Buenos Aires 149 



provinces there are a few; but, although there once 

 were millions of them in the country, there are at most 

 only a few thousands left. They are going the way of 

 all wild creatures in the New World, and will soon 

 become extinct, unless measures are taken to stay the 

 hands of their persecutors. The smaller species named 

 after Darwin (Rhea darwini Gould) is still not un- 

 common upon the Patagonian pampas, but they also 

 are rapidly decreasing in numbers with each succeeding 

 year. To the left of the train we saw a large herd of 

 English deer feeding in an open space between two 

 groves of eucalyptus-trees. In the grass a little farther 

 on we noticed some Belgian hares. They have been 

 introduced into the country and are multiplying rapidly, 

 and are reported to be doing considerable damage to 

 the crops in certain localities. As the train swept by 

 the hamlet of Conchitas we spied two llamas feeding 

 in an enclosure ; one was dark brown in color, the other 

 was w T hite. The llama is not a creature of the pampas, 

 but of the Andean region, and, like the camel, is only 

 known in a state of domestication. The guanaco, a 

 much smaller animal, which is closely related to the 

 llama, still exists in considerable numbers in a wild 

 state upon the less frequented pampas of Patagonia 

 and among the foothills of the great mountains in the 

 northern part of Argentina. As we came near the city 

 we caught glimpses of the great river with its sky-line 

 like that of the ocean. In the offing there were many 

 sailing-ships and steamers. The number of full- 

 rigged ships in these waters proves that steamers have 

 not yet entirely monopolized the carrying-trade of the 

 world. 



On arriving in Buenos Aires my first errand was to the 

 American Legation, to pay my respects to my honored 



