462 THE BAROMETRO ARAUCANA FROM THE CHILOE ISLANDS, 



taken in a trawl off Twofold Bay by the Challenger expedition, has 

 since been described by Dr. Gunther. All of these, though 

 belonging to the genus Maia, have no very marked resemblance to 

 Raia batis the well-known Skate of Europe, but the species now 

 described resembles the common Skate so closely, that to a casual 

 observer they would appear identical. As an article of food, Skate 

 has never been much in favour here, in fact, except in French 

 Cafes and places of that kind, Rays flesh is scarcely used at all, 

 but I believe the kind most in use is the Trygon pastinaca or the 

 large black Sting ray. Whether the Australian Skate will become 

 more popular as an article of food than the Sting ray, remains to 

 be seen. 



The " Barometro Araucano " from the Chiloe Islands. 

 By N. de Miklouho-Maclay. 



Amongst the different interesting Ethnological, Archaeological, 

 and Zoological objects on board the Italian Corvette, " Caracciolo," 

 which Captain C. de Amezaga, had the kindness to show me. I 

 saw a peculiar instrument called the "Barometro Araucano," 

 which as he explained to me, is used by the natives of the Chiloe 

 Islands as an indicator of approaching rainy or dry weather, and 

 change of wind. 



This instrument is nothing else but the shell of a crab. Mr. W. 

 Haswell has informed me that the crab belongs to the genus Lithodes, 

 and Dr. F. Itho of the "Caracciolo" told me later, that he has seen 

 the same in the collections of the Museum at Santiago in Chili, 

 marked as Lithodes Antarcticus. 



Capt. C. de Amezaga had this peculiar instrument with him 

 during the voyage of the Corvette from the West Coast of South 

 America to Sydney, and confirmed completely the statement 

 heard by him from the Chiloans about the use of the instrument. 



The ordinary colour of the shell during dry weather is light grey, 

 which, as soon as the air gets damp becomes gradually covered 

 with spots of a dark (reddish) tint. The increase of humidity in 

 the atmosphere makes the spots larger, so that the shell is at last 

 quite of a dark (reddish) colour. 



