1835.] MYOPOTAMUS, OTTER, AND MICE. 209 



we hava seen that it is abundant. On the eastern coast in La Plata 

 (lat. 35) I was told by a Spanish resident, who had visited Ireland, 

 that he had often sought for this substance, but had never been able to 

 find any. He showed me, as the nearest approach to it which he had 

 discovered, a black peaty soil, so penetrated with roots as to allow of 

 an extremely slow and imperfect combustion. 



The zoology of these broken islets of the Chonos Archipelago is, as 

 might have been expected, very poor. Of quadrupeds two aquatic 

 kinds are common. The Myopotamus Coypus (like a beaver, but with 

 a round tail) is well known from its fine fur, which is an object of 

 trade throughout the tributaries of La Plata. It here, however, ex- 

 clusively frequents salt water; which same circumstance has been 

 mentioned as sometimes occurring with the great rodent, the Capybara. 

 A small sea-otter is very numerous; this animal does not feed exclusively 

 on sh, but, like the seals, draws a large supply from a small red crab, 

 which swims in shoals near the surface of the water. Mr. Bynoe saw 

 one in Tierra del Fuego eating a cuttle-fish ; and at Low's Harbour, 

 another was killed in the act of carrying to its hole a large volute shell. 

 At one place I caught in a trap a singular little mouse (M. brachiotis) ; 

 it appeared common on several of the islets, but the Chilotans at Low's 

 Harbour said that it was not found in all. What a succession of 

 chances,* or what changes of level must have been brought into play, 

 thus to spread these small animals throughout this broken archipelago I 



In all parts of Chiloe and Chonos, two very strange birds occur, 

 which are allied to, and replace, the Turco and Tapacolo of Central 

 Chile. One is called by the inhabitants "Cheucau" (Pteroptochos 

 rubecula) : it frequents the most gloomy and retired spots within the 

 damp forests. Sometimes, although its cry may be heard close at 

 hand, let a person watch ever so attentively he will not see the cheucau; 

 at other times, let him stand motionless and the red-breasted little bird 

 will approach within a few feet in the most familiar manner. It then 

 busily hops about the entangled mass of rotting canes and branches, 

 with its little tail cocked upwards. The cheucau is held in superstitious 

 fear by the Chilotans, on account of its strange and varied cries. 

 There are three very distinct cries : one is called " chiduco," and is 

 an omen of good ; another, "huitreu," which is extremely unfavourable; 

 and a third, which I have forgotten. These words are given in imitation 

 of the noises ; and the natives are in some things absolutely governed 

 by them. The Chilotans assuredly have chosen a most comical little 

 creature for their prophet. An allied species, but rather larger, is 

 called by the natives " Guid-guid " (Pteroptochos Tarnii), and by the 

 English the barking-bird. This latter name is well given ; for I defy 

 any one at first to feel certain that a small dog is not yelping some- 

 where in the forest Just as with the cheucau, a person will sometimes 



* It is said that some rapacious birds bring their prey alive to their nests. 

 If so, in the course of centuries, every now and then, one might escape from 

 the young birds. Some such agency is necessary, to account for the distri- 

 bution of the smaller gnawing animals on islands not very near each other. 



