ESTUARY OF THE PLATA. 49 



CHAPTER HI. 



Monte Video— Maldonado — Excursion to R. Polanco — Lazo and 

 Belas — Partridges — Absence of Trees— Deer — Capybara, or 

 River Hog — Tucutuco — Molothrus, cuckoo-lilie habits — Ty- 

 rant-flycatcher — Mocking-bird — Carrion Hawks — Tubes form- 

 ed by Lightning — House struck. 



MALDONADO. 



Juli/ 5t7i, 1832. — In the morning we got under 

 way, and stood out of the splendid harbour of Rio 

 de Janeiro. In our passage to the Plata, we saw 

 nothing particular, excepting on one day a gi-eat 

 shoal of porpoises, many hundreds in number. The 

 whole sea was in places furrowed by them ; and a 

 most extraordinary spectacle was presented, as 

 hundreds, proceeding together by jumps, in which 

 their whole bodies were exposed, thus cut the wa- 

 ter. When the ship was running nine knots an 

 hour, these animals could cross and recross the 

 bows with the greatest ease, and then dash away 

 right ahead. As soon as we entered the estuary 

 of the Plata, the weather was very unsettled. One 

 dark night we were surrounded by numerous seals 

 and penguins, which made such strange noises, that 

 the officer on watch reported he could hear the 

 cattle bellowing on shore. On a second night we 

 witnessed a splendid scene of natural fireworks; 

 the mast-head and yard-arm-ends shone with St. 

 Elmo's light ; and the form of the vane could al- 

 most be traced, as if it had been rubbed with phos- 

 phoiiis. The sea was so highly luminous, that the 

 tracl^jS of the penguins were marked by a fiery 

 wake, and the darkness of the sky was momentari- 

 ly illuminated by the most vivid lightning. 

 Vol. L— 4 E 



