140 GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. 



vegetation. This is especially the case on the 

 windward sides of the islands, which first receive 

 and condense the moisture from the atmosphere. 



In the morning (17th) we landed on Chatham 

 Island, which, like the others, rises with a tame 

 and rounded outline, broken here and there by- 

 scattered hillocks, the remains of former craters. 

 Nothing could be less inviting than the first ap- 

 pearance. A broken field of black basaltic lava, 

 thrown into the most rugged waves, and crossed 

 by great fissures, is everywhere covered by stunt- 

 ed sun-burned brushwood, which shows little signs 

 of life. The dry and parched surface, being heat- 

 ed by the noonday sun, gave to the air a close and 

 sultry feeling, like that from a stove : we fancied 

 even that the bushes smelt unpleasantly. Although 

 I diligently tried to collect as many plants as pos- 

 sible, I succeeded in getting very few ; and such 

 wretched-looking little weeds would have better 

 become an arctic than an equatorial Flora, The 

 brushwood appears, from a short distance, as leaf- 

 less as our trees during winter ; and it was some 

 time before I discovered that not only almost ev- 

 ery plant was now in full leaf, but that the greater 

 number were in flower. The commonest bush is 

 one of the Euphorbiaceas : an acacia, and a great, 

 odd-looking cactus, are the only trees which afford 

 any shade. After the season of heavy rains the 

 islands are said to appear for a short time partial- 

 ly green. The volcanic island of Fernando No- 

 ronha, placed in many respects under nearly sim- 

 ilar conditions, is the only other country where I 

 have seen a vegetation at all like this of the Gala- 

 pagos islands. 



The Beagle sailed round Chatham Island, and 

 anchored in several bays. One night I slept on 

 shore on a part of the island whore black truncated 



