EDEN HARBOUR 183 



geese were more plentiful than in the other 

 anchorages visited. I saw but one species — 

 Chloephaga poliocephala — which is one of the most 

 handsome geese in the world. It is about the 

 size of the well-known Egyptian goose, and 

 somewhat resembles it in the coloration of its 

 upperparts ; the underparts are white, barred on 

 the flanks with black, and the breast is encircled 

 by a broad band of bright chestnut-red. In this 

 harbour we met with another kind of cormorant 

 — Phalacrocorax vigua — which is, I believe, the 

 species found so abundantly in the roadstead at 

 Monte Video. This being so, it is rather remark- 

 able that we did not meet with it in the Straits 

 of Magellan. 



In Eden Harbour we saw a steamer lying on 

 the rocks, and were told by our pilot that it 

 had been wrecked a few months previously. In 

 many parts of Sm5rthe's Channel we saw such 

 wrecks, and I believe that in few parts of the world 

 is navigation so difficult and dangerous as in these 

 waters ; there are so many offshoots from the 

 main — and only navigable — channel, that it is 

 necessary to know the passage very well to get 

 through with safety. Fortunately, both the 

 Straits and Smythe's Channel are well provided 

 with natural harbours, where ships can anchor 

 with perfect safety. 



In nearly all these harbours there are numbers 



of boards, on which are painted the names of the 



o2 



