8 



The Caracara^ Poh/horus brasiliensis, was occasionally 

 seen but was never numerous, whilst the Chimangos were 

 nearly always there. 



Next morning we arrived at Mendoza at the bottom of 

 the Andes, not more than four hours late upon the time 

 we ought to be there, which I was told was a great 

 accomplishment of the railway drivers. 



In fact only one engine hat broken down on the way 

 and had to be left behind, but the second one drew us 

 all right. Mendoza looktni a very dusty place with large 

 vine plantations, and most or perhaps all the houses and 

 walls were made of dry mud. 



We left the train with our luggage and proceeded to 

 the Hotel which looked rather comfortable outside but had 

 only one huge room to give accomodation to the three of us. 



In the afternoon we made a walk along the mountain 

 side which was completely overgrown with Cactus-hushes^ 

 some of them carrying beautiful white floivers, besides 

 other bushes and plants every one of them thorny to the 

 extreme. 



In open spaces I saw some Picui Doves looking for 

 seeds and on one or two occasions a diminutive little 

 Kestrel hovered over head. 



There is a Public Garden in Mendoza in which there 

 is a small collection of S. Am. animals and birds. 



So f. i. there were some splendid Puma's, several Vicim- 

 na's, a number of Condors, Caracaras and other small birds 

 of prey and several nice Coscoroha Swans. 



A splendid specimen of Erythrina crista galli as large 

 as an apple-tree was flowering profusely near a piece of 

 ornamental water. 



The rocky slopes of the Andes are said to be the home 

 of the curious mole-like Armadillo, Chlamyphorus truncatus. 



Next morning we took the train again, which was to 

 take us ftirther west into the Cordilleras to Puente del Inca, 



We now came right into the mountains ascending 

 continually. 



The country was stony and prickly to the extreme. 



Notes from the Leyden IMuseum, Vol. XXXV. 



