THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. 553 



it are at once safe. It is quite impossible to find them, and a 

 brood of ten or twelve goslings, as large almost as full-grown 

 fowls, disappears as if by magic. The goslings can only be 

 caught by the pursuer keeping his eye on one bird only, and 

 running after it at the utmost possible speed. I had no idea 

 that goslings would be able to secure their safety so completely. 

 No doubt a terrier would find them one after another. They 

 are far better to eat than the full-grown geese. 



The ship was anchored in about 16 successive harbours in 

 the passage through the long Patagonian Channels and Magel- 

 lan's Straits. The run across from the eastern mouth of the 

 Straits, to the eastern extremity of the Falkland Islands, con- 

 sumed only three days. The sea crossed over is extremely 

 shallow, varying from 50 to 20 and 110 fathoms only in depth. 



For the Natural History of the Straits of Magellan, see R. O. 

 Cunningham, M.D., "Notes on the Natural History of the Straits of 

 Magellan." Edinburgh, 1871. 



For Accounts of the Patagonians. G. C. Musters, E.N., " At Home 

 with the Patagonians." London, Murray, 1873. 



The Falkland Islands, January 23rd to February *Jth, 1816. — 



The ship reached Stanley Harbour in the Falkland Group, on 

 January 23rd. The Falklands are a treeless expanse of moor- 

 land and bog, and bare and barren rock. Though it was 

 summer, and the Islands are in about a corresponding latitude 

 to London, a bitterly cold hail-storm pelted in my face as I 

 was rowed to the shore. The islands are occupied as sheep and 

 cattle-runs, and since sheep are found to pay best, they are 

 supplanting the cattle, formerly so numerous, to a large extent. 



The mutton is most excellent, but the supply is so far in 

 excess of the small demand, that the Falkland Island Company 

 have a large boiling-down establishment, where their sheep are 

 boiled down for tallow. 



I rode with Lieut. Channer 60 miles across the large island, 

 on which the town of Stanley is situate, to Port Darwin, in 

 order to examine some reported coal-beds, at the request of the 

 Governor. The route lay over the dreary moorland, and wound and 

 turned about in order to avoid the treacherous bogs. A " Pass " 

 in the Falkland Islands means, not a practicable cleft in the 



