xliii 



feeding Chrt/someliche, so eminently characteristic of the tropics, 

 are here almost entirely absent, (I believe I must except one 

 alpine Haltica and a single specimen of a Melasoina). Mr. 

 Waterliouse informs me that of the Harpalidxe there are eight or 

 nine species, the forms of the greater number being very 

 peculiar ; of Heterojnera, four or five species ; of Rhiinchophora, 

 six or seven ; and of the following families one species in each : 

 StajjJtt/linidfe, Elateridce, Cehrionidrp,, Melolontliidce. The species 

 in the other orders are even fewer. In all the orders the scarcity 

 of the individuals is even more remarkable than that of the 

 species. Most of the Coleoptera have been carefully described 

 by Mr. Waterhouse in the ' Annals of Natural History.' I saw 

 very few flies, butterflies, or bees, and no crickets or Orthoptera. 

 In the pools of water I found but few aquatic beetles. . . I 

 have already contrasted the climate as well as the general 

 appearance of Tierra del Fuego with that of Patagonia, and the 

 difl'erence is strongly exemplified in the Entomology. I do not 

 think they have one species in common ; certainly the general 

 character of the insects is widely different." 



In January, 1835, the Chonos Archipelago, on the western 

 coast of South America, was visited. 



" Cryptogamic plants here find a most congenial climate. 

 In the Straits of Magellan, as I have before remarked, the 

 country appears too cold and wet to allow of their arriving at 

 perfection ; but in these islands, within the forest, the number 

 of species and great abundance of mosses, lichens, and small 

 ferns is quite extraordinary. 



"By swee^jing with my insect-net, I procured from these 

 situations a considerable number of minute insects, of the family 

 StapJiylinidce, and others allied to PselapJius, and minute Hymeno- 

 ptera. But the most characteristic family in number, both of 

 individuals and species, throughout the more open parts of 

 Chiloe and Chonos, is that of the TelepJioridce." 



March 11th, 1^35, Valparaiso was reached, and from this 

 point an excursion was made over the Cordillera to Mendoza, 

 which was two days' journey on the eastern side of the mountains. 

 On the 25th March, when approaching Mendoza, we read : — 



