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

April 1830. deek — river — lagook. 355 glacier on the western side. In returning we saw some deer on the eastern shore of the low land, between the islands of the second reach, but could not get within gun-shot : they appeared to be of a dark colour, and fully as large as a guanaco. Some of our men thought they could distinguish small straight horns, but I could not myself see them.(c?) I endeavoiu-ed to cross the isthmus, where Lieutenant Sk3'ring had seen water from Focus Island, near Easter Bay, and first attempted it by the course of a fresh water river, at the head of the bay ; but I fovmd the country so thickly covered with stunted wood, about eight feet high, and exceedingly prickly, that I lost my way twice, and returned to the shore ; I tried again however, about half a mile more to the eastward, and at last got to a high part of the land. When there, and mounted on another man's shoulders, I could scarcely see above the trees (which, at the roots, were not thicker than a man's wrist) : there was evidently a large expanse of water, but I could not distinguish much of it. I think it probable that it is fresh, as the river, fifty yards wide, is rapid, and appears to run out of it. There is not any high land in the neighbourhood, whence such a run of fresh water could be supplied. " ' I saw numbers of deer tracks about this place, and the boat's crew observed three deer similar to those above-men- tioned.'— (Kirke MS.) " We weighed on the 22d, and towed out of Easter Bay, with the hope of repassing Kirke Narrow ; but shortly after- wards so dense a fog arose, that we could distinguish no land, and were unable to profit by the advantage of a light fair wind, with otherwise favourable weather. In the afternoon, when it cleared up a little, we anchored in Fog Bay, on the west side of the channel, about three miles from Kirke Narrow. Cd) Mr. Kirke was rather sboi't-sig-hted, and therefore unable to dis- cern distant objects clearly. From the natives of Ponsonby land, be- tween the Otway and Skyring Waters, I procured, and gave to Captain King, some short straight horns, and parts of the skins of animals, which were probably deer of the kind seen by Mr. Kirke, and, since that time, by Mr. Low, when he followed my track into the Skyring Water with his sealing vessel, the Unicorn schooner. — R. F. 2 a2