136 Cruise of the "Alert" 



of the climate, I see no reason why cereal crops should not 

 flourish. The day, I trust, is not far distant when this part of 

 Western Patagonia will prove a fertile field of labour for the stock 

 farmer and the agriculturist. 



On the afternoon of the 8th of March we again weighed anchor, 

 and steamed over to the Fitzroy Channel, anchoring for the night 

 at a place in the fairway about five miles from the north entrance. 

 Some of our officers were now employed for an hour or two in 

 sounding out the channel, while others, more fortunate, amused 

 themselves by waging war against the brown ducks (Anas cristatd}, 

 and black-necked swans (Cygnus nigricollis), which were abundant 

 enough, but more wary than on our .first meeting them. I did 

 not see a single specimen of the Cygnus coscoroba. On the western, 

 or Fuegian shore, the recent tracks of a deer were seen by one of 

 our party. 



We got under way early on the following morning, and after 

 passing through the Fitzroy Channel, recrossed Otway Water, and 

 re-entered the Jerome Channel. On the south shore of this latter 

 we noticed a large fur seal " rookery " (*>., breeding place), and 

 stopped to examine it for some minutes. There were about 

 thirty large seals hauled up on the rocks, besides a large number 

 that were swimming about in the adjoining water. Some of those 

 on the rock were hauled up about thirty feet above the sea-level. 

 We fired a shell into their midst at about 800 yards range, which 

 had the effect of making them tumble off hurriedly into the 

 water, where they made a great tumult, turning somersaults and 

 jumping clear out of the water, after the usual manner of fur seals. 

 The seals in this rookery were probably congregated for the hair- 

 shedding season. Later in the evening we reached our former 

 anchorage in Tilly Bay, where we came to an anchor for the 

 night. 



Swallow Bay, \\th to 24^/1 of March. We steamed over to 

 this anchorage, which lies a few miles to the west of Tilly Bay, in 

 continuation of our surveying work. A most curious and inte- 



