ASHORE AT MONTE VIDEO 159 



albatroses on sailors, who have fallen overboard, 

 are in fact attributable to this species. 



Early on the morning of 14th January we 

 anchored off Monte Video. Owing to the shallow 

 water the " Valhalla " had to lie about two miles 

 distant from the town, and on account of this we 

 made but one excursion into the country. 

 Travelling by rail to the small town of Los Piedros, 

 we walked into the country, which is mostly flat 

 pasture land for miles round. Quantities of 

 large blue-flowered thistles covered the country. 

 An interesting account of these thistles is given 

 by Darwin. He says : " There is little good 

 pasture, owing to the land being covered by beds 

 either of an acrid clover or of the great thistle ; 

 in some parts they were as high as the horse's 

 back, but in others they had not yet sprung up. 

 When the thistles are full-grown, the great beds 

 are impenetrable except by a few tracks, as 

 intricate as those of a labyrinth. These are only 

 known to the robbers, who in this season inhabit 

 them, and sally forth at night to rob and cut 

 throats with impunity. Upon asking at a house 

 whether robbers were numerous, I was answered, 

 6 The thistles are not yet up ' the meaning of 

 which reply was not at first obvious." 



During our stay here some time was devoted 

 to fishing from the ship. Examples of two species 

 were caught, one of which proved to be new to 

 science, and has since been described under the 



