IN THE PACIFIC. 57 



them to average one pound each, which cor- 

 responds with our birds ; they have little or no 

 tail, their beaks are longer than the English 

 bird, and they are difficult to flush without a 

 dog, preferring to run; and when they rise 

 they generally do so singly, presenting an easy 

 shot. We met with the greatest civility from 

 the native proprietors on whose land we were 

 shooting, especially when they found we were 

 English naval officers shooting for sport and not 

 for the pot. 



On the 4th of March we sailed for Quintero, 

 where the "Scylla" was refitting; the dis- 

 tance is twenty miles, which we accomplished 

 in a couple of hours under sail, and after a 

 short stay there returned to Valparaiso for 

 a ball given by the merchants to the In- 

 tendente. 



During the remainder of our stay at Val- 

 paraiso I made several shooting expeditions to 

 Llaillai and other places, invariably meeting 

 with civility from the hospitable Chilenos, and 

 making fair bags considering the season, and 



