40 



One of them, padre Borgatello has succeeded in getting 

 together a very interesting collection of natural history 

 objects, including a fine local collection of birds and iiicm- 

 mals and objects referring to the now vanishing Indian 

 population. 



The padre thought much of the skin of a horse (in date 

 1899) which was icoolli/ like a Guanaco-skin. 



There was also a very interesting collection of photos 

 showing natives and scenery of Tierra del Fuego. 



The Black-faced Ibis which I had seen in the town 

 belonged to this gentleman and its destination was to be 

 stuffed for the Museum. On my request he kindly let me 

 have the bird which is now alive and well in my menagerie. 



One morning, being the 6th of April, I set out with an 

 old inhabitant of Punta Arenas to visit the site of a eocd- 

 mine and some golclicasJiings in the mountains. 



After having left the town behind us we entered the burnt 

 forest and after a while came to the Rio de los Minos the 

 course of which we were to follow. Gradually the vege- 

 tation improved and as we left all the black misery caused 

 by the fire behind us we got into some fine woods con- 

 sisting of Fag us betuloides with its hard little serrated 

 leaves. The undergrowth consisted chiefly of Berberis dulcis 

 bushes which at this time were full of sweet berries. 



There was here not nearly so much variety of vegetation 

 as f. i. near Puerto Montt. 



Proceeding on our way we passed the rusting remains 

 of a large dredging-machine which had been used for 

 washing gold but had been abandoned as it did not pay. 



A little farther on we met a young German settler 

 who was known to my guide and who got a scanty lively- 

 hood by washing gold out of the river on his own accord. 

 This man kindly showed me how he got the golddust out 

 of the stream and told me that in that way, having no 

 expenses, he could earn about four shillings a day. 



We now entered a cut in the mountain always following 

 the stream and about two hours walk from Punta Arenas 

 we came to the site were the coalmines are. 



Notes from the Leyden Museum, Vol. XXXV. 



