44 SCENES ON THE PARANA IN THE GREAT DROUGHT. . 



were unable to crawl up the muddy banks, and thus 

 were drowned. The arm of the river that runs by 

 San Pedro was so full of putrid carcases, that the 

 master of a vessel" assured Mr. Darwin, " that the 

 smell rendered it quite impassable," and Mr. Darwin 

 says that "without doubt, several hundred thousands 

 of animals thus perished in the river." * 



Azara, a Spanish traveller, describes " the fury of 

 the wild horses, on a similar occasion, rushing" into 

 the marshes, those which arrived first being overwhelmed 

 and crushed by those which followed" and Azara 

 asserts " that he had more than once seen the carcases 

 of upwards of a thousand wild horses thus destroyed " 

 (Azara's travels, Vol. i. p. 374). So also in a great 

 drought in India, Dr. Malcolmson informed Mr. Darwin 

 " that the wild animals used to enter the tents of some 

 troops at Ellore" in search of food and water, and 

 wonderful to relate, even a timid " hare drank out of 

 a vessel held by the adjutant of the regiment." f 



The rivers and streams which cross wide level plains 

 are often so peculiar in their character, that their geo- 

 graphical features call for special attention from all 

 travellers. 



It might be supposed that through so flat a country 

 there would be very little current; the contrary how- 

 ever, is, as a rule, the fact: thus affording conclusive 

 proof of how completely the eye is deceived. We 

 have already alluded to the fact that upon the great 

 pampas region of South America, it had struck us 



* Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology 

 of the Countries visited during the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round 

 the World, by Charles Darwin, edit, of 1878, p. 134. 



j- Ibid., footnote to p. 134. 



