190 DR. CUNTilNGHAM ON 



WitU the exception of some very fine specimens of a species of 

 PholaSj I did not obtain anything worth mentioning in the way of 

 marine animals. We were much interested in watching the flight 

 of large flocks of that curious diving Petrel the Pelecanoides Be- 

 rardi^ of whose habits Mr. Darwin has given such an excellent ac- 

 count in his narrative. We left the Bay of San Carlos on the 20th, 

 and went on our way south between Chiloe and the mainland, and 

 we arrived at the island of Qnehuy, not far from the southern ex- 

 tremity of Chiloe, on the 21st. There we remained a day and 

 a half; and Capt. Mayne engaged an Englishman to act as our 

 pilot through the Chonos archipelago, which we were desirous of 

 seeing something of Quehuy is a pretty wooded island, with a 

 considerable population, a goodly proportion of whom are Indians 

 speaking the Huilliche language. On the steep sandstone cliffs 

 above the beach, in some places, I got magnificent specimens of 

 the yello\V Calceolaria I have already mentioned ; and Gunnera 

 scabra was a striking object, with its great rhubarb-like leaves 

 and curious flower-spikes ; and in the weeds I found a species of 

 Luzuriaga in great profusion climbing the tree-trunks, its glossy 

 green leaves, snow-white flowers, and bright orange berries pro- 

 ducing a most attractive efiect. There were also some splendid 

 trees of E7nhothrium ; and I found two species of Solanum, one 

 forming a stout shrub. 



January 14th. — I resume my narrative after a considerable 

 interval. We left Quehuy on the morning of the 23rd, and pur- 

 sued our way south. It was a splendid day, and the scenery of 

 the mainland was extremely fine, the Minchin Madira, Corcovado, 

 and Milimoya mountains attracting special attention by their 

 snowy-mantled and sharp peaks. In the evening we reached Port 

 Melinka, in the Gruay teras group of islands ; and as we had a few 

 hours' daylight, a party of us went in search of a small cave which, 

 we were told, was on one of the islands ; and contained bones ot 

 Chonos Indians, which I was naturally anxious to secure. After 

 a careful scrutiny of the coast of the said island, I am happy to 

 say that our endeavours were crowned with success ; for we 

 found the cave, and in it I obtained crania and some other 

 bones. I collected a sample of the plants, nearly all of which I 

 had previously met with in Chiloe. I think the only novelty was 

 a very handsome species of LathyruSy perhaps L. pubescens. This 

 was the southernmost locality in which I observed Sarmienta 



