FOSSIL, KEMAli\ri. 199 



per cent, of animal matter ; and when placed in a 

 spirit-lamp, they burn with a small flame. The 

 number of the remains embedded in the grand es- 

 tuary deposit which forms the Pampas and covers 

 the granitic rocks of Banda Oriental must be ex- 

 traordinarily great. I believe a straight line drawn 

 in any direction through the Pampas would cut 

 through some skeleton or bones. Besides those 

 which I found during my short excursions, I heard 

 of many others, and the origin of such names as 

 " the stream of the animal," " the hill of the giant," 

 is obvious. At other times I heard of the marvel- 

 lous property of certain rivei's, which had the pow- 

 er of changing small bones into large ; or, as some 

 maintained, the bones themselves gi-ew. As far as 

 I am aware, not one of these animals perished, as 

 was formerly supposed, in the marshes or muddy 

 river-beds of the present land, but their bones have 

 been exposed by the streams intersecting the sub- 

 aqueous deposit in which they were originally em- 

 bedded. We may conclude that the whole area 

 of the Pampas is one wide sepulchre of these ex- 

 tinct gigantic quadrupeds. 



By the middle of the day, on the 28th, we ar- 

 rived at Monte Video, having been two days and 

 a half on the road. The countiy for the whole way 

 was of a very uniform character, some parts being 

 rather more rocky and hilly than near the Plata. 

 Not far from Monte Video we passed through the 

 ■village of Las Pietras, so named from some large 

 rounded masses of syenite. Its appearance was 

 rather pretty. In this country a few tig-trees round 

 a group of houses, and a site elevated a hundred 

 feet above the general level, ought always to be 

 called picturesque. 



Durinaf the last six months I have had 



oppor- 



