DARWIN ON THE FUEGIANS AND PATAGONIANS. 747 



trees. When young it is elastic and turgid, with a smooth sur- 

 face ; but when mature it shrinks, becomes tougher, and has its 

 entire surface deeply pitted or honeycombed, as represented in 

 the accompanying woodcut. This fungus belongs to a new and 

 curious genus. I found a second species on 

 another species of beech in Chili ; and Dr. 

 Hooker informs me that just lately a third 

 species has been discovered on a third species 

 of beech in Van Diemen's Land. How sin- 

 gular is this relationship between parasitical 

 fungi and the trees on which they grow, in 

 distant parts of the world ! In Tierra del 

 Fuego the fungus in its tough and mature 

 state is collected in large quantities by the 

 women and children, and is eaten uncooked. 

 It has a mucilaginous, slightly sweet taste, with a faint smell like 

 that of a mushroom. With the exception of a few berries, chiefly 

 of a dwarf arbutus, the natives eat no vegetable food besides this 

 fungus. In New Zealand, before the introduction of the potato, 

 the roots of the fern were largely consumed ; at the present time, 

 I believe, Tierra del Fuego is the only country in the world where 

 a cryptogamic plant affords a staple article of food. 



Fig. 2. 



-Ctttakia Dar- 



WINII. 



Mr 



Fig. 3 Patagonians from Cape Gregory. 



In the end of May, 1834, we entered for the second time the 

 eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan. The country on both 

 sides of this part of the strait consists of nearly level plains, like 

 those of Patagonia. Cape Negro, a little within the second Nar- 

 rows, may be considered as the point where the land begins to 



