50 The Naturalist in La Plata. 



historical and other works, and which I propose to 

 discuss briefly in this place. 



There is a remarkable passage in Byron's Nar- 

 rative of the loss of the Wager, which was quoted 

 by Admiral Fitzroy in his Voyage of the Beagle, 

 to prove that the puma inhabits Tierra del Fuego 

 and the adjacent islands ; no other large beast of 

 prey being known in that part of America. " I 

 heard," he says, " a growling close by me, which 

 made me think it advisable to retire as soon as 

 possible : the woods were so gloomy I could see 

 nothing; but, as I retired, this noise followed me 

 close till I got out of them. Some of our men did 

 assure me that they had seen a very large beast in 

 the woods. . . I proposed to four of the people to 

 go to the end of the bay, about two miles distant 

 from the bell tent, to occupy the skeleton of an old 

 Indian wigwam, which I had discovered in a walk 

 that way on our first landing. This we covered to 

 windward with seaweed ; and, lighting a fire, laid 

 ourselves down in hopes of finding a remedy for our 

 hunger in sleep; but we had not long composed 

 ourselves before one of our company was disturbed 

 by the blowing of some animal at his face; and, 

 upon opening his eyes, was not a little astonished 

 to see by the glimmering of the fire, a large beast 

 standing over him. He had presence of mind 

 enough to snatch a brand from the fire, which was 

 now very low, and thrust it at the nose of the 

 animal, which thereupon made off. ... In the 

 morning we were not a little anxious to know how 

 our companions had fared; and this anxiety was 

 increased upon our tracing the footsteps of the 



