Journal of Travel ami Natural History 



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Letter to Dx Hooker /ww Dr R. O. Cunningham, Naturalist to the Sur- 

 veying Expedition at the Straits of Magellan. 



H.M.S. "Nassau," 

 Sandypoint, Strait of Magelh/EUs. 

 N'oveniber 26, 1867. 



" I am very glad, indeed, to hear that the plants have arrived in a satisfactory 

 condition, for I was feeling rather anxious about them. I only fear that the 

 Zoological specimens may not fall into such good hands, and, in consequence, 

 that they may have come to grief before I get a chance at working at them. I 

 will keep in mind what you say regarding a diligent collection of the Strait 

 grasses and Cyperacece ; and, as I hope we shall spend a few days at Port 

 Famine this season, I will do my best to get hold of King's plants. I hope to 

 have no difficulty in procuring seeds of the Fagi at the end of the season, and 

 saving and sending them home in the way you recommend ; and I will keep a 

 sharp look-out for seeds of all kinds. 



Regarding the Fuegians, I am afraid we are not likely to have opportunities 

 of intercourse with the eastern ones, who appear to be a distinct race from the 

 western, but I have little doubt we will have many interviews with the latter in 

 the western part of the Straits, and perhaps in Smyth's Channel, where we will 

 probably be for some months this year. I think I mentioned in my September 

 letter that I had jDrocured at Tijuca a female land- or fresh-water crab, with 

 fully developed young ones attached to the abdomen or tail-flap, in the position 

 of the ova. I have been thinking over this circumstance since then, and it 

 appears to me that this goes far to prove that this species of crab either under- 

 goes no metamorphosis in the young state, or else that the changes take place 

 while the young animal is still attached to the parent. I believe our British 

 Cray fish undergoes no metamorphosis, but I have not been able to find out 

 from the books I have with me whether the same holds good with any of the 

 short-tailed Decapods. We remained at Rio de Janeiro till the 14th of October, 

 and I took many long walks about the neighbourhood ; and, I think, added 

 considerably to my knowledge of the plants and animals of the country. I 

 collected specimens of all the ferns I could find, and if they are in a state of 

 respectable preservation when we go north again, I will send them to you with 

 the next relay of Strait plants, and you can dispose of them as you think fit. I 

 had a pleasant excursion one day with Captain Majme and Dr Campbell to 

 Paqueta, one of the numerous islands near the head of the harbour. The vege- 

 tation of the island was very rich and varied. On a flat space of sandy ground 

 a Eugenia, with oval leaves and ribbed red juicy fruits, was abundant. The 

 Brazilians call it Pitayo, and are very fond of the fruit ; but I must say I 

 think it extremely bad, possessing a sickly sweetish taste, followed by a flavour 

 of coal tar. Along the beach I found several bivalves (a species of Donax, one 

 of the most abundant) and Gasteropods ; and on a boulder in the water a large 

 handsome gray Aplysia, which emitted a fine purple fluid on being handled. 

 One day our screw was got up for the purpose of cleaning it. I found it 

 covered with two species of zoophytes (one of them a small Corjaie or Tubu- 

 laria), in the midst of which minute Ci"ustacea (among which a Caprella was 

 specially abundant), small fish, and Molluscs clustered. It was rather curious, 

 that though the metal was everywhere covered with the polypidoms of the 

 zoophytes, not a trace of plant life was present. One thing that perplexed me 

 a good deal in the course of several of my walks was the perpetual dripping of 



