12 EARLY LETTERS [CHAP. I 



Letter 4 a large surface of the osseous polygonal plates, which " late 

 observations " (what are they ?) show belong to the Mega- 

 therium. Immediately I saw this I thought they must belong 

 to an enormous armadillo, living species of which genus are 

 so abundant here. 3rd, The lower jaw of some large animal 

 which, from the molar teeth, I should think belonged to the 

 Edentata ; 4th, some large molar teeth which in some respects 

 would seem to belong to an enormous rodent ; 5th, also some 

 smaller teeth belonging to the same order. If it interests 

 you sufficiently to unpack them, I shall be very curious to 

 hear something about them. Care must be taken in this case 

 not to confuse the tallies. They are mingled with marine 

 shells which appear to me identical with what now exist. 

 But since they were deposited in their beds several geological 

 changes have taken place in the country. So much for the 

 dead, and now for the living : there is a poor specimen of 

 a bird which to my unornithological eyes appears to be a 

 happy mixture of a lark, pigeon and snipe (No. 710). 

 Mr. MacLeay himself never imagined such an inosculating 

 creature : I suppose it will turn out to be some well known 

 bird, although it has quite baffled me. I have taken some 

 interesting Amphibia ; a new Trigonocepkalus beautifully 

 connecting in its habits Crotalus and the Viperidas, and 

 plenty of new (as far as my knowledge goes) saurians. As 

 for one little toad, I hope it may be new, that it may be 

 christened " diabolicus." Milton must allude to this very 

 individual when he talks of " squat like a toad " ; x its colours 

 are by Werner 2 ink black, vermilion red and buff orange. It 

 has been a splendid cruise for me in Nat. History. Amongst 

 the Pelagic Crustacea, some new and curious genera. In the 

 Zoophytes some interesting animals. As for one Flustra, if 



Glyptodontidae, and not to Megatherium. We are indebted to Mr. Kerr 

 for calling our attention to a passage in Buckland's Bridgcwatcr Treatise 

 (Vol. II., p. 20, note), where bony armour is ascribed to Megatherium. 

 1 "... him [Satan] there they [Ithuriel and Zephon] found, 

 Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve " 



(Paradise Lost, Book IV., line 800). 



"Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and 

 in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take 

 only a single volume, I always chose Milton " (Autobiography, p. 69). 



3 Werner's Nojnenclature of Colours, Edinburgh, 1821. 



