The American Museum Journal 



VoIA.MK XVI 11 



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Xr.Ml'.KK 1 



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During the winter season, traveling through Smyths Channel, which extends from the Strait of 

 Magellan along the southern coast of Chile, one sees an ever shifting panorama of distant peaks and 

 white-garbed islands, with snow-encased fjords leading off to one knows not where 



Narrative of a Bird Quest in the Vicinity 

 of Cape Horn' 



Bv R O LLC 11. BECK 



WIIl^N' we were leaving San 

 I'ranciseo, California, in 

 December, 1912, for a two 

 years" collcctino: trip along the coasts of 

 South America, rounding Cape Horn 

 was regarded as a ratlier remote pos- 

 sibility; but in December, 1911, when 

 we enjoyed our Christmas dinner only 

 thirty miles from Cape Horn, the same 

 possibility loomed large before us. The 

 disturbance in Europe contributed in 

 no small measure to our ])assing the 

 summer months in and about the re- 

 gion .so dreaded by saibu's — for nur 

 plans had been laid to visit the Falk- 

 land Islands that season. 



' Article and illustrations copy 



Perturlx'd conditions, evident before 

 we attemj)ted to land from the steamer 

 in the Falklands, and which were later 

 settled in the Falkland Island battle, 

 made us decide to try Cajie Horn for a 

 time. I h.ul journeyed down along the 

 west coiisi through Smyth's Channel 

 and othi-r iiilniid waters, and up 

 througli the Strait of ^fagellan in the 

 dead of winter, passing the months of 

 September and October at Mar del 

 I'lata, at the mouth of the Rio Plate, 

 collecting ocean birds while waiting for 

 tlie summer time to strike the .southern 

 latitudes. By the middle of Xovember, 

 wlieii I'lint.i .\i-eiias had begun to put 



righted, 1918, by Rolio II. Beck 



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