43 



letters to this effect whilst I also got one to the director 

 of the Jente Grande Company. 



Armed with those letters I went back to my hotel and 

 leaving- there the bulk of my luggage and my two Parra- 

 keets I only took with me a valise and proceeded to the 

 boat which was to start at 3'/2 in the afternoon. The little 

 steamer was of the worst description and looked as if the 

 least bit of bad weather would be its undoing. 



At the last moment, as we were about to start, a peon 

 arrived with two . saddlehorses wishing to get access to 

 the vessel. The captain, a young English speaking Norse- 

 man, refused however to give him time to enter the ship 

 saying it was too late. 



„I have just got tickets at the office and so I have a 

 right to get into the ship" was the not unreasonable answer. 

 „Then go back to the office and fight it out there" was the 

 rejoinder and off we went leaving the poor man on the pier ! 



All about the harbour on every buoy or empty boat, were 

 lots of white breasted Cormorans^ Plialocrocorax albiventer 

 Less., and as we went on I saw lots op Pinguïns, S^jJieniscus 

 magellanicus, swimming in the sea. 



These birds swim in long strings one behind the other 

 and I counted as many as 49 in one string. 



They would swim unconcernedly till quite near the 

 vessel. Then they would suddenly take fright and all 

 dive under. 



At not much distance they would reappear on the sur- 

 face, take fright again and dive with a jerk and this would 

 go on until they were far away. 



On one occasion as the ship crossed their course and 

 they were quite near, they dived right under the vessel 

 reappearing on the other side. 



Their behaviour gave one the impression that they only 

 saw the ship or realized what it was when they were quite 

 near. They were most entertaining to watch and one saw 

 them nearly during the whole crossing of the strait. 



There were also plenty of BlacJibacked Gulls about and 

 also Terns. 



:Notes from the Leyden Museum, ~V^ol. XXXV. 



