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

6 SHELLS — BUEIAL-PLACES. Dec. 1826. tions consisted only of a few species of Coleoptera, two or three Lepidoptera, and two Hymenoptera. Among the sea-shells, the most abundant was the Patella deaurata, Lamk. ; this, with three other species of Patella, one Chiton, three species of Mytilus, three of Murex, one of Crepi- dula, and a Venus, were all that we collected. About the country, near the sea^shore, there is a small tree, whose stem and roots are highly esteemed for fuel by the crews of sealing-vessels which frequent this coast. They call it ' piccolo.' The leaf was described to me as having a prickle upon it, and the flower as of a yellow colour. A species of berberis also is found, which when ripe may afford a very palatable fruit. Our short visit gave us no flattering opinion of the fertility of the country near this port. Of the interior we were igno- rant ; but, from the absence of Indians and the scarcity of fresh water, it is probably very bare of pasturage. Falkner, the Jesuit missionary, says these parts were used by the Tehuelhet tribes for burying-places : we saw, however, no graves, nor any traces of bodies, excepting the jaw-bone above- mentioned; but subsequently, at Sea Bear Bay, we found many places on the summits of the hills which had evidently been used for such a purpose, although then containing no remains of bodies. This corresponds with Falkner's account, that after a period of twelve months the sepulchres ai-e formally visited by the tribe, when the bones of their relatives and friends are collected and carried to certain places, where the skeletons are arranged in order, and tricked out with all the finery and ornaments they can collect. The ships sailed from Port Santa Elena on the 5th Decem- ber, and proceeded to the southward, coasting the shore as far as Cape Two Bays. Our object being to proceed with all expedition to the Strait of Magalhaens, the examination of this part of the coast was reserved for a future opportunity. On the 13th, we had reached within fifty miles of Cape Virgins, the headland at the entrance of the strait, but it was directly in the wind's eye