PLANTS OF THE STRAIT OF MAOELLAK. 189 



been got in the interior of them ; and I had one of them opened 

 to a considerable depth, but with no results. K'one of the 

 tumuli tliat I saw were above 5 or G feet high ; but I w^as told 

 there were some at a distance 40 feet in height. Of the ter- 

 restrial animals tliat I procured, I may specify a small snake 

 and a great longicorn beetle. The dredge yielded a few speci- 

 mens of a crustacean genus, Serolis, These I have not examined 

 sufficiently carefully to say whether they are distinct from tho 

 S. Fahricii of the Straits. The rocks yielded specimens of a 

 small and active Sepia, ConcJiolejyades, Fissitrellce^ Patellce, a curi- 

 ous Ascidian which the Chilians term " piiure " and esteem as a 

 delicacy (it likew^ise occurs at Chiloe), and some incrusting 

 sponges. We had two seining parties, and caught a considerable 

 nujnber of fish, among wliich were Torpedos, which gave most 

 distinct galvanic shocks, Callorhynclii, and a very curious little 

 fish of the Gymnetrus family, as well as some large swimming 

 crabs. "We left our anchorage on the 11th and reached the Bay 

 of San Carlos, Cliiloe, on the morning of the 14th, Avliich was a 

 most dismal one of drizzling rain, and suggested forebodings that 

 ^\'e had left the region of fine w^eather behind us. llow^ever, by the 

 middle of the day it cleared up, and, wonderful to say, we had fine 

 weather during the rest of our stay. The land did not look quite so 

 green as it did when we first arrived at Chiloe last season, owing 



) 



)s (particularly the Myrta- 

 The Fuchsias and Escallo- 



nias were just beginning to make a show, and daily grew hand- 



Malv 



large white and delicate pale purple flowers. Our own Foxglove 

 (Digitctlis) was also flow^ering luxuriantly ; and I was much delighted 

 ^ith a splendid yellow Calceolaria which grew on the cliffs close to 

 the beach. Sarmienta repens and Callixcne polyphyUa,hot\i\i\ full 

 flower, adorned the stems of many of the trees ; and among the 



oth 



Itifi 



two white-flowered species of Lihertia, Berheris Daricinii, and 

 -B. dulciSj CodonorcJiis Lessonii, which I had previously obtained 

 m the Stviiit, JE7nbotJirium coccineum, Lomatiaferruginea, and, last 

 though not least, the Tricuspidaria, the low trees of which were 

 loaded with the drooping rose-coloured flowers. By the way, I 

 see that in an article by ]Mr. Miers on the Tricuspidarice, in the 

 July number of the ' Annals of Natural Ilistory,* he describes 

 the flowers of what I suppose to be this species as " aurantiaci." 



