80 VOYAGE TO THE 



plain with their lassos, and take as many of these ani- 

 mals as they can ensnare, for the sake of their fat, of 

 which they will sometimes procure between four and 

 five arobas from one animal. 



The fields are burrowed by a small rat, resembling 

 the 7nus arvalis, by a mountain rat of the cricefus 

 species, and also by the ardillo, a species of sciurits, 

 rather a pretty little animal, said to be good to eat ; 

 another of this species was seen among the branches 

 of the trees. A small variety of lepus cuniculiis is 

 very common in the sand-hills near the presidio ; 

 hares are less common, and indeed it is doubtful 

 whether any were seen by us. Raccoons are found in 

 the mountains at a distance from the coast. The sea 

 otter (mustela liitris) is not an unfrequent visiter in 

 the harbour of San Francisco, but very few of them 

 are taken, notwithstanding their fur is valuable. Judg- 

 ing from the accounts that have been published, these 

 animals are becoming less numerous upon the coast : 

 in 1786 it was stated that 50,000 of them might be 

 collected annually, whereas at present the number is 

 reduced to about 2,000. Porpoises and whales are 

 numerous outside the harbour, and the common seal 

 may occasionally be seen basking on the rocks of Yer- 

 babuena, and other places. 



The feathered tribe in San Francisco are very nu- 

 merous, and have as yet been so little molested that 

 there must be a rich harvest in store for the first na- 

 turalist who shall turn his attention to this place. We 

 succeeded in killing a great many birds of different 

 species, several of which were found to be quite new, 

 and will be described in the natural history, which will 

 shortly appear as a supplement to this voyage : but 

 there are not many which delight, either by the bril- 



