays with theeer!ine the latter intwining roun" its trun$ an"suorting itself by the ric$les on its ste&S the soatreeSthe castoroil lantS trun$s of the sago al&S an" !arious $in"sof see"s un$nown to the =alays settle" on the islan"sThese are all suose" to ha!e been "ri!en by the ; (&onsoon to the coast of ;ew ,ollan" an" thence to these

islan"s by the - E tra"ewin" >arge &asses of a!a tea$an" Rellow woo" ha!e also been foun" besi"es i&&ensetrees of re" an" white ce"ar an" the blue gu&woo" of ;ew



,ollan" in a erfectly soun" con"ition ll the har"y see"ssuch as creeers retain their ger&inating ower but thesofter $in"s a&ong which is the &angostin are "estroye"in the assage *ishingcanoes aarently fro& a!a ha!eat ti&es been washe" on shoreN 0t is interesting thus to"isco!er how nu&erous the see"s are which co&ing fro&

se!eral countries are "rifte" o!er the wi"e ocean Professor ,enslow tells &e he belie!es that nearly all the lantswhich 0 brought fro& these islan"s are co&&on littoralsecies in the East 0n"ian archielago *ro& the "irectionhowe!er of the win"s an" currents it see&s scarcely ossiblethat they coul" ha!e co&e here in a "irect line 0fas suggeste" with &uch robability by =r Ueating theywere first carrie" towar"s the coast of ;ew ,ollan" an"thence "rifte" bac$ together with the ro"uctions of thatcountry the see"s before ger&inating &ust ha!e tra!elle"between 1I77 an" 6377 &iles

Cha&isso 284 when "escribing the +a"ac$ rchielago situate"in the western art of the Pacific states that Nthe seabrings to these islan"s the see"s an" fruits of &any trees&ost of which ha!e yet not grown here The greater artof these see"s aear to ha!e not yet lost the caability of growingN

0t is also sai" that al&s an" ba&boos fro& so&ewherein the torri" 9one an" trun$s of northern firs arewashe" on shore5 these firs &ust ha!e co&e fro& an i&&ense"istance These facts are highly interesting 0t cannotbe "oubte" that if there were lan"bir"s to ic$ u the

see"s when first cast on shore an" a soil better a"ate" for their growth than the loose bloc$s of coral that the &ostisolate" of the lagoonislan"s woul" in ti&e ossess a far &ore abun"ant *lora than they now ha!e

The list of lan" ani&als is e!en oorer than that of thelants -o&e of the islets are inhabite" by rats which werebrought in a shi fro& the =auritius wrec$e" here Theserats are consi"ere" by =r (aterhouse as i"entical with theEnglish $in" but they are s&aller an" &ore brightly coloure"There are no true lan"bir"s for a snie an" a rail+allus Philliensis though li!ing entirely in the "ry

herbage belong to the or"er of (a"ers Bir"s of this or"er are sai" to occur on se!eral of the s&all low islan"s in thePacific t scension where there is no lan"bir" a railPorhyrio si&lex was shot near the su&&it of the &ountainan" it was e!i"ently a solitary straggler t Tristan"'cunha where accor"ing to Car&ichael there are onlytwo lan"bir"s there is a coot *ro& these facts 0 belie!ethat the wa"ers after the innu&erable webfoote" seciesare generally the first colonists of s&all isolate" islan"s 0&ay a"" that whene!er 0 notice" bir"s not of oceanicsecies !ery far out at sea they always belonge" to thisor"erS an" hence they woul" naturally beco&e the earliest

colonists of any re&ote oint of lan"

:f retiles 0 saw only one s&all li9ar" :f insects 0 too$



ains to collect e!ery $in" Exclusi!e of si"ers which werenu&erous there were thirteen secies 234 :f these one onlywas a beetle s&all ant swar&e" by thousan"s un"er theloose "ry bloc$s of coral an" was the only true insect whichwas abun"ant lthough the ro"uctions of the lan" arethus scanty if we loo$ to the waters of the surroun"ing sea

the nu&ber of organic beings is in"ee" infinite Cha&issohas "escribe" 2M4 the natural history of a lagoonislan" in the+a"ac$ rchielagoS an" it is re&ar$able how closely itsinhabitants in nu&ber an" $in" rese&ble those of Ueeling0slan" There is one li9ar" an" two wa"ers na&ely a sniean" curlew :f lants there are nineteen secies inclu"inga fernS an" so&e of these are the sa&e with those growinghere though on a sot so i&&ensely re&ote an" in a "ifferentocean

The long stris of lan" for&ing the linear islets ha!ebeen raise" only to that height to which the surf can throw

frag&ents of coral an" the win" hea u calcareous san"The soli" flat of coral roc$ on the outsi"e by its brea"thbrea$s the first !iolence of the wa!es which otherwise in a"ay woul" swee away these islets an" all their ro"uctionsThe ocean an" the lan" see& here struggling for &astery5although terra fir&a has obtaine" a footing the "eni9ens of the water thin$ their clai& at least eLually goo" 0n e!eryart one &eets her&it crabs of &ore than one secies 2H4carrying on their bac$s the shells which they ha!e stolenfro& the neighbouring beach :!erhea" nu&erous gannetsfrigatebir"s an" terns rest on the treesS an" the woo" fro&the &any nests an" fro& the s&ell of the at&oshere &ight

be calle" a searoo$ery The gannets sitting on their ru"enests ga9e at one with a stui" yet angry air The no""iesas their na&e exresses are silly little creatures But thereis one char&ing bir"5 it is a s&all snowwhite tern whichs&oothly ho!ers at the "istance of a few feet abo!e one'shea" its large blac$ eye scanning with Luiet curiosity your exression >ittle i&agination is reLuire" to fancy that solight an" "elicate a bo"y &ust be tenante" by so&e wan"eringfairy sirit

-un"ay ril 8r" fter ser!ice 0 acco&anie" Catain*it9 +oy to the settle&ent situate" at the "istance of so&e

&iles on the oint of an islet thic$ly co!ere" with tallcocoanut trees Catain +oss an" =r >ies$ li!e in a largebarnli$e house oen at both en"s an" line" with &ats &a"e of wo!en bar$ The houses of the =alays are arrange" alongthe shore of the lagoon The whole lace ha" rather a "esolateasect for there were no gar"ens to show the signs of care an" culti!ation The nati!es belong to "ifferent islan"sin the East 0n"ian archielago but all sea$ the sa&e language5we saw the inhabitants of Borneo Celebes a!a an"-u&atra 0n colour they rese&ble the Tahitians fro& who&they "o not wi"ely "iffer in features -o&e of the wo&enhowe!er show a goo" "eal of the Chinese character 0 li$e"

both their general exressions an" the soun" of their !oicesThey aeare" oor an" their houses were "estitute of furnitureS but it was e!i"ent fro& the lu&ness of the little



chil"ren that cocoanuts an" turtle affor" no ba" sustenance

:n this islan" the wells are situate" fro& which shisobtain water t first sight it aears not a little re&ar$ablethat the fresh water shoul" regularly ebb an" flow with theti"esS an" it has e!en been i&agine" that san" has the ower

of filtering the salt fro& the seawater These ebbing wellsare co&&on on so&e of the low islan"s in the (est 0n"iesThe co&resse" san" or orous coral roc$ is er&eate" li$ea songe with the salt water but the rain which falls on thesurface &ust sin$ to the le!el of the surroun"ing sea an"&ust accu&ulate there "islacing an eLual bul$ of the saltwater s the water in the lower art of the great songeli$e coral &ass rises an" falls with the ti"es so will thewater near the surfaceS an" this will $ee fresh if the &assbe sufficiently co&act to re!ent &uch &echanical a"&ixtureSbut where the lan" consists of great loose bloc$s of coral with oen interstices if a well be "ug the water as 0

ha!e seen is brac$ish

fter "inner we staye" to see a curious half suerstitiousscene acte" by the =alay wo&en large woo"en soon"resse" in gar&ents an" which ha" been carrie" to the gra!eof a "ea" &an they reten" beco&es insire" at the full of the &oon an" will "ance an" ju& about fter the roer rearations the soon hel" by two wo&en beca&e con!ulse"an" "ance" in goo" ti&e to the song of the surroun"ingchil"ren an" wo&en 0t was a &ost foolish sectacleSbut =r >ies$ &aintaine" that &any of the =alays belie!e"in its siritual &o!e&ents The "ance "i" not co&&ence till

the &oon ha" risen an" it was well worth re&aining to behol"her bright orb so Luietly shining through the long ar&sof the cocoanut trees as they wa!e" in the e!ening bree9eThese scenes of the troics are in the&sel!es so "eliciousthat they al&ost eLual those "earer ones at ho&e to whichwe are boun" by each best feeling of the &in"

The next "ay 0 e&loye" &yself in exa&ining the !eryinteresting yet si&le structure an" origin of these islan"sThe water being unusually s&ooth 0 wa"e" o!er the outer flat of "ea" roc$ as far as the li!ing &oun"s of coral onwhich the swell of the oen sea brea$s 0n so&e of the

gullies an" hollows there were beautiful green an" other coloure" fishes an" the for& an" tints of &any of the 9oohyteswere a"&irable 0t is excusable to grow enthusiastic o!er the infinite nu&bers of organic beings with which the sea of the troics so ro"igal of life tee&sS yet 0 &ust confess 0thin$ those naturalists who ha!e "escribe" in well$nownwor"s the sub&arine grottoes "ec$e" with a thousan" beautiesha!e in"ulge" in rather exuberant language

ril Hth 0 acco&anie" Catain *it9 +oy to an islan"at the hea" of the lagoon5 the channel was excee"inglyintricate win"ing through fiel"s of "elicately branche" corals

(e saw se!eral turtle an" two boats were then e&loye" incatching the& The water was so clear an" shallow that althoughat first a turtle Luic$ly "i!es out of sight yet in a



canoe or boat un"er sail the ursuers after no !ery longchase co&e u to it &an stan"ing rea"y in the bow atthis &o&ent "ashes through the water uon the turtle's bac$Sthen clinging with both han"s by the shell of its nec$ he iscarrie" away till the ani&al beco&es exhauste" an" is secure"0t was Luite an interesting chase to see the two boats

thus "oubling about an" the &en "ashing hea" fore&ostinto the water trying to sei9e their rey Catain =oresbyinfor&s &e that in the Chagos archielago in this sa&eocean the nati!es by a horrible rocess ta$e the shell fro&the bac$ of the li!ing turtle N0t is co!ere" with burningcharcoal which causes the outer shell to curl uwar"s it isthen force" off with a $nife an" before it beco&es col"flattene" between boar"s fter this barbarous rocess theani&al is suffere" to regain its nati!e ele&ent where after a certain ti&e a new shell is for&e"S it is howe!er toothin to be of any ser!ice an" the ani&al always aearslanguishing an" sic$lyN

(hen we arri!e" at the hea" of the lagoon we crosse" anarrow islet an" foun" a great surf brea$ing on the win"war"coast 0 can har"ly exlain the reason but there is to&y &in" &uch gran"eur in the !iew of the outer shores of these lagoonislan"s There is a si&licity in the barrierli$ebeach the &argin of green bushes an" tall cocoanutsthe soli" flat of "ea" coralroc$ strewe" here an" therewith great loose frag&ents an" the line of furious brea$ersall roun"ing away towar"s either han" The oceanthrowing its waters o!er the broa" reef aears an in!incibleallowerful ene&yS yet we see it resiste" an" e!en

conLuere" by &eans which at first see& &ost wea$ an"inefficient 0t is not that the ocean sares the roc$ of coralSthe great frag&ents scattere" o!er the reef an" heae" onthe beach whence the tall cocoanut srings lainly besea$the unrelenting ower of the wa!es ;or are anyerio"s of reose grante" The long swell cause" by thegentle but stea"y action of the tra"ewin" always blowingin one "irection o!er a wi"e area causes brea$ers al&osteLualling in force those "uring a gale of win" in the te&erateregions an" which ne!er cease to rage 0t is i&ossibleto behol" these wa!es without feeling a con!iction thatan islan" though built of the har"est roc$ let it be orhyry

granite or Luart9 woul" ulti&ately yiel" an" be "e&olishe"by such an irresistible ower Ret these low insignificantcoralislets stan" an" are !ictorious5 for here another oweras an antagonist ta$es art in the contest The organic forcessearate the ato&s of carbonate of li&e one by one fro&the foa&ing brea$ers an" unite the& into a sy&&etricalstructure >et the hurricane tear u its thousan" hugefrag&entsS yet what will that tell against the accu&ulate"labour of &yria"s of architects at wor$ night an" "ay &onthafter &onthQ Thus "o we see the soft an" gelatinous bo"y of aolyus through the agency of the !ital laws conLueringthe great &echanical ower of the wa!es of an ocean which

neither the art of &an nor the inani&ate wor$s of naturecoul" successfully resist



(e "i" not return on boar" till late in the e!ening for westaye" a long ti&e in the lagoon exa&ining the fiel"s of coral an" the gigantic shells of the cha&a into which if a&an were to ut his han" he woul" not as long as the ani&alli!e" be able to with"raw it ;ear the hea" of thelagoon 0 was &uch surrise" to fin" a wi"e area consi"erably

&ore than a &ile sLuare co!ere" with a forest of "elicatelybranching corals which though stan"ing urightwere all "ea" an" rotten t first 0 was Luite at a loss toun"erstan" the cause afterwar"s it occurre" to &e that itwas owing to the following rather curious co&bination of circu&stances 0t shoul" howe!er first be state" that coralsare not able to sur!i!e e!en a short exosure in the air tothe sun's rays so that their uwar" li&it of growth is"eter&ine" by that of lowest water at sring ti"es 0t aearsfro& so&e ol" charts that the long islan" to win"war" wasfor&erly searate" by wi"e channels into se!eral isletsS thisfact is li$ewise in"icate" by the trees being younger on these

ortions <n"er the for&er con"ition of the reef a strongbree9e by throwing &ore water o!er the barrier woul" ten"to raise the le!el of the lagoon ;ow it acts in a "irectlycontrary &annerS for the water within the lagoon not onlyis not increase" by currents fro& the outsi"e but is itself blown outwar"s by the force of the win" ,ence it is obser!e"that the ti"e near the hea" of the lagoon "oes notrise so high "uring a strong bree9e as it "oes when it iscal& This "ifference of le!el although no "oubt !ery s&allhas 0 belie!e cause" the "eath of those coralgro!es whichun"er the for&er an" &ore oen con"ition of the outer reef has attaine" the ut&ost ossible li&it of uwar" growth

few &iles north of Ueeling there is another s&all atollthe lagoon of which is nearly fille" u with coral&u" Catain+oss foun" e&be""e" in the conglo&erate on the outer coast a wellroun"e" frag&ent of greenstone rather larger than a &an's hea"5 he an" the &en with hi& were so &uchsurrise" at this that they brought it away an" reser!e" itas a curiosity The occurrence of this one stone wheree!ery other article of &atter is calcareous certainly is !eryu99ling The islan" has scarcely e!er been !isite" nor is itrobable that a shi ha" been wrec$e" there *ro& the absenceof any better exlanation 0 ca&e to the conclusion that

it &ust ha!e co&e entangle" in the roots of so&e large tree5when howe!er 0 consi"ere" the great "istance fro& thenearest lan" the co&bination of chances against a stone thusbeing entangle" the tree washe" into the sea floate" so farthen lan"e" safely an" the stone finally so e&be""e" as toallow of its "isco!ery 0 was al&ost afrai" of i&agining a&eans of transort aarently so i&robable 0t was thereforewith great interest that 0 foun" Cha&isso the justly"istinguishe" naturalist who acco&anie" Uot9ebue statingthat the inhabitants of the +a"ac$ archielago a grou of lagoonislan"s in the &i"st of the Pacific obtaine" stonesfor sharening their instru&ents by searching the roots of

trees which are cast uon the beach 0t will be e!i"ent thatthis &ust ha!e haene" se!eral ti&es since laws ha!e beenestablishe" that such stones belong to the chief an" a



unish&ent is inflicte" on any one who atte&ts to steal the&(hen the isolate" osition of these s&all islan"s in the&i"st of a !ast ocean their great "istance fro& any lan"exceting that of coral for&ation atteste" by the !aluewhich the inhabitants who are such bol" na!igators attachto a stone of any $in" 2/4 an" the slowness of the currents

of the oen sea are all consi"ere" the occurrence of ebblesthus transorte" "oes aear won"erful -tones &ay oftenbe thus carrie"S an" if the islan" on which they are stran"e"is constructe" of any other substance besi"es coral theywoul" scarcely attract attention an" their origin at leastwoul" ne!er be guesse" =oreo!er this agency &ay longescae "isco!ery fro& the robability of trees eseciallythose loa"e" with stones floating beneath the surface 0nthe channels of Tierra "el *uego large Luantities of "riftti&ber are cast uon the beach yet it is extre&ely rare to&eet a tree swi&&ing on the water These facts &ay ossiblythrow light on single stones whether angular or roun"e"

occasionally foun" e&be""e" in fine se"i&entary &asses

During another "ay 0 !isite" (est 0slet on which the!egetation was erhas &ore luxuriant than on any otherThe cocoanut trees generally grow searate but here theyoung ones flourishe" beneath their tall arents an" for&e"with their long an" cur!e" fron"s the &ost sha"y arboursThose alone who ha!e trie" it $now how "elicious it is tobe seate" in such sha"e an" "rin$ the cool leasant flui"of the cocoanut 0n this islan" there is a large bayli$esace co&ose" of the finest white san"5 it is Luite le!elan" is only co!ere" by the ti"e at high waterS fro& this

large bay s&aller cree$s enetrate the surroun"ing woo"sTo see a fiel" of glittering white san" reresenting waterwith the cocoanut trees exten"ing their tall an" wa!ingtrun$s aroun" the &argin for&e" a singular an" !ery retty!iew

0 ha!e before allu"e" to a crab which li!es on the cocoanutsSit is !ery co&&on on all arts of the "ry lan" an"grows to a &onstrous si9e5 it is closely allie" or i"enticalwith the Birgos latro The front air of legs ter&inate in!ery strong an" hea!y incers an" the last air are fitte"with others wea$er an" &uch narrower 0t woul" at first

be thought Luite i&ossible for a crab to oen a strongcocoanut co!ere" with the hus$S but =r >ies$ assures &ethat he has reeate"ly seen this effecte" The crab beginsby tearing the hus$ fibre by fibre an" always fro& thaten" un"er which the three eyeholes are situate"S when thisis co&lete" the crab co&&ences ha&&ering with its hea!yclaws on one of the eyeholes till an oening is &a"e Thenturning roun" its bo"y by the ai" of its osterior an" narrowair of incers it extracts the white albu&inous substance0 thin$ this is as curious a case of instinct as e!er 0 hear" of an" li$ewise of a"atation in structure betweentwo objects aarently so re&ote fro& each other in the

sche&e of nature as a crab an" a cocoanut tree TheBirgos is "iurnal in its habitsS but e!ery night it is sai" toay a !isit to the sea no "oubt for the urose of &oistening



its branchiae The young are li$ewise hatche" an" li!e for so&e ti&e on the coast These crabs inhabit "ee burrowswhich they hollow out beneath the roots of treesS an" wherethey accu&ulate surrising Luantities of the ic$e" fibresof the cocoanut hus$ on which they rest as on a be" The=alays so&eti&es ta$e a"!antage of this an" collect the

fibrous &ass to use as jun$ These crabs are !ery goo" toeatS &oreo!er un"er the tail of the larger ones there is a&ass of fat which when &elte" so&eti&es yiel"s as &uchas a Luart bottle full of li&i" oil 0t has been state" byso&e authors that the Birgos crawls u the cocoanut treesfor the urose of stealing the nuts5 0 !ery &uch "oubt theossibility of thisS but with the Pan"anus 2I4 the tas$ woul" be!ery &uch easier 0 was tol" by =r >ies$ that on theseislan"s the Birgos li!es only on the nuts which ha!e fallento the groun"

Catain =oresby infor&s &e that this crab inhabits the

Chagos an" -eychelle grous but not the neighbouring =al"i!aarchielago 0t for&erly aboun"e" at =auritius butonly a few s&all ones are now foun" there 0n the Pacificthis secies or one with closely allie" habits is sai" 2.4 toinhabit a single coral islan" north of the -ociety grou Toshow the won"erful strength of the front air of incers 0&ay &ention that Catain =oresby confine" one in a strongtinbox which ha" hel" biscuits the li" being secure" withwireS but the crab turne" "own the e"ges an" escae" 0nturning "own the e"ges it actually unche" &any s&allholes Luite through the tin%

0 was a goo" "eal surrise" by fin"ing two secies of coral of the genus =illeora = co&lanata an" alcicornisossesse" of the ower of stinging The stony branches or lates when ta$en fresh fro& the water ha!e a harsh feelan" are not sli&y although ossessing a strong an" "isagreeables&ell The stinging roerty see&s to !ary in"ifferent seci&ens5 when a iece was resse" or rubbe" onthe ten"er s$in of the face or ar& a ric$ing sensation wasusually cause" which ca&e on after the inter!al of a secon"an" laste" only for a few &inutes :ne "ay howe!er by&erely touching &y face with one of the branches ain wasinstantaneously cause"S it increase" as usual after a few

secon"s an" re&aining shar for so&e &inutes was ercetiblefor half an hour afterwar"s The sensation was asba" as that fro& a nettle but &ore li$e that cause" by thePhysalia or Portuguese &anofwar >ittle re" sots werero"uce" on the ten"er s$in of the ar& which aeare" as if they woul" ha!e for&e" watery ustules but "i" not =uoy &entions this case of the =illeoraS an" 0 ha!e hear"of stinging corals in the (est 0n"ies =any &arine ani&alssee& to ha!e this ower of stinging5 besi"es the Portuguese&anofwar &any jellyfish an" the lysia or seaslugof the Cae "e Ver" 0slan"s it is state" in the !oyageof the strolabe that an ctinia or seaane&one as well as

a flexible coralline allie" to -ertularia both ossess this&eans of offence or "efence 0n the East 0n"ian sea astinging seawee" is sai" to be foun"



Two secies of fish of the genus -carus which are co&&onhere exclusi!ely fee" on coral5 both are coloure" of aslen"i" bluishgreen one li!ing in!ariably in the lagoonan" the other a&ongst the outer brea$ers =r >ies$ assure"us that he ha" reeate"ly seen whole shoals gra9ing with

their strong bony jaws on the tos of the coral branches5 0oene" the intestines of se!eral an" foun" the& "isten"e"with yellowish calcareous san"y &u" The sli&y "isgusting,oluthuriae allie" to our starfish which the Chinesegour&an"s are so fon" of also fee" largely as 0 a& infor&e" byDr llan on coralsS an" the bony aaratus within their bo"ies see&s well a"ate" for this en" These ,oluthuriaethe fish the nu&erous burrowing shells an" nerei"ouswor&s which erforate e!ery bloc$ of "ea" coral &ust be!ery efficient agents in ro"ucing the fine white &u" whichlies at the botto& an" on the shores of the lagoon ortionhowe!er of this &u" which when wet rese&ble"

oun"e" chal$ was foun" by Professor Ehrenberg to beartly co&ose" of siliceousshiel"e" infusoria

ril 16th 0n the &orning we stoo" out of the lagoonon our assage to the 0sle of *rance 0 a& gla" we ha!e!isite" these islan"s5 such for&ations surely ran$ higha&ongst the won"erful objects of this worl" Catain *it9+oy foun" no botto& with a line /677 feet in length at the"istance of only 6677 yar"s fro& the shoreS hence this islan"for&s a lofty sub&arine &ountain with si"es steeer e!enthan those of the &ost abrut !olcanic cone The saucershae"su&&it is nearly ten &iles acrossS an" e!ery single

ato& 2174 fro& the least article to the largest frag&ent of roc$ in this great ile which howe!er is s&all co&are"with !ery &any other lagoonislan"s bears the sta& of ha!ing been subjecte" to organic arrange&ent (e feel surrisewhen tra!ellers tell us of the !ast "i&ensions of thePyra&i"s an" other great ruins but how utterly insignificantare the greatest of these when co&are" to these &ountainsof stone accu&ulate" by the agency of !arious &inutean" ten"er ani&als% This is a won"er which "oes not atfirst stri$e the eye of the bo"y but after reflectionthe eye of reason

0 will now gi!e a !ery brief account of the three greatclasses of coralreefsS na&ely tolls Barrier an" *ringingreefs an" will exlain &y !iews 2114 on their for&ation l&oste!ery !oyager who has crosse" the Pacific has exresse"his unboun"e" astonish&ent at the lagoonislan"s or as 0 shall for the future call the& by their 0n"ian na&e of atolls an" has atte&te" so&e exlanation E!en as longago as the year 1H7M Pyrar" "e >a!al well exclai&e" NC'est

2icture4

une &er!eille "e !oir chacun "e ces atollons en!ironne "'un

gran" banc "e ierre tout autour n'y ayant oint "'artificehu&ainN The acco&anying s$etch of (hitsun"ay 0slan"in the Pacific coie" fro& Cat Beechey's a"&irable Voyage



gi!es but a faint i"ea of the singular asect of an atoll5it is one of the s&allest si9e an" has its narrow islets unite"together in a ring The i&&ensity of the ocean the fury of the brea$ers contraste" with the lowness of the lan" an" thes&oothness of the bright green water within the lagoon canhar"ly be i&agine" without ha!ing been seen

The earlier !oyagers fancie" that the coralbuil"ing ani&alsinstincti!ely built u their great circles to affor" the&sel!esrotection in the inner artsS but so far is this fro&the truth that those &assi!e $in"s to whose growth on theexose" outer shores the !ery existence of the reef "een"scannot li!e within the lagoon where other "elicatelybranching$in"s flourish =oreo!er on this !iew &any seciesof "istinct genera an" fa&ilies are suose" to co&bine for one en"S an" of such a co&bination not a single instancecan be foun" in the whole of nature The theory that hasbeen &ost generally recei!e" is that atolls are base" on

sub&arine cratersS but when we consi"er the for& an" si9e of so&e the nu&ber roxi&ity an" relati!e ositions of othersthis i"ea loses its lausible character5 thus -ua"i!a atoll is33 geograhical &iles in "ia&eter in one line by 83 &iles inanother lineS +i&s$y is M3 by 67 &iles across an" it has astrangely sinuous &arginS Bow atoll is 87 &iles long an" onan a!erage only H in wi"thS =enchicoff atoll consists of threeatolls unite" or tie" together This theory &oreo!er istotally inalicable to the northern =al"i!a atolls in the0n"ian :cean one of which is II &iles in length an" between 17an" 67 in brea"th for they are not boun"e" li$e or"inaryatolls by narrow reefs but by a !ast nu&ber of searate

little atollsS other little atolls rising out of the greatcentral lagoonli$e saces thir" an" better theory wasa"!ance" by Cha&isso who thought that fro& the corals growing&ore !igorously where exose" to the oen sea as un"oubte"ly isthe case the outer e"ges woul" grow u fro& the generalfoun"ation before any other art an" that this woul" accountfor the ring or cushae" structure But we shalli&&e"iately see that in this as well as in the cratertheorya &ost i&ortant consi"eration has been o!erloo$e" na&elyon what ha!e the reefbuil"ing corals which cannot li!e ata great "eth base" their &assi!e structuresQ

;u&erous soun"ings were carefully ta$en by Catain *it9+oy on the stee outsi"e of Ueeling atoll an" it was foun"that within ten fatho&s the reare" tallow at the botto&of the lea" in!ariably ca&e u &ar$e" with the i&ressionof li!ing corals but as erfectly clean as if it ha" been"roe" on a caret of turfS as the "eth increase" thei&ressions beca&e less nu&erous but the a"hering articlesof san" &ore an" &ore nu&erous until at last it was e!i"entthat the botto& consiste" of a s&ooth san"y layer5 to carryon the analogy of the turf the bla"es of grass grew thinner an" thinner till at last the soil was so sterile that nothingsrang fro& it *ro& these obser!ations confir&e" by &any

others it &ay be safely inferre" that the ut&ost "eth atwhich corals can construct reefs is between 67 an" 87 fatho&s;ow there are enor&ous areas in the Pacific an" 0n"ian



:cean in which e!ery single islan" is of coral for&ationan" is raise" only to that height to which the wa!es canthrow u frag&ents an" the win"s ile u san" Thus+a"ac$ grou of atolls is an irregular sLuare M67 &iles longan" 637 broa"S the >ow rchielago is elliticfor&e" I37&iles in its longer an" 367 in its shorter axis5 there are

other s&all grous an" single low islan"s between these twoarchielagoes &a$ing a linear sace of ocean actually &orethan 3777 &iles in length in which not one single islan"rises abo!e the secifie" height gain in the 0n"ian :ceanthere is a sace of ocean 1M77 &iles in length inclu"ingthree archielagoes in which e!ery islan" is low an" of coral for&ation *ro& the fact of the reefbuil"ing coralsnot li!ing at great "eths it is absolutely certain thatthroughout these !ast areas where!er there is now an atolla foun"ation &ust ha!e originally existe" within a "eth of fro& 67 to 87 fatho&s fro& the surface 0t is i&robable inthe highest "egree that broa" lofty isolate" steesi"e"

ban$s of se"i&ent arrange" in grous an" lines hun"re"s of leagues in length coul" ha!e been "eosite" in the centralan" rofoun"est arts of the Pacific an" 0n"ian :ceans atan i&&ense "istance fro& any continent an" where thewater is erfectly li&i" 0t is eLually i&robable that theele!atory forces shoul" ha!e ulifte" throughout the abo!e!ast areas innu&erable great roc$y ban$s within 67 to 87fatho&s or 167 to 1I7 feet of the surface of the sea an"not one single oint abo!e that le!elS for where on the wholesurface of the globe can we fin" a single chain of &ountainse!en a few hun"re" &iles in length with their &any su&&itsrising within a few feet of a gi!en le!el an" not one

innacle abo!e itQ 0f then the foun"ations whence the atollbuil"ing corals srang were not for&e" of se"i&ent an" if they were not lifte" u to the reLuire" le!el they &ust of necessity ha!e subsi"e" into itS an" this at once sol!es the"ifficulty *or as &ountain after &ountain an" islan" after islan" slowly san$ beneath the water fresh bases woul" besuccessi!ely affor"e" for the growth of the corals 0t isi&ossible here to enter into all the necessary "etails but 0!enture to "efy 2164 any one to exlain in any other &anner how it is ossible that nu&erous islan"s shoul" be "istribute"throughout !ast areas all the islan"s being low all beingbuilt of corals absolutely reLuiring a foun"ation within a

li&ite" "eth fro& the surface

Before exlaining how atollfor&e" reefs acLuire their eculiar structure we &ust turn to the secon" great classna&ely Barrierreefs These either exten" in straight linesin front of the shores of a continent or of a large islan" or they encircle s&aller islan"sS in both cases being searate"fro& the lan" by a broa" an" rather "ee channel of wateranalogous to the lagoon within an atoll 0t is re&ar$ablehow little attention has been ai" to encircling barrierreefsSyet they are truly won"erful structures The following s$etchreresents art of the barrier encircling the islan" of Bolabola

in the Pacific as seen fro& one of the central ea$s0n this instance the whole line of reef has been con!erte"into lan"S but usually a snowwhite line of great brea$ers



with only here an" there a single low islet crowne" withcocoanut trees "i!i"es the "ar$ hea!ing waters of the oceanfro& the lightgreen exanse of the lagoonchannel n"the Luiet waters of this channel generally bathe a fringe of low allu!ial soil loa"e" with the &ost beautiful ro"uctionsof the troics an" lying at the foot of the wil" abrut

central &ountains

Encircling barrierreefs are of all si9es fro& three &ilesto no less than fortyfour &iles in "ia&eterS an" that whichfronts one si"e an" encircles both en"s of ;ew Cale"oniais 377 &iles long Each reef inclu"es one two or se!eralroc$y islan"s of !arious heightsS an" in one instance e!enas &any as twel!e searate islan"s The reef runs at agreater or less "istance fro& the inclu"e" lan"S in the-ociety archielago generally fro& one to three or four &ilesS but at ,ogoleu the reef is 67 &iles on the southernsi"e an" 13 &iles on the oosite or northern si"e fro& the

inclu"e" islan"s The "eth within the lagoonchannel also!aries &uchS fro& 17 to 87 fatho&s &ay be ta$en as ana!erageS but at Vani$oro there are saces no less than MHfatho&s or 8H8 feet "ee 0nternally the reef either sloesgently into the lagoonchannel or en"s in a eren"icular wall so&eti&es between two an" three hun"re" feet un"er water in height5 externally the reef rises li$e an atoll withextre&e abrutness out of the rofoun" "eths of the ocean

(hat can be &ore singular than these structuresQ (e see

2icture4

an islan" which &ay be co&are" to a castle situate" on thesu&&it of a lofty sub&arine &ountain rotecte" by a greatwall of coralroc$ always stee externally an" so&eti&esinternally with a broa" le!el su&&it here an" there breache"by a narrow gateway through which the largest shis canenter the wi"e an" "ee encircling &oat

s far as the actual reef of coral is concerne" there is notthe s&allest "ifference in general si9e outline grouingan" e!en in Luite trifling "etails of structure between abarrier an" an atoll The geograher Balbi has well re&ar$e"

that an encircle" islan" is an atoll with high lan" rising outof its lagoonS re&o!e the lan" fro& within an" a erfectatoll is left

But what has cause" these reefs to sring u at suchgreat "istances fro& the shores of the inclu"e" islan"sQ 0tcannot be that the corals will not grow close to the lan"Sfor the shores within the lagoonchannel when not surroun"e"by allu!ial soil are often fringe" by li!ing reefsSan" we shall resently see that there is a whole class which0 ha!e calle" *ringing +eefs fro& their close attach&entto the shores both of continents an" of islan"s gain on

what ha!e the reefbuil"ing corals which cannot li!e atgreat "eths base" their encircling structuresQ This is agreat aarent "ifficulty analogous to that in the case of



atolls which has generally been o!erloo$e" 0t will beercei!e" &ore clearly by insecting the following sectionswhich are real ones ta$en in north an" south lines throughthe islan"s with their barrierreefs of Vani$oro Ga&bieran" =auruaS an" they are lai" "own both !ertically an"hori9ontally on the sa&e scale of a Luarter of an inch to

a &ile

0t shoul" be obser!e" that the sections &ight ha!e beenta$en in any "irection through these islan"s or through

2icture4

&any other encircle" islan"s an" the general features woul"ha!e been the sa&e ;ow bearing in &in" that reefbuil"ingcoral cannot li!e at a greater "eth than fro& 67 to 87fatho&s an" that the scale is so s&all that the lu&&ets onthe right han" show a "eth of 677 fatho&s on what are

these barrierreefs base"Q re we to suose that eachislan" is surroun"e" by a collarli$e sub&arine le"ge of roc$or by a great ban$ of se"i&ent en"ing abrutly where thereef en"sQ

0f the sea ha" for&erly eaten "eely into the islan"sbefore they were rotecte" by the reefs thus ha!ingleft a shallow le"ge roun" the& un"er water the resentshores woul" ha!e been in!ariably boun"e" by great reciicesbut this is &ost rarely the case =oreo!er on thisnotion it is not ossible to exlain why the corals shoul"ha!e srung u li$e a wall fro& the extre&e outer &argin

of the le"ge often lea!ing a broa" sace of water withintoo "ee for the growth of corals The accu&ulation of awi"e ban$ of se"i&ent all roun" these islan"s an" generallywi"est where the inclu"e" islan"s are s&allest is highlyi&robable consi"ering their exose" ositions in the centralan" "eeest arts of the ocean 0n the case of the barrierreef of ;ew Cale"onia which exten"s for 1M7 &iles beyon"the northern oint of the islan"s in the sa&e straight linewith which it fronts the west coast it is har"ly ossible tobelie!e that a ban$ of se"i&ent coul" thus ha!e beenstraightly "eosite" in front of a lofty islan" an" so far beyon" its ter&ination in the oen sea *inally if we loo$

to other oceanic islan"s of about the sa&e height an" of si&ilar geological constitution but not encircle" by coralreefswe &ay in !ain search for so trifling a circu&a&bient"eth as 87 fatho&s excet Luite near to their shoresS for usually lan" that rises abrutly out of water as "o &ost of the encircle" an" nonencircle" oceanic islan"s lungesabrutly un"er it :n what then 0 reeat are these barrier reefs base"Q (hy with their wi"e an" "ee &oatli$e channels"o they stan" so far fro& the inclu"e" lan"Q (e shallsoon see how easily these "ifficulties "isaear

(e co&e now to our thir" class of *ringingreefs which

will reLuire a !ery short notice (here the lan" sloes abrutlyun"er water these reefs are only a few yar"s in wi"thfor&ing a &ere ribbon or fringe roun" the shores5 where



the lan" sloes gently un"er the water the reef exten"sfurther so&eti&es e!en as &uch as a &ile fro& the lan"Sbut in such cases the soun"ings outsi"e the reef always showthat the sub&arine rolongation of the lan" is gently incline"0n fact the reefs exten" only to that "istance fro& the shoreat which a foun"ation within the reLuisite "eth fro& 67 to

87 fatho&s is foun" s far as the actual reef is concerne"there is no essential "ifference between it an" that for&inga barrier or an atoll5 it is howe!er generally of less wi"than" conseLuently few islets ha!e been for&e" on it *ro&the corals growing &ore !igorously on the outsi"e an" fro&the noxious effect of the se"i&ent washe" inwar"s the outer e"ge of the reef is the highest art an" between it an" thelan" there is generally a shallow san"y channel a few feet in"eth (here ban$s or se"i&ents ha!e accu&ulate" near tothe surface as in arts of the (est 0n"ies they so&eti&esbeco&e fringe" with corals an" hence in so&e "egree rese&blelagoonislan"s or atolls in the sa&e &anner as fringingreefs

surroun"ing gently sloing islan"s in so&e "egree rese&blebarrierreefs

;o theory on the for&ation of coralreefs can be consi"ere"satisfactory which "oes not inclu"e the three great

2icture4

classes (e ha!e seen that we are "ri!en to belie!e in thesubsi"ence of those !ast areas interserse" with low islan"sof which not one rises abo!e the height to which the win" an"

wa!es can throw u &atter an" yet are constructe" by ani&alsreLuiring a foun"ation an" that foun"ation to lie atno great "eth >et us then ta$e an islan" surroun"e" byfringingreefs which offer no "ifficulty in their structureSan" let this islan" with its reefs reresente" by the unbro$enlines in the woo"cut slowly subsi"e ;ow as the islan"sin$s "own either a few feet at a ti&e or Luite insensiblywe &ay safely infer fro& what is $nown of the con"itionsfa!ourable to the growth of coral that the li!ing &assesbathe" by the surf on the &argin of the reef will soon regainthe surface The water howe!er will encroach little by littleon the shore the islan" beco&ing lower an" s&aller an" the

sace between the inner e"ge of the reef an" the beachroortionately broa"er section of the reef an" islan" inthis state after a subsi"ence of se!eral hun"re" feet is gi!enby the "otte" lines Coral islets are suose" to ha!e beenfor&e" on the reefS an" a shi is anchore" in thelagoonchannel This channel will be &ore or less "eeaccor"ing to the rate of subsi"ence to the a&ount of se"i&entaccu&ulate" in it an" to the growth of the "elicately branche"corals which can li!e there The section in this state rese&blesin e!ery resect one "rawn through an encircle" islan"5 in factit is a real section on the scale of M1/ of an inch to a &ilethrough Bolabola in the Pacific (e can now at once see

why encircling barrierreefs stan" so far fro& the shoreswhich they front (e can also ercei!e that a line "rawneren"icularly "own fro& the outer e"ge of the new reef



to the foun"ation of soli" roc$ beneath the ol" fringingreefwill excee" by as &any feet as there ha!e been feet of subsi"ence that s&all li&it of "eth at which the effecti!ecorals can li!e5 the little architects ha!ing built u their great wallli$e &ass as the whole san$ "own uon a basisfor&e" of other corals an" their consoli"ate" frag&ents

Thus the "ifficulty on this hea" which aeare" so great"isaears

0f instea" of an islan" we ha" ta$en the shore of a continentfringe" with reefs an" ha" i&agine" it to ha!e subsi"e"a great straight barrier li$e that of ustralia or ;ewCale"onia searate" fro& the lan" by a wi"e an" "ee channelwoul" e!i"ently ha!e been the result

>et us ta$e our new encircling barrierreef of which thesection is now reresente" by unbro$en lines an" which as0 ha!e sai" is a real section through Bolabola an" let it go

on subsi"ing s the barrierreef slowly sin$s "own thecorals will go on !igorously growing uwar"sS but as theislan" sin$s the water will gain inch by inch on the shore the searate &ountains first for&ing searate islan"s within

2icture4

one great reef an" finally the last an" highest innacle"isaearing The instant this ta$es lace a erfect atollis for&e"5 0 ha!e sai" re&o!e the high lan" fro& within anencircling barrierreef an" an atoll is left an" the lan" hasbeen re&o!e" (e can now ercei!e how it co&es that

atolls ha!ing srung fro& encircling barrierreefs rese&blethe& in general si9e for& in the &anner in which they aregroue" together an" in their arrange&ent in single or "ouble linesS for they &ay be calle" ru"e outline charts of the sun$en islan"s o!er which they stan" (e can further see how it arises that the atolls in the Pacific an" 0n"ian:ceans exten" in lines arallel to the generally re!ailingstri$e of the high islan"s an" great coastlines of thoseoceans 0 !enture therefore to affir& that on the theory of the uwar" growth of the corals "uring the sin$ing of thelan" 2184 all the lea"ing features in those won"erfulstructures the lagoonislan"s or atolls which ha!e so long

excite" the attention of !oyagers as well as in the no lesswon"erful barrierreefs whether encircling s&all islan"s or stretching for hun"re"s of &iles along the shores of acontinent are si&ly exlaine"

0t &ay be as$e" whether 0 can offer any "irect e!i"enceof the subsi"ence of barrierreefs or atollsS but it &ust beborne in &in" how "ifficult it &ust e!er be to "etect a&o!e&ent the ten"ency of which is to hi"e un"er water the artaffecte" ;e!ertheless at Ueeling atoll 0 obser!e" on allsi"es of the lagoon ol" cocoanut trees un"er&ine" an" fallingSan" in one lace the foun"ationosts of a she" which

the inhabitants asserte" ha" stoo" se!en years before justabo!e highwater &ar$ but now was "aily washe" by e!eryti"e5 on inLuiry 0 foun" that three earthLua$es one of the&



se!ere ha" been felt here "uring the last ten years tVani$oro the lagoonchannel is re&ar$ably "ee scarcelyany allu!ial soil has accu&ulate" at the foot of the loftyinclu"e" &ountains an" re&ar$ably few islets ha!e beenfor&e" by the heaing of frag&ents an" san" on the wallli$ebarrier reefS these facts an" so&e analogous ones le"

&e to belie!e that this islan" &ust lately ha!e subsi"e" an"the reef grown uwar"s5 here again earthLua$es are freLuentan" !ery se!ere 0n the -ociety archielago on theother han" where the lagoonchannels are al&ost cho$e" uwhere &uch low allu!ial lan" has accu&ulate" an" where inso&e cases long islets ha!e been for&e" on the barrierreefs facts all showing that the islan"s ha!e not !ery latelysubsi"e" only feeble shoc$s are &ost rarely felt 0n thesecoral for&ations where the lan" an" water see& strugglingfor &astery it &ust be e!er "ifficult to "eci"e between theeffects of a change in the set of the ti"es an" of a slightsubsi"ence5 that &any of these reefs an" atolls are subject to

changes of so&e $in" is certainS on so&e atolls the isletsaear to ha!e increase" greatly within a late erio"S onothers they ha!e been artially or wholly washe" away Theinhabitants of arts of the =al"i!a archielago $now the"ate of the first for&ation of so&e isletsS in other arts thecorals are now flourishing on waterwashe" reefs whereholes &a"e for gra!es attest the for&er existence of inhabite"lan" 0t is "ifficult to belie!e in freLuent changes in theti"al currents of an oen oceanS whereas we ha!e in theearthLua$es recor"e" by the nati!es on so&e atolls an" inthe great fissures obser!e" on other atolls lain e!i"ence of changes an" "isturbances in rogress in the subterranean

regions

0t is e!i"ent on our theory that coasts &erely fringe" byreefs cannot ha!e subsi"e" to any ercetible a&ountS an"therefore they &ust since the growth of their corals either ha!e re&aine" stationary or ha!e been uhea!e" ;ow itis re&ar$able how generally it can be shown by the resenceof uraise" organic re&ains that the fringe" islan"s ha!ebeen ele!ate"5 an" so far this is in"irect e!i"ence in fa!our of our theory 0 was articularly struc$ with this fact when0 foun" to &y surrise that the "escritions gi!en by ==uoy an" Gai&ar" were alicable not to reefs in general

as i&lie" by the& but only to those of the fringing classS&y surrise howe!er cease" when 0 afterwar"s foun" thatby a strange chance all the se!eral islan"s !isite" by thesee&inent naturalists coul" be shown by their own state&entsto ha!e been ele!ate" within a recent geological era

;ot only the gran" features in the structure of barrierreefsan" of atolls an" to their li$eness to each other in for&si9e an" other characters are exlaine" on the theory of subsi"ence which theory we are in"een"ently force" toa"&it in the !ery areas in Luestion fro& the necessity of fin"ing bases for the corals within the reLuisite "eth but

&any "etails in structure an" excetional cases can thus alsobe si&ly exlaine" 0 will gi!e only a few instances 0nbarrierreefs it has long been re&ar$e" with surrise that



the assages through the reef exactly face !alleys in theinclu"e" lan" e!en in cases where the reef is searate"fro& the lan" by a lagoonchannel so wi"e an" so &uch"eeer than the actual assage itself that it see&s har"lyossible that the !ery s&all Luantity of water or se"i&entbrought "own coul" injure the corals on the reef ;ow

e!ery reef of the fringing class is breache" by a narrowgateway in front of the s&allest ri!ulet e!en if "ry "uringthe greater art of the year for the &u" san" or gra!eloccasionally washe" "own $ills the corals on which it is"eosite" ConseLuently when an islan" thus fringe" subsi"esthough &ost of the narrow gateways will robablybeco&e close" by the outwar" an" uwar" growth of thecorals yet any that are not close" an" so&e &ust always be$et oen by the se"i&ent an" i&ure water flowing out of the lagoonchannel will still continue to front exactly theuer arts of those !alleys at the &ouths of which theoriginal basal fringingreef was breache"

(e can easily see how an islan" fronte" only on one si"e or onone si"e with one en" or both en"s encircle" by barrierreefs&ight after longcontinue" subsi"ence be con!erte"either into a single wallli$e reef or into an atoll with agreat straight sur rojecting fro& it or into two or threeatolls tie" together by straight reefs all of whichexcetional cases actually occur s the reefbuil"ing coralsreLuire foo" are reye" uon by other ani&als are $ille" byse"i&ent cannot a"here to a loose botto& an" &ay be easilycarrie" "own to a "eth whence they cannot sring u againwe nee" feel no surrise at the reefs both of atolls an"

barriers beco&ing in arts i&erfect The great barrier of ;ew Cale"onia is thus i&erfect an" bro$en in &any artsShence after long subsi"ence this great reef woul" not ro"uceone great atoll 377 &iles in length but a chain or archielago of atolls of !ery nearly the sa&e "i&ension withthose in the =al"i!a archielago =oreo!er in an atoll oncebreache" on oosite si"es fro& the li$elihoo" of the oceanican" ti"al currents assing straight through the breaches itis extre&ely i&robable that the corals esecially "uringcontinue" subsi"ence woul" e!er be able again to unite theri&S if they "i" not as the whole san$ "ownwar"s one atollwoul" be "i!i"e" into two or &ore 0n the =al"i!a archielago

there are "istinct atolls so relate" to each other inosition an" searate" by channels either unfatho&able or !ery "ee the channel between +oss an" ri atolls is 1M7fatho&s an" that between the north an" south ;illan"ooatolls is 677 fatho&s in "eth that it is i&ossible to loo$at a &a of the& without belie!ing that they were once&ore inti&ately relate" n" in this sa&e archielago=ahlos=ah"oo atoll is "i!i"e" by a bifurcating channelfro& 177 to 186 fatho&s in "eth in such a &anner thatit is scarcely ossible to say whether it ought strictly tobe calle" three searate atolls or one great atoll not yetfinally "i!i"e"

0 will not enter on &any &ore "etailsS but 0 &ust re&ar$that the curious structure of the northern =al"i!a atolls



recei!es ta$ing into consi"eration the free entrance of thesea through their bro$en &argins a si&le exlanation inthe uwar" an" outwar" growth of the corals originallybase" both on s&all "etache" reefs in their lagoons such asoccur in co&&on atolls an" on bro$en ortions of the linear &arginal reef such as boun"s e!ery atoll of the or"inary

for& 0 cannot refrain fro& once again re&ar$ing on thesingularity of these co&lex structures a great san"y an"generally conca!e "is$ rises abrutly fro& the unfatho&ableocean with its central exanse stu""e" an" its e"gesy&&etrically bor"ere" with o!al basins of coralroc$ justliing the surface of the sea so&eti&es clothe" with!egetation an" each containing a la$e of clear water%

:ne &ore oint in "etail5 as in the two neighbouringarchielagoes corals flourish in one an" not in the other an"as so &any con"itions before enu&erate" &ust affect their existence it woul" be an inexlicable fact if "uring the

changes to which earth air an" water are subjecte" thereefbuil"ing corals were to $ee ali!e for eretuity on anyone sot or area n" as by our theory the areas inclu"ingatolls an" barrierreefs are subsi"ing we ought occasionally tofin" reefs both "ea" an" sub&erge" 0n all reefs owing to these"i&ent being washe" out of the lagoonchannel to leewar"that si"e is least fa!ourable to the longcontinue" !igorousgrowth of the coralsS hence "ea" ortions of reef notunfreLuently occur on the leewar" si"eS an" these though stillretaining their roer wallli$e for& are now in se!eralinstances sun$ se!eral fatho&s beneath the surface TheChagos grou aears fro& so&e cause ossibly fro& the

subsi"ence ha!ing been too rai" at resent to be &uch lessfa!ourably circu&stance" for the growth of reefs than for&erly5one atoll has a ortion of its &arginal reef nine &ilesin length "ea" an" sub&erge"S a secon" has only a fewLuite s&all li!ing oints which rise to the surface a thir"an" fourth are entirely "ea" an" sub&erge"S a fifth is a&ere wrec$ with its structure al&ost obliterate" 0t isre&ar$able that in all these cases the "ea" reefs an" ortionsof reef lie at nearly the sa&e "eth na&ely fro& six toeight fatho&s beneath the surface as if they ha" been carrie""own by one unifor& &o!e&ent :ne of these Nhalf"rowne"atollsN so calle" by Cat =oresby to who& 0

a& in"ebte" for &uch in!aluable infor&ation is of !astsi9e na&ely ninety nautical &iles across in one "irectionan" se!enty &iles in another lineS an" is in &any resectse&inently curious s by our theory it follows that newatolls will generally be for&e" in each new area of subsi"encetwo weighty objections &ight ha!e been raise"na&ely that atolls &ust be increasing in"efinitely in nu&berSan" secon"ly that in ol" areas of subsi"ence each searateatoll &ust be increasing in"efinitely in thic$ness if roofsof their occasional "estruction coul" not ha!e been a""uce"Thus ha!e we trace" the history of these great rings of coralroc$ fro& their first origin through their nor&al

changes an" through the occasional acci"ents of their existence to their "eath an" final obliteration



0n &y !olu&e on NCoral *or&ationsN 0 ha!e ublishe" a&a in which 0 ha!e coloure" all the atolls "ar$blue thebarrierreefs aleblue an" the fringing reefs re" Theselatter reefs ha!e been for&e" whilst the lan" has beenstationary or as aears fro& the freLuent resence of

uraise" organic re&ains whilst it has been slowly rising5atolls an" barrierreefs on the other han" ha!e grown u"uring the "irectly oosite &o!e&ent of subsi"ence which&o!e&ent &ust ha!e been !ery gra"ual an" in the case of atollsso !ast in a&ount as to ha!e burie" e!ery &ountainsu&&it o!er wi"e oceansaces ;ow in this &a we see that the reefstinte" ale an" "ar$blue which ha!e been ro"uce" by thesa&e or"er of &o!e&ent as a general rule &anifestly stan"near each other gain we see that the areas with the twoblue tints are of wi"e extentS an" that they lie searate fro&extensi!e lines of coast coloure" re" both of whichcircu&stances &ight naturally ha!e been inferre" on the theory

of the nature of the reefs ha!ing been go!erne" by the natureof the earth's &o!e&ent 0t "eser!es notice that in &orethan one instance where single re" an" blue circles aroachnear each other 0 can show that there ha!e been oscillationsof le!elS for in such cases the re" or fringe" circles consistof atolls originally by our theory for&e" "uring subsi"encebut subseLuently uhea!e"S an" on the other han" so&e of the aleblue or encircle" islan"s are co&ose" of coralroc$which &ust ha!e been ulifte" to its resent height before thatsubsi"ence too$ lace "uring which the existing barrierreefsgrew uwar"s

uthors ha!e notice" with surrise that although atollsare the co&&onest coralstructures throughout so&e enor&ousoceanic tracts they are entirely absent in other seasas in the (est 0n"ies5 we can now at once ercei!e thecause for where there has not been subsi"ence atolls cannotha!e been for&e"S an" in the case of the (est 0n"ies an"arts of the East 0n"ies these tracts are $nown to ha!e beenrising within the recent erio" The larger areas coloure"re" an" blue are all elongate"S an" between the two coloursthere is a "egree of ru"e alternation as if the rising of oneha" balance" the sin$ing of the other Ta$ing into consi"erationthe roofs of recent ele!ation both on the fringe"

coasts an" on so&e others for instance in -outh &ericawhere there are no reefs we are le" to conclu"e that thegreat continents are for the &ost art rising areas5 an" fro&the nature of the coralreefs that the central arts of thegreat oceans are sin$ing areas The East 0n"ian archielagothe &ost bro$en lan" in the worl" is in &ost arts an areaof ele!ation but surroun"e" an" enetrate" robably in&ore lines than one by narrow areas of subsi"ence

0 ha!e &ar$e" with !er&ilion sots all the &any $nownacti!e !olcanos within the li&its of this sa&e &a Their entire absence fro& e!ery one of the great subsi"ing areas

coloure" either ale or "ar$ blue is &ost stri$ing an" notless so is the coinci"ence of the chief !olcanic chains withthe arts coloure" re" which we are le" to conclu"e ha!e



either long re&aine" stationary or &ore generally ha!e beenrecently uraise" lthough a few of the !er&ilion sotsoccur within no great "istance of single circles tinte" blueyet not one single acti!e !olcano is situate" within se!eralhun"re" &iles of an archielago or e!en s&all grou of atolls 0t is therefore a stri$ing fact that in the *rien"ly

archielago which consists of a grou of atolls uhea!e"an" since artially worn "own two !olcanos an" erhas&ore are historically $nown to ha!e been in action :n theother han" although &ost of the islan"s in the Pacific whichare encircle" by barrierreefs are of !olcanic origin oftenwith the re&nants of craters still "istinguishable not one of the& is $nown to ha!e e!er been in erution ,ence in thesecases it woul" aear that !olcanos burst forth into actionan" beco&e extinguishe" on the sa&e sots accor"ingly asele!atory or subsi"ing &o!e&ents re!ail there ;u&berlessfacts coul" be a""uce" to ro!e that uraise" organic re&ainsare co&&on where!er there are acti!e !olcanosS but until it

coul" be shown that in areas of subsi"ence !olcanos wereeither absent or inacti!e the inference howe!er robable initself that their "istribution "een"e" on the rising or falling of the earth's surface woul" ha!e been ha9ar"ous Butnow 0 thin$ we &ay freely a"&it this i&ortant "e"uction

Ta$ing a final !iew of the &a an" bearing in &in" thestate&ents &a"e with resect to the uraise" organic re&ainswe &ust feel astonishe" at the !astness of the areas whichha!e suffere" changes in le!el either "ownwar"s or uwar"swithin a erio" not geologically re&ote 0t woul" aear also that the ele!atory an" subsi"ing &o!e&ents follow

nearly the sa&e laws Throughout the saces interserse"with atolls where not a single ea$ of high lan" has beenleft abo!e the le!el of the sea the sin$ing &ust ha!e beeni&&ense in a&ount The sin$ing &oreo!er whether continuousor recurrent with inter!als sufficiently long for thecorals again to bring u their li!ing e"ifices to the surface&ust necessarily ha!e been extre&ely slow This conclusion isrobably the &ost i&ortant one which can be "e"uce" fro& thestu"y of coral for&ationsS an" it is one which it is"ifficult to i&agine how otherwise coul" e!er ha!e beenarri!e" at ;or can 0 Luite ass o!er the robability of thefor&er existence of large archielagoes of lofty islan"s

where now only rings of coralroc$ scarcely brea$ the oenexanse of the sea throwing so&e light on the "istribution of the inhabitants of the other high islan"s now left stan"ingso i&&ensely re&ote fro& each other in the &i"st of thegreat oceans The reefconstructing corals ha!e in"ee"reare" an" reser!e" won"erful &e&orials of the subterraneanoscillations of le!elS we see in each barrierreef aroof that the lan" has there subsi"e" an" in each atoll a&onu&ent o!er an islan" now lost (e &ay thus li$e untoa geologist who ha" li!e" his ten thousan" years an" $et arecor" of the assing changes gain so&e insight into thegreat syste& by which the surface of this globe has been

bro$en u an" lan" an" water interchange"

214 These Plants are "escribe" in the nnals of ;at ,ist



!ol i 1I8I 88/

264 ,ol&an's Tra!els !ol i! 8/I

284 Uot9ebue's *irst Voyage !ol iii 1MM

234 The thirteen secies belong to the following or"ers5 0nthe Coleotera a &inute ElaterS :rthotera a Gryllus an" aBlattaS ,e&itera one seciesS ,o&otera twoS ;eurotera aChrysoaS ,y&enotera two antsS >ei"otera nocturna aDioaea an" a Pterohorus QS Ditera two secies

2M4 Uot9ebue's *irst Voyage !ol iii 666

2H4 The large claws or incers of so&e of these crabs are &ostbeautifully a"ate" when "rawn bac$ to for& an oerculu& tothe shell nearly as erfect as the roer one originallybelonging to the &olluscous ani&al 0 was assure" an" as far as

&y obser!ations went 0 foun" it so that certain secies of theher&itcrab always use certain secies of shells

2/4 -o&e nati!es carrie" by Uot9ebue to Ua&tschat$a collecte"stones to ta$e bac$ to their country

2I4 -ee Procee"ings of Woological -ociety 1I86 1/

2.4 Tyer&an an" Bennett Voyage etc !ol ii 88

2174 0 exclu"e of course so&e soil which has been i&orte"here in !essels fro& =alacca an" a!a an" li$ewise so&e s&all

frag&ents of u&ice "rifte" here by the wa!es The one bloc$ of greenstone &oreo!er on the northern islan" &ust be excete"

2114 These were first rea" before the Geological -ociety in =ay1I8/ an" ha!e since been "e!eloe" in a searate !olu&e on theN-tructure an" Distribution of Coral +eefsN

2164 0t is re&ar$able that =r >yell e!en in the first e"itionof his NPrinciles of GeologyN inferre" that the a&ount of subsi"ence in the Pacific &ust ha!e excee"e" that of ele!ationfro& the area of lan" being !ery s&all relati!ely to the agentsthere ten"ing to for& it na&ely the growth of coral an"

!olcanic action

2184 0t has been highly satisfactory to &e to fin" the followingassage in a a&hlet by =r Couthouy one of the naturalists inthe great ntarctic Exe"ition of the <nite" -tates5 N,a!ingersonally exa&ine" a large nu&ber of coralislan"s an" resi"e"eight &onths a&ong the !olcanic class ha!ing shore an" artiallyencircling reefs 0 &ay be er&itte" to state that &y ownobser!ations ha!e i&resse" a con!iction of the correctness of the theory of =r DarwinN The naturalists howe!er of thisexe"ition "iffer with &e on so&e oints resecting coralfor&ations



C,PTE+ 0

=<+0T0<- T: E;G>;D

=auritius beautiful aearance of Great craterifor& ring of =ountains ,in"oos -t ,elena ,istory of the changes in

the Vegetation Cause of the extinction of >an"shells scension Variation in the i&orte" +ats Volcanic Bo&bs Be"s of 0nfusoria Bahia Bra9il -len"our of Troical-cenery Perna&buco -ingular +eef -la!ery +eturn toEnglan" +etrosect on our Voyage

P+0> 6.th 0n the &orning we asse" roun" thenorthern en" of =auritius or the 0sle of *rance*ro& this oint of !iew the asect of the islan"eLualle" the exectations raise" by the &any well$nown"escritions of its beautiful scenery The sloing lain of

the Pa&le&ousses interserse" with houses an" coloure"by the large fiel"s of sugarcane of a bright green co&ose"the foregroun" The brilliancy of the green was the &orere&ar$able because it is a colour which generally is consicuousonly fro& a !ery short "istance Towar"s the centreof the islan" grous of woo"e" &ountains rose out of this highly culti!ate" lainS their su&&its as so co&&onlyhaens with ancient !olcanic roc$s being jagge" into thesharest oints =asses of white clou"s were collecte"aroun" these innacles as if for the sa$e of leasing thestranger's eye The whole islan" with its sloing bor"er an" central &ountains was a"orne" with an air of erfect

elegance5 the scenery if 0 &ay use such an exression aeare"to the sight har&onious

0 sent the greater art of the next "ay in wal$ing aboutthe town an" !isiting "ifferent eole The town is of consi"erable si9e an" is sai" to contain 67777 inhabitantsSthe streets are !ery clean an" regular lthough the islan" hasbeen so &any years un"er the English Go!ern&ent the generalcharacter of the lace is Luite *rench5 English&ensea$ to their ser!ants in *rench an" the shos are all*renchS in"ee" 0 shoul" thin$ that Calais or Boulogne was&uch &ore nglifie" There is a !ery retty little theatre

in which oeras are excellently erfor&e" (e were alsosurrise" at seeing large boo$sellers' shos with wellstore"shel!esS &usic an" rea"ing besea$ our aroach to theol" worl" of ci!ili9ationS for in truth both ustralia an" &erica are new worl"s

The !arious races of &en wal$ing in the streets affor" the&ost interesting sectacle in Port >ouis Con!icts fro&0n"ia are banishe" here for lifeS at resent there are aboutI77 an" they are e&loye" in !arious ublic wor$s Beforeseeing these eole 0 ha" no i"ea that the inhabitants of 0n"ia were such nobleloo$ing figures Their s$in is extre&ely

"ar$ an" &any of the ol"er &en ha" large &ustachesan" bear"s of a snowwhite colourS this together withthe fire of their exression ga!e the& Luite an i&osing



asect The greater nu&ber ha" been banishe" for &ur"er an" the worst cri&esS others for causes which can scarcelybe consi"ere" as &oral faults such as for not obeying fro&suerstitious &oti!es the English laws These &en aregenerally Luiet an" wellcon"ucte"S fro& their outwar"con"uct their cleanliness an" faithful obser!ance of their

strange religious rites it was i&ossible to loo$ at the&with the sa&e eyes as on our wretche" con!icts in ;ew-outh (ales

=ay 1st -un"ay 0 too$ a Luiet wal$ along the seacoastto the north of the town The lain in this art is Luiteunculti!ate"S it consists of a fiel" of blac$ la!a s&oothe"o!er with coarse grass an" bushes the latter being chiefly=i&osas The scenery &ay be "escribe" as inter&e"iate incharacter between that of the Galaagos an" of TahitiS butthis will con!ey a "efinite i"ea to !ery few ersons 0t is a!ery leasant country but it has not the char&s of Tahiti or

the gran"eur of Bra9il The next "ay 0 ascen"e" >a Poucea &ountain so calle" fro& a thu&bli$e rojection whichrises close behin" the town to a height of 6H77 feet Thecentre of the islan" consists of a great latfor& surroun"e"by ol" bro$en basaltic &ountains with their strata "iingseawar"s The central latfor& for&e" of co&arati!elyrecent strea&s of la!a is of an o!al shae thirteengeograhical &iles across in the line of its shorter axis Theexterior boun"ing &ountains co&e into that class of structurescalle" Craters of Ele!ation which are suose" to ha!ebeen for&e" not li$e or"inary craters but by a great an"su""en uhea!al There aears to &e to be insuerable

objections to this !iew5 on the other han" 0 can har"lybelie!e in this an" in so&e other cases that these &arginalcraterifor& &ountains are &erely the basal re&nants of i&&ense !olcanos of which the su&&its either ha!e beenblown off or swallowe" u in subterranean abysses

*ro& our ele!ate" osition we enjoye" an excellent !iew o!er theislan" The country on this si"e aears retty well culti!ate"being "i!i"e" into fiel"s an" stu""e" with far&houses0 was howe!er assure" that of the whole lan" not&ore than half is yet in a ro"ucti!e stateS if such be thecase consi"ering the resent large exort of sugar this

islan" at so&e future erio" when thic$ly eole" will beof great !alue -ince Englan" has ta$en ossession of it aerio" of only twentyfi!e years the exort of sugar is sai"to ha!e increase" se!entyfi!e fol" :ne great cause of itsroserity is the excellent state of the roa"s 0n theneighbouring 0sle of Bourbon which re&ains un"er the *renchgo!ern&ent the roa"s are still in the sa&e &iserable stateas they were here only a few years ago lthough the*rench resi"ents &ust ha!e largely rofite" by the increase"roserity of their islan" yet the English go!ern&ent is far fro& oular

8r" 0n the e!ening Catain >loy" the -ur!eyorgeneralso well $nown fro& his exa&ination of the 0sth&us of Pana&ain!ite" =r -to$es an" &yself to his countryhouse



which is situate" on the e"ge of (ilhei& Plains an" aboutsix &iles fro& the Port (e staye" at this "elightful lacetwo "aysS stan"ing nearly I77 feet abo!e the sea the air wascool an" fresh an" on e!ery si"e there were "elightful wal$sClose by a gran" ra!ine has been worn to a "eth of aboutM77 feet through the slightly incline" strea&s of la!a which

ha!e flowe" fro& the central latfor&

Mth Catain >loy" too$ us to the +i!iere ;oire which isse!eral &iles to the southwar" that 0 &ight exa&ine so&eroc$s of ele!ate" coral (e asse" through leasant gar"ensan" fine fiel"s of sugarcane growing a&i"st hugebloc$s of la!a The roa"s were bor"ere" by he"ges of =i&osa an" near &any of the houses there were a!enuesof the &ango -o&e of the !iews where the ea$e" hillsan" the culti!ate" far&s were seen together were excee"inglyicturesLueS an" we were constantly te&te" toexclai& N,ow leasant it woul" be to ass one's life in

such Luiet abo"es%N Catain >loy" ossesse" an elehantan" he sent it half way with us that we &ight enjoy a ri"ein true 0n"ian fashion The circu&stance which surrise"&e &ost was its Luite noiseless ste This elehantis the only one at resent on the islan"S but it is sai" otherswill be sent for

=ay .th (e saile" fro& Port >ouis an" calling at theCae of Goo" ,oe on the Ith of uly we arri!e" off -t,elena This islan" the forbi""ing asect of which hasbeen so often "escribe" rises abrutly li$e a huge blac$

castle fro& the ocean ;ear the town as if to co&letenature's "efence s&all forts an" guns fill u e!ery ga inthe rugge" roc$s The town runs u a flat an" narrow!alleyS the houses loo$ resectable an" are interserse"with a !ery few green trees (hen aroaching the anchoragethere was one stri$ing !iew5 an irregular castle erche"on the su&&it of a lofty hill an" surroun"e" by a few scattere"firtrees bol"ly rojecte" against the s$y

The next "ay 0 obtaine" lo"gings within a stone's throwof ;aoleon's to&bS 214 it was a caital central situationwhence 0 coul" &a$e excursions in e!ery "irection During

the four "ays 0 staye" here 0 wan"ere" o!er the islan" fro&&orning to night an" exa&ine" its geological history =ylo"gings were situate" at a height of about 6777 feetS herethe weather was col" an" boisterous with constant showersof rainS an" e!ery now an" then the whole scene was !eile"in thic$ clou"s

;ear the coast the rough la!a is Luite bare5 in the centralan" higher arts fel"sathic roc$s by their "eco&ositionha!e ro"uce" a clayey soil which where not co!ere" by!egetation is staine" in broa" ban"s of &any bright colours t this season the lan" &oistene" by constant showers

ro"uces a singularly bright green asture which lower an"lower "own gra"ually fa"es away an" at last "isaears 0nlatitu"e 1H "egs an" at the trifling ele!ation of 1M77 feet



it is surrising to behol" a !egetation ossessing a character "eci"e"ly British The hills are crowne" with irregular lantations of -cotch firsS an" the sloing ban$s are thic$lyscattere" o!er with thic$ets of gorse co!ere" with its brightyellow flowers (eeingwillows are co&&on on the ban$sof the ri!ulets an" the he"ges are &a"e of the blac$berry

ro"ucing its well$nown fruit (hen we consi"er that thenu&ber of lants now foun" on the islan" is /3H an" thatout of these fiftytwo alone are in"igenous secies the restha!ing been i&orte" an" &ost of the& fro& Englan"we see the reason of the British character of the !egetation=any of these English lants aear to flourish better thanin their nati!e countryS so&e also fro& the oosite Luarter of ustralia succee" re&ar$ably well The &any i&orte"secies &ust ha!e "estroye" so&e of the nati!e $in"sS an"it is only on the highest an" steeest ri"ges that thein"igenous *lora is now re"o&inant

The English or rather (elsh character of the scenery is$et u by the nu&erous cottages an" s&all white housesSso&e burie" at the botto& of the "eeest !alleys an" others&ounte" on the crests of the lofty hills -o&e of the !iewsare stri$ing for instance that fro& near -ir ( Do!eton'shouse where the bol" ea$ calle" >ot is seen o!er a "ar$woo" of firs the whole being bac$e" by the re" waterworn&ountains of the southern coast :n !iewing the islan"fro& an e&inence the first circu&stance which stri$es oneis the nu&ber of the roa"s an" forts5 the labour bestowe"on the ublic wor$s if one forgets its character as a risonsee&s out of all roortion to its extent or !alue There

is so little le!el or useful lan" that it see&s surrising howso &any eole about M777 can subsist here The lower or"ers or the e&anciate" sla!es are 0 belie!e extre&elyoor5 they co&lain of the want of wor$ *ro& the re"uctionin the nu&ber of ublic ser!ants owing to the islan"ha!ing been gi!en u by the East 0n"ian Co&any an" theconseLuent e&igration of &any of the richer eole theo!erty robably will increase The chief foo" of the wor$ingclass is rice with a little salt &eatS as neither of thesearticles are the ro"ucts of the islan" but &ust be urchase"with &oney the low wages tell hea!ily on the oor eole;ow that the eole are blesse" with free"o& a right which

0 belie!e they !alue fully it see&s robable that their nu&berswill Luic$ly increase5 if so what is to beco&e of thelittle state of -t ,elenaQ

=y gui"e was an el"erly &an who ha" been a goather"when a boy an" $new e!ery ste a&ongst the roc$s ,ewas of a race &any ti&es crosse" an" although with a"us$y s$in he ha" not the "isagreeable exression of a&ulatto ,e was a !ery ci!il Luiet ol" &an an" suchaears the character of the greater nu&ber of the lower classes 0t was strange to &y ears to hear a &an nearlywhite an" resectably "resse" tal$ing with in"ifference of

the ti&es when he was a sla!e (ith &y co&anion whocarrie" our "inners an" a horn of water which is Luitenecessary as all the water in the lower !alleys is saline 0



e!ery "ay too$ long wal$s

Beneath the uer an" central green circle the wil" !alleysare Luite "esolate an" untenante" ,ere to the geologistthere were scenes of high interest showing successi!echanges an" co&licate" "isturbances ccor"ing to &y

!iews -t ,elena has existe" as an islan" fro& a !eryre&ote eoch5 so&e obscure roofs howe!er of the ele!ationof the lan" are still extant 0 belie!e that the centralan" highest ea$s for& arts of the ri& of a great craterthe southern half of which has been entirely re&o!e" by thewa!es of the sea5 there is &oreo!er an external wall of blac$ basaltic roc$s li$e the coast&ountains of =auritiuswhich are ol"er than the central !olcanic strea&s :n thehigher arts of the islan" consi"erable nu&bers of a shelllong thought to be a &arine secies occur i&be""e" in the soil

0t ro!e" to be a Cochlogena or lan"shell of a !ery

eculiar for&S 264 with it 0 foun" six other $in"sS an" inanother sot an eighth secies 0t is re&ar$able that noneof the& are now foun" li!ing Their extinction has robablybeen cause" by the entire "estruction of the woo"s an"the conseLuent loss of foo" an" shelter which occurre""uring the early art of the last century

The history of the changes which the ele!ate" lains of >ongwoo" an" Dea"woo" ha!e un"ergone as gi!en in GeneralBeatson's account of the islan" is extre&ely curiousBoth lains it is sai" in for&er ti&es were co!ere" withwoo" an" were therefore calle" the Great (oo" -o late

as the year 1/1H there were &any trees but in 1/63 the ol"trees ha" &ostly fallenS an" as goats an" hogs ha" beensuffere" to range about all the young trees ha" been $ille"0t aears also fro& the official recor"s that the trees wereunexecte"ly so&e years afterwar"s succee"e" by a wiregrass which srea" o!er the whole surface 284 General Beatsona""s that now this lain Nis co!ere" with fine swar" an"is beco&e the finest iece of asture on the islan"N Theextent of surface robably co!ere" by woo" at a for&er erio" is esti&ate" at no less than two thousan" acresS atthe resent "ay scarcely a single tree can be foun" there 0tis also sai" that in 1/7. there were Luantities of "ea" trees

in -an"y BayS this lace is now so utterly "esert that nothingbut so well atteste" an account coul" ha!e &a"e &e belie!ethat they coul" e!er ha!e grown there The fact that thegoats an" hogs "estroye" all the young trees as they srangu an" that in the course of ti&e the ol" ones which weresafe fro& their attac$s erishe" fro& age see&s clearly&a"e out Goats were intro"uce" in the year 1M76S eightysixyears afterwar"s in the ti&e of Ca!en"ish it is $nownthat they were excee"ingly nu&erous =ore than a centuryafterwar"s in 1/81 when the e!il was co&lete an"irretrie!able an or"er was issue" that all stray ani&als shoul"be "estroye" 0t is !ery interesting thus to fin" that the

arri!al of ani&als at -t ,elena in 1M71 "i" not change thewhole asect of the islan" until a erio" of two hun"re"an" twenty years ha" elase"5 for the goats were intro"uce"



in 1M76 an" in 1/63 it is sai" Nthe ol" trees ha" &ostlyfallenN There can be little "oubt that this great change inthe !egetation affecte" not only the lan"shells causing eightsecies to beco&e extinct but li$ewise a &ultitu"e of insects

-t ,elena situate" so re&ote fro& any continent in the

&i"st of a great ocean an" ossessing a uniLue *lora excitesour curiosity The eight lan"shells though now extinctan" one li!ing -uccinea are eculiar secies foun" nowhereelse =r Cu&ing howe!er infor&s &e that an English,elix is co&&on here its eggs no "oubt ha!ing been i&orte"in so&e of the &any intro"uce" lants =r Cu&ingcollecte" on the coast sixteen secies of seashells of whichse!en as far as he $nows are confine" to this islan" Bir"san" insects 234 as &ight ha!e been execte" are !ery few innu&berS in"ee" 0 belie!e all the bir"s ha!e been intro"uce"within late years Partri"ges an" heasants are tolerablyabun"antS the islan" is &uch too English not to be subject

to strict ga&elaws 0 was tol" of a &ore unjust sacrifice tosuch or"inances than 0 e!er hear" of e!en in Englan" Theoor eole for&erly use" to burn a lant which grows on thecoastroc$s an" exort the so"a fro& its ashesS but aere&tory or"er ca&e out rohibiting this ractice an" gi!ingas a reason that the artri"ges woul" ha!e nowhere to buil"

0n &y wal$s 0 asse" &ore than once o!er the grassy lainboun"e" by "ee !alleys on which >ongwoo" stan"sViewe" fro& a short "istance it aears li$e a resectablegentle&an's countryseat 0n front there are a few culti!ate"fiel"s an" beyon" the& the s&ooth hill of coloure"

roc$s calle" the *lagstaff an" the rugge" sLuare blac$ &assof the Barn :n the whole the !iew was rather blea$ an"uninteresting The only incon!enience 0 suffere" "uring &ywal$s was fro& the i&etuous win"s :ne "ay 0 notice"a curious circu&stanceS stan"ing on the e"ge of a lainter&inate" by a great cliff of about a thousan" feet in "eth0 saw at the "istance of a few yar"s right to win"war" so&etern struggling against a !ery strong bree9e whilst where0 stoo" the air was Luite cal& roaching close to thebrin$ where the current see&e" to be "eflecte" uwar"sfro& the face of the cliff 0 stretche" out &y ar& an"i&&e"iately felt the full force of the win"5 an in!isible

barrier two yar"s in wi"th searate" erfectly cal& air fro& a strong blast

0 so &uch enjoye" &y ra&bles a&ong the roc$s an" &ountainsof -t ,elena that 0 felt al&ost sorry on the &orningof the 13th to "escen" to the town Before noon 0 was onboar" an" the Beagle &a"e sail

:n the 1.th of uly we reache" scension Those whoha!e behel" a !olcanic islan" situate" un"er an ari" cli&atewill at once be able to icture to the&sel!es the aearanceof scension They will i&agine s&ooth conical hills of a

bright re" colour with their su&&its generally truncate"rising searately out of a le!el surface of blac$ rugge" la!a rincial &oun" in the centre of the islan" see&s the



father of the lesser cones 0t is calle" Green ,ill5 itsna&e being ta$en fro& the faintest tinge of that colourwhich at this ti&e of the year is barely ercetible fro& theanchorage To co&lete the "esolate scene the blac$ roc$son the coast are lashe" by a wil" an" turbulent sea

The settle&ent is near the beachS it consists of se!eralhouses an" barrac$s lace" irregularly but well built of white freestone The only inhabitants are &arines an" so&enegroes liberate" fro& sla!eshis who are ai" an" !ictualle"by go!ern&ent There is not a ri!ate erson on theislan" =any of the &arines aeare" well contente" with their situationS they thin$ it better to ser!e their onean"twentyyears on shore let it be what it &ay than in a shiS in thischoice if 0 were a &arine 0 shoul" &ost heartily agree

The next &orning 0 ascen"e" Green ,ill 6I37 feet highan" thence wal$e" across the islan" to the win"war" oint

goo" cartroa" lea"s fro& the coastsettle&ent to thehouses gar"ens an" fiel"s lace" near the su&&it of thecentral &ountain :n the roa"si"e there are &ilestones an"li$ewise cisterns where each thirsty asserby can "rin$so&e goo" water -i&ilar care is "islaye" in each art of theestablish&ent an" esecially in the &anage&ent of thesrings so that a single "ro of water &ay not be lost5 in"ee"the whole islan" &ay be co&are" to a huge shi $etin firstrate or"er 0 coul" not hel when a"&iring theacti!e in"ustry which ha" create" such effects out of such&eans at the sa&e ti&e regretting that it ha" been waste" onso oor an" trifling an en" = >esson has re&ar$e" with

justice that the English nation woul" ha!e thought of &a$ingthe islan" of scension a ro"ucti!e sot any other eole woul" ha!e hel" it as a &ere fortress in the ocean

;ear this coast nothing growsS further inlan" an occasionalgreen castoroil lant an" a few grasshoers truefrien"s of the "esert &ay be &et with -o&e grass is scattere"o!er the surface of the central ele!ate" region an" thewhole &uch rese&bles the worse arts of the (elsh &ountainsBut scanty as the asture aears about six hun"re"shee &any goats a few cows an" horses all thri!e well onit :f nati!e ani&als lan"crabs an" rats swar& in nu&bers

(hether the rat is really in"igenous &ay well be "oubte"Sthere are two !arieties as "escribe" by =r (aterhouseSone is of a blac$ colour with fine glossy fur an"li!es on the grassy su&&it the other is browncoloure" an"less glossy with longer hairs an" li!es near the settle&enton the coast Both these !arieties are onethir" s&aller thanthe co&&on blac$ rat = rattusS an" they "iffer fro& itboth in the colour an" character of their fur but in noother essential resect 0 can har"ly "oubt that these ratsli$e the co&&on &ouse which has also run wil" ha!ebeen i&orte" an" as at the Galaagos ha!e !arie" fro&the effect of the new con"itions to which they ha!e been

exose"5 hence the !ariety on the su&&it of the islan""iffers fro& that on the coast :f nati!e bir"s there arenoneS but the guineafowl i&orte" fro& the Cae "e



Ver" 0slan"s is abun"ant an" the co&&on fowl has li$ewiserun wil" -o&e cats which were originally turne" outto "estroy the rats an" &ice ha!e increase" so as to beco&ea great lague The islan" is entirely without treesin which an" in e!ery other resect it is !ery far inferior to -t ,elena

:ne of &y excursions too$ &e towar"s the - ( extre&ityof the islan" The "ay was clear an" hot an" 0 saw theislan" not s&iling with beauty but staring with na$e"hi"eousness The la!a strea&s are co!ere" with hu&&oc$s an"are rugge" to a "egree which geologically sea$ing is notof easy exlanation The inter!ening saces are conceale"with layers of u&ice ashes an" !olcanic tuff (hilst assingthis en" of the islan" at sea 0 coul" not i&agine whatthe white atches were with which the whole lain was&ottle"S 0 now foun" that they were seafowl sleeing in suchfull confi"ence that e!en in &i""ay a &an coul" wal$ u

an" sei9e hol" of the& These bir"s were the only li!ingcreatures 0 saw "uring the whole "ay :n the beach a greatsurf although the bree9e was light ca&e tu&bling o!er the bro$en la!a roc$s

The geology of this islan" is in &any resects interesting0n se!eral laces 0 notice" !olcanic bo&bs that is &asses of la!a which ha!e been shot through the air whilst flui" an"ha!e conseLuently assu&e" a sherical or earshae ;otonly their external for& but in se!eral cases their internalstructure shows in a !ery curious &anner that they ha!e re!ol!e"in their aerial course The internal structure of one

of these bo&bs when bro$en is reresente" !ery accuratelyin the woo"cut The central art is coarsely cellular thecells "ecreasing in si9e towar"s the exteriorS where thereis a shellli$e case about the thir" of an inch in thic$nessof co&act stone which again is o!erlai" by the outsi"ecrust of finely cellular la!a 0 thin$ there can be little"oubt first that the external crust coole" rai"ly in the statein which we now see itS secon"ly that the still flui" la!awithin was ac$e" by the centrifugal force generate" by

2icture4

the re!ol!ing of the bo&b against the external coole"crust an" so ro"uce" the soli" shell of stoneS an" lastlythat the centrifugal force by relie!ing the ressure in the&ore central arts of the bo&b allowe" the heate" !aoursto exan" their cells thus for&ing the coarse cellular &assof the centre

hill for&e" of the ol"er series of !olcanic roc$s an"which has been incorrectly consi"ere" as the crater of a!olcano is re&ar$able fro& its broa" slightly hollowe" an"

circular su&&it ha!ing been fille" u with &any successi!elayers of ashes an" fine scoriae These saucershae" layerscro out on the &argin for&ing erfect rings of &any "ifferent



colours gi!ing to the su&&it a &ost fantastic aearanceSone of these rings is white an" broa" an" rese&blesa course roun" which horses ha!e been exercise"S hence thehill has been calle" the De!il's +i"ing -chool 0 brought awayseci&ens of one of the tufaceous layers of a in$ish colour an"it is a &ost extraor"inary fact that Professor Ehrenberg 2M4

fin"s it al&ost wholly co&ose" of &atter which has beenorgani9e"5 he "etects in it so&e siliceousshiel"e" freshwater infusoria an" no less than twentyfi!e "ifferent $in"sof the siliceous tissue of lants chiefly of grasses *ro&the absence of all carbonaceous &atter Professor Ehrenbergbelie!es that these organic bo"ies ha!e asse" through the!olcanic fire an" ha!e been erute" in the state in whichwe now see the& The aearance of the layers in"uce" &eto belie!e that they ha" been "eosite" un"er water thoughfro& the extre&e "ryness of the cli&ate 0 was force" to i&aginethat torrents of rain ha" robably fallen "uring so&egreat erution an" that thus a te&orary la$e ha" been

for&e" into which the ashes fell But it &ay now be susecte"that the la$e was not a te&orary one nyhow we&ay feel sure that at so&e for&er eoch the cli&ate an"ro"uctions of scension were !ery "ifferent fro& whatthey now are (here on the face of the earth can we fin"a sot on which close in!estigation will not "isco!er signsof that en"less cycle of change to which this earth has beenis an" will be subjecte"Q

:n lea!ing scension we saile" for Bahia on the coastof Bra9il in or"er to co&lete the chrono&etrical &easure&entof the worl" (e arri!e" there on ugust 1st an"

staye" four "ays "uring which 0 too$ se!eral long wal$s0 was gla" to fin" &y enjoy&ent in troical scenery ha" not"ecrease" fro& the want of no!elty e!en in the slightest"egree The ele&ents of the scenery are so si&le that theyare worth &entioning as a roof on what trifling circu&stancesexLuisite natural beauty "een"s

The country &ay be "escribe" as a le!el lain of aboutthree hun"re" feet in ele!ation which in all arts has beenworn into flatbotto&e" !alleys This structure is re&ar$ablein a granitic lan" but is nearly uni!ersal in all thosesofter for&ations of which lains are usually co&ose"

The whole surface is co!ere" by !arious $in"s of statelytrees interserse" with atches of culti!ate" groun" outof which houses con!ents an" chaels arise 0t &ust bere&e&bere" that within the troics the wil" luxuriance of nature is not lost e!en in the !icinity of large cities5 for the natural !egetation of the he"ges an" hillsi"es o!erowersin icturesLue effect the artificial labour of &an,ence there are only a few sots where the bright re"soil affor"s a strong contrast with the uni!ersal clothingof green *ro& the e"ges of the lain there are "istant!iews either of the ocean or of the great Bay with itslowwoo"e" shores an" on which nu&erous boats an" canoes

show their white sails Exceting fro& these oints thescene is extre&ely li&ite"S following the le!el athwayson each han" only gli&ses into the woo"e" !alleys below



can be obtaine" The houses 0 &ay a"" an" esecially thesacre" e"ifices are built in a eculiar an" rather fantasticstyle of architecture They are all whitewashe"S so thatwhen illu&ine" by the brilliant sun of &i""ay an" as seenagainst the ale blue s$y of the hori9on they stan" out &oreli$e sha"ows than real buil"ings

-uch are the ele&ents of the scenery but it is a hoelessatte&t to aint the general effect >earne" naturalists"escribe these scenes of the troics by na&ing a &ultitu"e of objects an" &entioning so&e characteristic feature of eachTo a learne" tra!eller this ossibly &ay co&&unicate so&e"efinite i"eas5 but who else fro& seeing a lant in an herbariu&can i&agine its aearance when growing in its nati!esoilQ (ho fro& seeing choice lants in a hothouse can&agnify so&e into the "i&ensions of forest trees an" crow"others into an entangle" jungleQ (ho when exa&ining inthe cabinet of the ento&ologist the gay exotic butterflies

an" singular cica"as will associate with these lifelessobjects the ceaseless harsh &usic of the latter an" thela9y flight of the for&er the sure acco&ani&ents of thestill glowing noon"ay of the troicsQ 0t is when the sun hasattaine" its greatest height that such scenes shoul" be!iewe"5 then the "ense slen"i" foliage of the &ango hi"esthe groun" with its "ar$est sha"e whilst the uer branchesare ren"ere" fro& the rofusion of light of the &ost brilliantgreen 0n the te&erate 9ones the case is "ifferent the!egetation there is not so "ar$ or so rich an" hence therays of the "eclining sun tinge" of a re" urle or brightyellow color a"" &ost to the beauties of those cli&es

(hen Luietly wal$ing along the sha"y athways an" a"&iringeach successi!e !iew 0 wishe" to fin" language toexress &y i"eas Eithet after eithet was foun" too wea$to con!ey to those who ha!e not !isite" the intertroicalregions the sensation of "elight which the &in" exeriences0 ha!e sai" that the lants in a hothouse fail to co&&unicatea just i"ea of the !egetation yet 0 &ust recur to it The lan"is one great wil" unti"y luxuriant hothouse &a"e by;ature for herself but ta$en ossession of by &an who hasstu""e" it with gay houses an" for&al gar"ens ,ow greatwoul" be the "esire in e!ery a"&irer of nature to behol"

if such were ossible the scenery of another lanet% yetto e!ery erson in Euroe it &ay be truly sai" that atthe "istance of only a few "egrees fro& his nati!e soil theglories of another worl" are oene" to hi& 0n &y lastwal$ 0 stoe" again an" again to ga9e on these beauties an"en"ea!oure" to fix in &y &in" for e!er an i&ression whichat the ti&e 0 $new sooner or later &ust fail The for& of theorangetree the cocoanut the al& the &ango the treefernthe banana will re&ain clear an" searateS but thethousan" beauties which unite these into one erfect scene&ust fa"e away5 yet they will lea!e li$e a tale hear" inchil"hoo" a icture full of in"istinct but &ost beautiful

figures

ugust Hth 0n the afternoon we stoo" out to sea with



the intention of &a$ing a "irect course to the Cae "e Ver"0slan"s <nfa!ourable win"s howe!er "elaye" us an" onthe 16th we ran into Perna&buco a large city on thecoast of Bra9il in latitu"e I "egs south (e anchore" outsi"ethe reefS but in a short ti&e a ilot ca&e on boar" an"too$ us into the inner harbour where we lay close to the

town

Perna&buco is built on so&e narrow an" low san"ban$swhich are searate" fro& each other by shoal channels of salt water The three arts of the town are connecte" together by two long bri"ges built on woo"en iles The town is inall arts "isgusting the streets being narrow illa!e"an" filthyS the houses tall an" gloo&y The seasonof hea!y rains ha" har"ly co&e to an en" an" hence thesurroun"ing country which is scarcely raise" abo!e thele!el of the sea was floo"e" with waterS an" 0 faile" inall &y atte&ts to ta$e wal$s

The flat swa&y lan" on which Perna&buco stan"s is surroun"e"at the "istance of a few &iles by a se&icircle of low hills or rather by the e"ge of a country ele!ate" erhastwo hun"re" feet abo!e the sea The ol" city of :lin"a stan"s on one extre&ity of this range :ne "ay 0too$ a canoe an" rocee"e" u one of the channels to !isititS 0 foun" the ol" town fro& its situation both sweeter an"cleaner than that of Perna&buco 0 &ust here co&&e&oratewhat haene" for the first ti&e "uring our nearly fi!eyears' wan"ering na&ely ha!ing &et with a want of oliteness0 was refuse" in a sullen &anner at two "ifferent

houses an" obtaine" with "ifficulty fro& a thir" er&issionto ass through their gar"ens to an unculti!ate" hillfor the urose of !iewing the country 0 feel gla" thatthis haene" in the lan" of the Bra9ilians for 0 bear the& no goo" will a lan" also of sla!ery an" thereforeof &oral "ebase&ent -aniar" woul" ha!e felt asha&e"at the !ery thought of refusing such a reLuest or of beha!ing to a stranger with ru"eness The channel by whichwe went to an" returne" fro& :lin"a was bor"ere" on eachsi"e by &angro!es which srang li$e a &iniature forest outof the greasy &u"ban$s The bright green colour of thesebushes always re&in"e" &e of the ran$ grass in a churchyar"5

both are nourishe" by utri" exhalationsS the one sea$s of "eath ast an" the other too often of "eath to co&e

The &ost curious object which 0 saw in this neighbourhoo"was the reef that for&s the harbour 0 "oubt whether in the whole worl" any other natural structure has so artificialan aearance 2H4 0t runs for a length of se!eral &iles inan absolutely straight line arallel to an" not far "istantfro& the shore 0t !aries in wi"th fro& thirty to sixtyyar"s an" its surface is le!el an" s&oothS it is co&ose" of obscurely stratifie" har" san"stone t high water the wa!esbrea$ o!er itS at low water its su&&it is left "ry an" it

&ight then be &ista$en for a brea$water erecte" by Cycloeanwor$&en :n this coast the currents of the sea ten"to throw u in front of the lan" long sits an" bars of



loose san" an" on one of these art of the town of Perna&bucostan"s 0n for&er ti&es a long sit of this naturesee&s to ha!e beco&e consoli"ate" by the ercolation of calcareous &atter an" afterwar"s to ha!e been gra"uallyuhea!e"S the outer an" loose arts "uring this rocess ha!ingbeen worn away by the action of the sea an" the soli"

nucleus left as we now see it lthough night an" "ay thewa!es of the oen tlantic turbi" with se"i&ent are"ri!en against the stee outsi"e e"ges of this wall of stoneyet the ol"est ilots $now of no tra"ition of any change in itsaearance This "urability is &uch the &ost curious factin its history5 it is "ue to a tough layer a few inches thic$of calcareous &atter wholly for&e" by the successi!egrowth an" "eath of the s&all shells of -erulae together with so&e few barnacles an" nulliorae These nullioraewhich are har" !ery si&lyorgani9e" sealants lay ananalogous an" i&ortant art in rotecting the uer surfacesof coralreefs behin" an" within the brea$ers where

the true corals "uring the outwar" growth of the &assbeco&e $ille" by exosure to the sun an" air Theseinsignificant organic beings esecially the -erulae ha!e "onegoo" ser!ice to the eole of Perna&bucoS for without their rotecti!e ai" the bar of san"stone woul" ine!itably ha!ebeen long ago worn away an" without the bar there woul"ha!e been no harbour

:n the 1.th of ugust we finally left the shores of Bra9il0 than$ Go" 0 shall ne!er again !isit a sla!ecountry Tothis "ay if 0 hear a "istant screa& it recalls with ainful!i!i"ness &y feelings when assing a house near Perna&buco

0 hear" the &ost itiable &oans an" coul" not butsusect that so&e oor sla!e was being torture" yet $newthat 0 was as owerless as a chil" e!en to re&onstrate 0susecte" that these &oans were fro& a torture" sla!e for 0was tol" that this was the case in another instance ;ear +io "e aneiro 0 li!e" oosite to an ol" la"y who $etscrews to crush the fingers of her fe&ale sla!es 0 ha!estaye" in a house where a young househol" &ulatto "ailyan" hourly was re!ile" beaten an" ersecute" enough tobrea$ the sirit of the lowest ani&al 0 ha!e seen a littleboy six or se!en years ol" struc$ thrice with a horsewhibefore 0 coul" interfere on his na$e" hea" for ha!ing

han"e" &e a glass of water not Luite cleanS 0 saw hisfather tre&ble at a &ere glance fro& his &aster's eyeThese latter cruelties were witnesse" by &e in a -anishcolony in which it has always been sai" that sla!es arebetter treate" than by the Portuguese English or other Euroean nations 0 ha!e seen at +io "e aneiro a owerfulnegro afrai" to war" off a blow "irecte" as he thought at hisface 0 was resent when a $in"hearte" &an was on theoint of searating fore!er the &en wo&en an" littlechil"ren of a large nu&ber of fa&ilies who ha" long li!e"together 0 will not e!en allu"e to the &any heartsic$eningatrocities which 0 authentically hear" ofS nor woul" 0 ha!e

&entione" the abo!e re!olting "etails ha" 0 not &et withse!eral eole so blin"e" by the constitutional gaiety of thenegro as to sea$ of sla!ery as a tolerable e!il -uch eole



ha!e generally !isite" at the houses of the uer classes wherethe "o&estic sla!es are usually well treate" an" they ha!enot li$e &yself li!e" a&ongst the lower classes -uchinLuirers will as$ sla!es about their con"itionS they forgetthat the sla!e &ust in"ee" be "ull who "oes not calculateon the chance of his answer reaching his &aster's ears

0t is argue" that selfinterest will re!ent excessi!e crueltySas if selfinterest rotecte" our "o&estic ani&als whichare far less li$ely than "egra"e" sla!es to stir u the rageof their sa!age &asters 0t is an argu&ent long since roteste"against with noble feeling an" stri$ingly exe&lifie"by the e!erillustrious ,u&bol"t 0t is often atte&te" toalliate sla!ery by co&aring the state of sla!es with our oorer country&en5 if the &isery of our oor be cause"not by the laws of nature but by our institutions great isour sinS but how this bears on sla!ery 0 cannot seeS as well&ight the use of the thu&bscrew be "efen"e" in one

lan" by showing that &en in another lan" suffere" fro&so&e "rea"ful "isease Those who loo$ ten"erly at the sla!eowner an" with a col" heart at the sla!e ne!er see& to utthe&sel!es into the osition of the latterS what a cheerlessrosect with not e!en a hoe of change% icture to yourself the chance e!er hanging o!er you of your wife an"your little chil"ren those objects which nature urges e!enthe sla!e to call his own being torn fro& you an" sol"li$e beasts to the first bi""er% n" these "ee"s are "onean" alliate" by &en who rofess to lo!e their neighboursas the&sel!es who belie!e in Go" an" ray that his (ill be"one on earth% 0t &a$es one's bloo" boil yet heart tre&ble

to thin$ that we English&en an" our &erican "escen"antswith their boastful cry of liberty ha!e been an" are soguilty5 but it is a consolation to reflect that we at leastha!e &a"e a greater sacrifice than e!er &a"e by any nationto exiate our sin

:n the last "ay of ugust we anchore" for the secon" ti&eat Porto Praya in the Cae "e Ver" archielagoS thence werocee"e" to the 9ores where we staye" six "ays :n the6n" of :ctober we &a"e the shore of Englan"S an" at *al&outh0 left the Beagle ha!ing li!e" on boar" the goo" little

!essel nearly fi!e years

:ur Voyage ha!ing co&e to an en" 0 will ta$e a shortretrosect of the a"!antages an" "isa"!antages the ainsan" leasures of our circu&na!igation of the worl" 0f aerson as$e" &y a"!ice before un"erta$ing a long !oyage&y answer woul" "een" uon his ossessing a "eci"e" tastefor so&e branch of $nowle"ge which coul" by this &eans bea"!ance" ;o "oubt it is a high satisfaction to behol" !ariouscountries an" the &any races of &an$in" but the leasuresgaine" at the ti&e "o not counterbalance the e!ils 0t is

necessary to loo$ forwar" to a har!est howe!er "istantthat &ay be when so&e fruit will be reae" so&e goo"effecte"



=any of the losses which &ust be exerience" are ob!iousSsuch as that of the society of e!ery ol" frien" an" of thesight of those laces with which e!ery "earest re&e&branceis so inti&ately connecte" These losses howe!er are atthe ti&e artly relie!e" by the exhaustless "elight of

anticiating the long wishe"for "ay of return 0f as oetssay life is a "rea& 0 a& sure in a !oyage these are the!isions which best ser!e to ass away the long night :ther losses although not at first felt tell hea!ily after a erio"5these are the want of roo& of seclusion of restS the ja"ingfeeling of constant hurryS the ri!ation of s&all luxuries theloss of "o&estic society an" e!en of &usic an" the other leasures of i&agination (hen such trifles are &entione" it ise!i"ent that the real grie!ances exceting fro& acci"ents of a sealife are at an en" The short sace of sixty years has&a"e an astonishing "ifference in the facility of "istantna!igation E!en in the ti&e of Coo$ a &an who left

his firesi"e for such exe"itions un"erwent se!ere ri!ations yacht now with e!ery luxury of life can circu&na!igatethe globe Besi"es the !ast i&ro!e&ents in shis an"na!al resources the whole western shores of &erica arethrown oen an" ustralia has beco&e the caital of arising continent ,ow "ifferent are the circu&stances to a&an shiwrec$e" at the resent "ay in the Pacific to whatthey were in the ti&e of Coo$% -ince his !oyage a he&isherehas been a""e" to the ci!ili9e" worl"

0f a erson suffer &uch fro& seasic$ness let hi& weighit hea!ily in the balance 0 sea$ fro& exerience5 it is no

trifling e!il cure" in a wee$ 0f on the other han" he ta$eleasure in na!al tactics he will assure"ly ha!e full scoefor his taste But it &ust be borne in &in" how large aroortion of the ti&e "uring a long !oyage is sent onthe water as co&are" with the "ays in harbour n" whatare the boaste" glories of the illi&itable ocean te"iouswaste a "esert of water as the rabian calls it ;o "oubtthere are so&e "elightful scenes &oonlight night withthe clear hea!ens an" the "ar$ glittering sea an" the whitesails fille" by the soft air of a gently blowing tra"ewin" a"ea" cal& with the hea!ing surface olishe" li$e a &irroran" all still excet the occasional flaing of the can!as

0t is well once to behol" a sLuall with its rising arch an"co&ing fury or the hea!y gale of win" an" &ountainouswa!es 0 confess howe!er &y i&agination ha" ainte"so&ething &ore gran" &ore terrific in the fullgrown stor&0t is an inco&arably finer sectacle when behel" on shorewhere the wa!ing trees the wil" flight of the bir"s the"ar$ sha"ows an" bright lights the rushing of the torrentsall roclai& the strife of the unloose" ele&ents t seathe albatross an" little etrel fly as if the stor& were their roer shere the water rises an" sin$s as if fulfilling itsusual tas$ the shi alone an" its inhabitants see& the objectsof wrath :n a forlorn an" weatherbeaten coast the scene

is in"ee" "ifferent but the feelings arta$e &ore of horror than of wil" "elight



>et us now loo$ at the brighter si"e of the ast ti&e Theleasure "eri!e" fro& behol"ing the scenery an" the generalasect of the !arious countries we ha!e !isite" has "eci"e"lybeen the &ost constant an" highest source of enjoy&ent 0tis robable that the icturesLue beauty of &any arts of Euroe excee"s anything which we behel" But there is a

growing leasure in co&aring the character of the sceneryin "ifferent countries which to a certain "egree is "istinctfro& &erely a"&iring its beauty 0t "een"s chiefly on anacLuaintance with the in"i!i"ual arts of each !iew 0 a&strongly in"uce" to belie!e that as in &usic the erson whoun"erstan"s e!ery note will if he also ossesses a roer taste &ore thoroughly enjoy the whole so he who exa&ineseach art of a fine !iew &ay also thoroughly co&rehen"the full an" co&bine" effect ,ence a tra!eller shoul" bea botanist for in all !iews lants for& the chief e&bellish&ent Grou &asses of na$e" roc$ e!en in the wil"estfor&s an" they &ay for a ti&e affor" a subli&e sectacle

but they will soon grow &onotonous Paint the& with brightan" !arie" colours as in ;orthern Chile they will beco&efantasticS clothe the& with !egetation they &ust for& a"ecent if not a beautiful icture

(hen 0 say that the scenery of arts of Euroe is robablysuerior to anything which we behel" 0 excet as a class byitself that of the intertroical 9ones The two classes cannotbe co&are" togetherS but 0 ha!e alrea"y often enlarge" onthe gran"eur of those regions s the force of i&ressionsgenerally "een"s on reconcei!e" i"eas 0 &ay a"" that&ine were ta$en fro& the !i!i" "escritions in the Personal

;arrati!e of ,u&bol"t which far excee" in &erit anythingelse which 0 ha!e rea" Ret with these highwrought i"eas&y feelings were far fro& arta$ing of a tinge of "isaoint&enton &y first an" final lan"ing on the shores of Bra9il

&ong the scenes which are "eely i&resse" on &y &in"none excee" in subli&ity the ri&e!al forests un"eface" bythe han" of &anS whether those of Bra9il where the owersof >ife are re"o&inant or those of Tierra "el *uegowhere Death an" "ecay re!ail Both are te&les fille" withthe !arie" ro"uctions of the Go" of ;ature5 no one canstan" in these solitu"es un&o!e" an" not feel that there is

&ore in &an than the &ere breath of his bo"y 0n callingu i&ages of the ast 0 fin" that the lains of PatagoniafreLuently cross before &y eyesS yet these lains are ronounce"by all wretche" an" useless They can be "escribe"only by negati!e charactersS without habitations withoutwater without trees without &ountains they suort &erelya few "warf lants (hy then an" the case is not eculiar to &yself ha!e these ari" wastes ta$en so fir& a hol" on&y &e&oryQ (hy ha!e not the still &ore le!el the greener an" &ore fertile Pa&as which are ser!iceable to &an$in"ro"uce" an eLual i&ressionQ 0 can scarcely analy9e thesefeelings5 but it &ust be artly owing to the free scoe gi!en

to the i&agination The lains of Patagonia are boun"lessfor they are scarcely assable an" hence un$nown5 theybear the sta& of ha!ing laste" as they are now for ages



an" there aears no li&it to their "uration through futureti&e 0f as the ancients suose" the flat earth wassurroun"e" by an i&assable brea"th of water or by "esertsheate" to an intolerable excess who woul" not loo$ at theselast boun"aries to &an's $nowle"ge with "ee but ill"efine"sensationsQ

>astly of natural scenery the !iews fro& lofty &ountainsthrough certainly in one sense not beautiful are !ery&e&orable (hen loo$ing "own fro& the highest crest of theCor"illera the &in" un"isturbe" by &inute "etails wasfille" with the stuen"ous "i&ensions of the surroun"ing &asses

:f in"i!i"ual objects erhas nothing is &ore certain tocreate astonish&ent than the first sight in his nati!e haunt of a barbarian of &an in his lowest an" &ost sa!age state:ne's &in" hurries bac$ o!er ast centuries an" then as$scoul" our rogenitors ha!e been &en li$e theseQ &en

whose !ery signs an" exressions are less intelligible to usthan those of the "o&esticate" ani&alsS &en who "o notossess the instinct of those ani&als nor yet aear to boastof hu&an reason or at least of arts conseLuent on thatreason 0 "o not belie!e it is ossible to "escribe or aintthe "ifference between sa!age an" ci!ili9e" &an 0t isthe "ifference between a wil" an" ta&e ani&al5 an" artof the interest in behol"ing a sa!age is the sa&e whichwoul" lea" e!ery one to "esire to see the lion in his "esertthe tiger tearing his rey in the jungle or the rhinoceroswan"ering o!er the wil" lains of frica

&ong the other &ost re&ar$able sectacles which weha!e behel" &ay be ran$e" the -outhern Cross the clou"of =agellan an" the other constellations of the southernhe&ishere the watersout the glacier lea"ing its bluestrea& of ice o!erhanging the sea in a bol" reciice alagoonislan" raise" by the reefbuil"ing corals an acti!e!olcano an" the o!erwhel&ing effects of a !iolent earthLua$eThese latter heno&ena erhas ossess for &e aeculiar interest fro& their inti&ate connection with thegeological structure of the worl" The earthLua$e howe!er&ust be to e!ery one a &ost i&ressi!e e!ent5 the earthconsi"ere" fro& our earliest chil"hoo" as the tye of soli"ity

has oscillate" li$e a thin crust beneath our feetS an"in seeing the laboure" wor$s of &an in a &o&ent o!erthrownwe feel the insignificance of his boaste" ower

0t has been sai" that the lo!e of the chase is an inherent"elight in &an a relic of an instincti!e assion 0f so 0a& sure the leasure of li!ing in the oen air with the s$yfor a roof an" the groun" for a table is art of the sa&efeeling it is the sa!age returning to his wil" an" nati!ehabits 0 always loo$ bac$ to our boat cruises an" &y lan" journeys when through unfreLuente" countries with an extre&e"elight which no scenes of ci!ili9ation coul" ha!e

create" 0 "o not "oubt that e!ery tra!eller &ust re&e&ber the glowing sense of hainess which he exerience" whenhe first breathe" in a foreign cli&e where the ci!ili9e" &an



ha" sel"o& or ne!er tro"

There are se!eral other sources of enjoy&ent in a long!oyage which are of a &ore reasonable nature The &aof the worl" ceases to be a blan$S it beco&es a icture fullof the &ost !arie" an" ani&ate" figures Each art assu&es

its roer "i&ensions5 continents are not loo$e" at in thelight of islan"s or islan"s consi"ere" as &ere sec$s whichare in truth larger than &any $ing"o&s of Euroe fricaor ;orth an" -outh &erica are wellsoun"ing na&es an"easily ronounce"S but it is not until ha!ing saile" for wee$s along s&all ortions of their shores that one isthoroughly con!ince" what !ast saces on our i&&ense worl"these na&es i&ly

*ro& seeing the resent state it is i&ossible not to loo$forwar" with high exectations to the future rogress of nearly an entire he&ishere The &arch of i&ro!e&ent

conseLuent on the intro"uction of Christianity throughoutthe -outh -ea robably stan"s by itself in the recor"s of history 0t is the &ore stri$ing when we re&e&ber that onlysixty years since Coo$ whose excellent ju"g&ent none will"isute coul" foresee no rosect of a change Ret thesechanges ha!e now been effecte" by the hilanthroic siritof the British nation

0n the sa&e Luarter of the globe ustralia is rising or in"ee" &ay be sai" to ha!e risen into a gran" centre of ci!ili9ation which at so&e not !ery re&ote erio" will ruleas e&ress o!er the southern he&ishere 0t is i&ossible

for an English&an to behol" these "istant colonies withouta high ri"e an" satisfaction To hoist the British flagsee&s to "raw with it as a certain conseLuence wealthroserity an" ci!ili9ation

0n conclusion it aears to &e that nothing can be &orei&ro!ing to a young naturalist than a journey in "istantcountries 0t both sharens an" artly allays that want an"cra!ing which as -ir ,erschel re&ar$s a &an exeriencesalthough e!ery cororeal sense be fully satisfie" Theexcite&ent fro& the no!elty of objects an" the chance of success sti&ulate hi& to increase" acti!ity =oreo!er as a

nu&ber of isolate" facts soon beco&e uninteresting thehabit of co&arison lea"s to generali9ation :n the other han" as the tra!eller stays but a short ti&e in each lacehis "escritions &ust generally consist of &ere s$etchesinstea" of "etaile" obser!ations ,ence arises as 0 ha!e foun"to &y cost a constant ten"ency to fill u the wi"e gas of $nowle"ge by inaccurate an" suerficial hyotheses

But 0 ha!e too "eely enjoye" the !oyage not to reco&&en"any naturalist although he &ust not exect to be sofortunate in his co&anions as 0 ha!e been to ta$e allchances an" to start on tra!els by lan" if ossible if

otherwise on a long !oyage ,e &ay feel assure" he will &eetwith no "ifficulties or "angers exceting in rare cases nearlyso ba" as he beforehan" anticiates 0n a &oral oint of



!iew the effect ought to be to teach hi& goo"hu&oure"atience free"o& fro& selfishness the habit of acting for hi&self an" of &a$ing the best of e!ery occurrence 0nshort he ought to arta$e of the characteristic Lualities of &ost sailors Tra!elling ought also to teach hi& "istrustS butat the sa&e ti&e he will "isco!er how &any truly $in"hearte"

eole there are with who& he ne!er before ha" or e!er againwill ha!e any further co&&unication who yet are rea"y to offer hi& the &ost "isintereste" assistance

214 fter the !olu&es of eloLuence which ha!e oure" forth onthis subject it is "angerous e!en to &ention the to&b &o"ern tra!eller in twel!e lines bur"ens the oor littleislan" with the following titles it is a gra!e to&byra&i" ce&etery seulchre cataco&b sarcohagus &inaretan" &ausoleu&%

264 0t "eser!es notice that all the &any seci&ens of this

shell foun" by &e in one sot "iffer as a &ar$e" !arietyfro& another set of seci&ens rocure" fro& a "ifferent sot

284 Beatson's -t ,elena 0ntro"uctory chater 3

234 &ong these few insects 0 was surrise" to fin" a s&all ho"ius no! sec an" an :ryctes both extre&ely nu&erousun"er "ung (hen the islan" was "isco!ere" it certainlyossesse" no Lua"rue" exceting erhas a &ouse5 it beco&estherefore a "ifficult oint to ascertain whether thesesterco!orous insects ha!e since been i&orte" by acci"ent or if aborigines on what foo" they for&erly subsiste" :n the ban$s

of the Plata where fro& the !ast nu&ber of cattle an" horsesthe fine lains of turf are richly &anure" it is !ain to see$the &any $in"s of "ungfee"ing beetles which occur soabun"antly in Euroe 0 obser!e" only an :ryctes the insects of this genus in Euroe generally fee" on "ecaye" !egetable &atteran" two secies of Phanaeus co&&on in such situations :n theoosite si"e of the Cor"illera in Chiloe another secies of Phanaeus is excee"ingly abun"ant an" it buries the "ung of thecattle in large earthen balls beneath the groun" There isreason to belie!e that the genus Phanaeus before theintro"uction of cattle acte" as sca!engers to &an 0n Euroebeetles which fin" suort in the &atter which has alrea"y

contribute" towar"s the life of other an" larger ani&als are sonu&erous that there &ust be consi"erably &ore than one hun"re""ifferent secies Consi"ering this an" obser!ing what aLuantity of foo" of this $in" is lost on the lains of >a Plata0 i&agine" 0 saw an instance where &an ha" "isturbe" that chainby which so &any ani&als are lin$e" together in their nati!ecountry 0n Van Die&en's >an" howe!er 0 foun" four secies of

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A Vigem Do Beagle Darwin