Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.3)

CONTENTS. Xi CHAPTER VI. Set out for Buenos Ayres — Rio Sauce — Sierra Ventana — Transportal of pebbles — Tliird posta — Driving horses — Bolas — Partridges and foxes Features of country — Long-legged plover — Teru-tero — Hailstorm Natural enclosures in Sierra Tapalguen — Flesh of puma — Meat diet Guardia del Monte — Effects of cattle on the vegetation — Cardoon Buenos Ayres — ^Corral where animals are slaughtered . . 124 CHAPTER VII. Excursion to St. Fe— Thistle beds— Habits and range of Bizcacha— Little owl — Saline streams — Level plains — Mastodon — St. Fe — Change in landscape — Geology — Tooth of extinct horse — Range of fossil quadru- peds — Pampas full of remains — Effects of great droughts — Droughts periodical — Parana — Habits of Jaguar — Scissor-beak — Kingfisher, parrot, and scissor-tail — Revolution — Buenos Ayres — State of govern- ment ...... 142 CHAPTER VIII. Monte Video — Excursion to Colonia del Sacramiento — Horses, swimming — Value of an Estancia — Cattle, how counted — Geology — Great thistle- beds — Rio Negro — Perforated pebbles — Shepherd dogs — Horses broken in, Gauchos riding, feats with lazo — Toxodon — Armadillo-like gigantic covering — Great tail — Return to Monte Video — Character of inha- bitants ...... 167 CHAPTER IX. Rio Plata — Flocks of butterflies — Beetles alive in the sea — Aeronaut spiders — Pelagic animals — Phosphorescence of sea — Port Desire Spanish settlements — Zoology — Guanaco — Excursion to head of har- bour — Indian grave — Port St. Julian — Geology of Patagonia, succes- sive terraces, transport of pebbles — Fossil gigantic llama — Types of organization constant — Change in zoology of America — Causes of ex- tinction ...... 183 CHAPTER X. Santa Cruz — Expedition up river — Indians — Character of Patagonia Basaltic platform — Immense streams of lava — Non-transport of blocks by river — Excavation of valley — Condor, range and habits — Cordil- lera — Erratic boulders of great size — Indian relics— Return to the ship . . . . . .213 CHAPTER XI. Tierra del Fuego, first arrival — Good Success Bay — Interview with sa- vages — Scenery of the forests— Sir J. Banks's hill — Cape Horn — Wig- wam Cove — Miserable condition of savages — Beagle channel — Fuegians — Ponsonby Sound — Equality of condition among the natives — Bifurca- tion of the Beagle channel — Glaciers — Return to ship • 227