Floating Islands. 85 



commence until the following year. The temperature 

 was said to change according to the season ; thus in 

 summer it was hotter than in winter, a condition 

 which the young naturalist found difficult to ex- 

 plain. On his way to the Yaquil mines Darwin 

 passed by the famous Lake Tagua-tagua, in the sur- 

 face of which are several islands which float about, 

 carrying various animals with them. The wind 

 governs their position entirely ; sometimes they are 

 upon one side of the lake, sometimes upon the 

 other. The Yaquil miners were found to be in 

 even a worse condition than those previously re- 

 ferred to. The men, often very young, were obliged 

 to descend four hundred and fifty feet, and bring 

 up two hundred pounds of the mineral. Their 

 food consisted of boiled beans and bread, and their 

 pay was about twenty-eight shillings per month. 

 Stealing was prevented by deducting from the pay 

 of all the men the value of the ore taken. 



Near these mines Darwin discovered some ancient 

 Indian ruins, and secured some of the perforated 

 stones now so common in collections from these 

 countries. During his stay here an old German col- 

 lector of natural objects called upon him. A Span- 

 iard happening in at the same time, asked the former 

 in the native language if he did not consider it very 

 singular that the King of England should send a man 

 to their country to pick up lizards and beetles. The 

 German, after some consideration, replied : " No 

 man is so rich as to send out people to pick up 

 such rubbish. I do not like it. If one of us were 

 to go to England and do such things, do you not 



