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

Dec. 1826. natural history. 5 until again warned of the approach of danger by their vigilant ' look-out.' Another peculiarity of the guanaco is, the habit of resorting to particular spots for natural purposes. This is mentioned in the ' Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle,' in the ' Encyclopedic Methodique,"' as well as other works. In one place we found the bones of thirty-one guanacoes collected within a space of thirty yards, perhaps the result of an encampment of Indians, as evident traces of them were observed ; among which were a human jaw-bone, and a piece of agate ingeniously chipped into the shape of a spear-head. The fox, which we did not take, appeared to be small, and similar to a new species afterwards found by us in the Strait of Magalhaens. The cavia* (or, as it is called by Narborough, Byron, and Wood, the hare, an animal from which it differs both in appear- ance and habits, as well as flavour), makes a good dish ; and so does the armadillo, which our people called the shell-pig."f" This little animal is found abundantly about the low land, and lives in burrows underground ; several were taken by the seainen, and, when cooked in their shells, were savoury and wholesome. Teal were abundant upon the marshy grounds. A few par- tridges, doves, and snipes, a rail, and some hawks were shot. The few sea-birds that were observed consisted of two species of gulls, a grebe and a penguin {Aptenodytes Magellanica). We found two species of snakes and several kinds of lizards. Fish were scarce, as were also insects ; of the last, our collec- • Dasyprocta patacJionica : it is the Patagoniaii cavy of Dr. Shaw, and Pennant's Quadr., tab. 39, and the li'cvre pumpa of D'Azara. M. Desma- rest thinks that if the teeth were examined it would form a new genus, for which he proposes the name of Dolichotis (Ency. Meth. Mamm. p. 359). At present he has, from its external character, placed it amongst the genus Dasyprocta (agouti). The only one that was taken was not preserved, which prevented me from ascertaining the fact. t Dasypus minutus, Desm. Tatou pichiy, or taloii, scptie7ne of D' Azara, &c. &c. It has seven bands.