CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



Ptorto Praya — Ribeira Grande — Atmospheric 

 Dnst with Infusoria — Habits of a Sea-slug and 

 Cuttle-fish — St. Paul's Rocks, non volcanic — 

 Singular incrustations — Insects the first Colo- 

 nists of Islands — Fernando Noronha — Bahia 

 — Burnished Rocks— Habits of a Diodon — 

 Pelagic Conferva} and Infusoria — Causes of 

 discoloured Sea Page 1 



CHAPTER II. 



Rio de Janeiro — Excursion north of Cape Frio 



— Great Evaporation — Slavery — Botofogo 

 Kay — Terrestrial Planarias — Clouds on the 

 Corcovado — Heavy Rain — Musical Frogs — 

 Phosphorescent Insects — Elater, springing 

 powers of— Blue Haze— Noise made by a 

 Butterfly — Entomology — Ants— Wasp kill- 

 ing a Spider — Parasitical Spider — Artifices of 

 an Epeira — Gregarious Spider — Spider with 

 an umiy mmetrical Web .• 19 



CHAPTER III. 



Monte Video— Maldonado — Excursion to R. 

 Polanco— Lazo and Bolas — Partridges — Ab- 

 sence of Trees — Deer — Capybara, or River 

 Hog — Tucutuco — Molotlirus, cuckoo-like 

 habits — Tyrant Flycatcher— Mocking-bird — 

 Carrion Hawks— Tubes formed by Lightning 

 — House struck 39 



CHAPTER IV. 



Rio Negro— Estancias attacked by the Indians 

 — Salt Lakes — Flamingoes — R. Ne;;ro to R. 

 Colorado — Sacred Tree— Patagonian Hare — 

 Indian Families — General Rosas — Proceed to 

 Bahia Blanca— Sand Dunes — Negro Lieute- 

 nant — Bahia Blanca — Saline Incrustations — 

 Punta Alta— Zorillo 63 



CHAPTER V. 



i>ahia Blanca — Geology — Numerous gigantic 

 extinct Quadrupeds - Recent Extinction — 

 Longevity of Species — Larire Animals do not 

 require a luxiuiant Vegetation — Southern 

 Africa — Siberian Fossils — Two Species of 

 Ostrich — Habits of Oven-bird — Arraadilloes 



— Venomous Snake, Toad, Lizard — Hyberna- 

 tion of Animals — Habits of Sea-Pen — Indian 

 Wars and Massacres — ALrrow-head — Antiqua- 

 rian Relic 81 



CHAPTER V>I. 



Set out for Buenos Ayres — Rio Sauce — Sierra 

 Ventana — lliird Posta — Driving Horses — 

 Bolas — Partridges and Foxes— Features of th»' 

 C-ountry — Long-legged Plover — Teru- tero — 

 Hailstorm — Natural Enclosures in the Sierra 

 Tapalguen — Flesh of Puma— Meat Diet — 

 Guardia del Monte — Eilects of Cattle on the 

 Vegetation — Cardoon — Buenos Ayres — Cor- 

 ibI where Cattle are slaughtered 1 1>6 



CHAFFER VIL 

 Excursion to St. Fe— Thistle-Beds— Habits of 

 the Bizcacha— Little Owl— Saline Streams- 

 Level Plains— Mastodon — St. Fe— Change in 

 Landscape — Geology— Tootli of extinct Horse 

 — Relation of the Fossil and recentQuadrupeds 

 of North and South America — Effects of a 

 great Drought — Parana — Habits of the Jaguar 

 — Scisior-beak — King-fisher, Parrot, and 

 Scissor-ta 1 — Revolution — Buenos A>Tes — 

 State of Government 123 



CHAPTER Vm. 

 Excursion to Colonia del Sacramiento — Value 

 of an Estancia— Cattle, how counted — Sin- 

 gular Breed of Oxen — Perforated Pebbles- 

 Shepherd- Dogs— Horses broken-in, Gauchos 

 Riding— Character of Inhabitants— Rio Plata 

 —Flocks of Butterfl es — Aeronaut Spiders- 

 Phosphorescence of the Sea— Port Desire— 

 Guanaco — Port St. Julian— Geology of Pata- 

 gonia — Fossil gigantic Animal — Types of 

 Organization constant — Change in the Zoo- 

 logy of America— Causes of Extinction . 142 



CHAPTER IX. 

 Santa Cruz — Expedition up the River— Indians 

 — Immense Streams of Basaltic I^va— Frag- 

 ments not transported by tiie River — Exca- 

 vation of the Valley— Condor, habits of— 

 Cordillera — Erratic Boulders of great size— 

 Indian Relics— Return to the Ship— Falk- 

 land Islands— Wild Horses, Cattle, Rabbits— 

 Wolf-like Fox — Fire made of Bones — Man- 

 ner of hunting Wild Cattle — Geology — 

 Streams of Stones — Scenes of Violence- 

 Penguin — Geese— Eggs of Doris —Compound 

 Animals 1*77 



CHAPTER X. 



Tierra del Fuego, first arrival — Good Success 

 Bay — An Account of the Fuegians on board 

 — Interview with the Savages — Scenery of 

 the Forests — Cape Horn — Wigwam Cove — 

 Miserable Condition of tlie Savages— Famines 

 — Cannibals — Matricide— Religious Feeli ngs 

 — Great Gale — Beagle Cliannel — Ponsonby 

 Sound — Build Wigvvams and settle the Fue- 

 gians — Bifunation of the Beagle Cliannel — 

 Glaciers — Return to the Ship — Second Visit 

 in tlie Ship to the Settlement— Equality of 

 Condition amongst the Natives 204 



CHAPTER XI. 



Strait of Magellan — Port Famine — Ascent of 

 Mount Tarn — Forests — Rlible Fungus- 

 Zoology — Great Sea- weed— Leave Tierra del 

 Fuego— Climate — Fruit Trees and Produc- 

 tions of the Southern Coasts — Height of 

 Snow-line on the CordiUera — Descent ol 

 Glaciers to tlie Sea — Icebergs formed— Trans- 

 portal of Boulders — Climate and Produc- 

 tions of the Antarctic Islands — Preservation 

 of Frozen Carcasses— Recapitulation ... 231 



