370 A CYCLOPEAN SCENE. [chap. xvii. 



appears, from a short distance, as leafless as our trees 

 during winter ; and it was some time before I discovered 

 that not only almost every plant was now in full leaf, but 

 that the greater number were in flower. The commonest 

 bush is one of the Euphorbiacece : 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 partially green. The 

 volcanic island of Fernando Noronha, placed in many 

 respects under nearly similar conditions, is the only other 

 country where I have seen a vegetation at all like this of 

 the Galapagos Islands. 



The Beagle sailed round Chatham Island, and anchored 

 in several bays. One night I slept on shore on a part of 

 the island, where black truncated cones were extraordinarily 

 numerous : from one small eminence I counted sixty of 

 them, all surmounted by craters more or less perfect. The 

 greater number consisted merely of a ring of red scoriae 

 or slags, cemented together ; and their height above the 

 plain of lava was not more than from fifty to a hundred 

 feet : none had been very lately active. The entire surface 

 of this part of the island seems to have been permeated, 

 like a sieve, by the subterranean vapours : here and there 

 the lava, whilst soft, has been blown into great bubbles ; 

 and in other parts, the tops of caverns similarly formed 

 have fallen in, leaving circular pits with steep sides. From 

 the regular form of the many craters, they gave to the 

 country an artificial appearance, which vividly reminded 

 me of those parts of Staffordshire, where the great iron- 

 foundries are most numerous. The day was glowing hot, 

 and the scrambling over the rough surface and through 

 the intricate thickets, was very fatiguing ; but I was well 

 repaid by the strange Cyclopean scene. As I was walking 

 along I met two large tortoises, each of which must have 

 weighed at least two hundred pounds : one was eating a 

 piece of cactus, and as I approached, it stared at me and 

 slowly stalked away ; the other gave a deep hiss, and drew 

 in its head. These huge reptiles, surrounded by the black 

 lava, the leafless shrubs, and large cacti, seemed to m}^ 

 fancy like some antediluvian animals. The few dull- 

 coloured birds cared no more for me than they did for the 

 great tortoises. 



September 2yd. — The Beagle proceeded to Charles 

 Island. This archipelago has long been frequented, first 



