Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.1): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

134 HUMMING-BIRDS. April 1828. would not take bait, we were confined for refreshments princi- pally to shell-fish. No traces of quadrupeds, excepting an Indian dog, were noticed. Here WalKs's people saw a large cloven-footed animal, which they described to be as " big as a jack-ass."" It was probably a deer, one or two of which had occasionally appeared at Port Famine, (e) It has been mentioned that we found many humming-birds at Port San Antonio, which we attributed to the sheltered situation of the place, and the luxuriant growth of fuchsias and other plants, upon the sweets of whose flowers they feed. Here, however, one of the same species was seen sporting about in a most exposed place and during the falling of a snow shower, a proof of the hai'dy character of this little bird, which, if it does migrate upon the approach of winter to a warmer clime, lin- gers, at least, as long as it possibly can. This was the middle of April, the winter had, in fact, already commenced, and all the mountains around us were clothed with snow, while the ground was also coated with the same dazzling covering. Mr. Graves intended to ascend the Mountain de la Cruz ; but a heavy fall of snow prevented the attempt, and we lost the oppor- tunity of obtaining a round of angles from that elevation, which would have materially assisted our operations. We should also have obtained a bird's-eye view of the Barbara Channel and the Sounds on the opposite side of the Strait, whose extent and nature we did not know ; for Cordova's notice of San Simony's Bay, and a deep inlet which exists to the westward of it, is very unsatisfactory. There were no signs of a recent visit from the Fuegians, though at the entrance of the cove we found three or four wigwams in good repair ; whence it seems probable, that the place is one of their frequent haunts. When the Beagle came here last year, some station staves were left standing; but, before her return, every one had been removed; and when Captain Stokes went down the Barbara Channel, to the relief (e) Or the animal called by Molina ' Huemul.'— R. F.