84: BAHIA BLANCA. [CHAP. v. 



to account for their entombment. I am far from supposing that 

 the climate has not changed since the period when those animals 

 lived, which now lie buried in the ice. At present I only wish to 

 show, that as far as quantity of food alone is concerned, the ancient 

 rhinoceroses might have roamed over the steppes of central Siberia 

 (the northern parts probably being under water) even in their 

 present condition, as well as the living rhinoceroses and elephants 

 over the Karros of Southern Africa. 



I will now give an account of the habits of some of the rnoro 

 interesting birds which are common on the wild plains of Northern 

 Patagonia; and first for the largest, or South American ostrich. 

 The ordinary habits of the ostrich are familiar to every one. They 

 live on vegetable matter, such as roots and grass ; but at Bahia 

 Blanca I have repeatedly seen three or four come down at low 

 water to the extensive mud-banks which are then dry, for the sake, 

 as the Gauchos say, of feeding on small fish. Although the ostrich 

 in its habits is so shy, wary, and solitary, and although so fleet in 

 its pace, it is caught without much difficulty by the Indian or 

 Gaucho armed with the bolas. "When several horsemen appear in 

 a semicircle, it becomes confounded, and does not know which way 

 to escape. They generally prefer running against the wind ; yet at 

 the first start they expand their wings, and like a vessel make all 

 sail. On one fine hot day I saw several ostriches enter a bed of tall 

 rushes, where they squatted concealed, till quite closely approached. 

 It is not generally known that ostriches readily take to the water. 

 Mr. King informs me that at the Bay of San Bias, and at Port 

 Valdes in Patagonia, he saw these birds swimming several times 

 from island to island. They ran into the water both when driven 

 down to a point, and likewise of their own accord when not 

 frightened : the distance crossed was about two hundred yards. 

 When swimming, very little of their bodies appear above water ; 

 their necks are extended a little forward, and their progress is slow. 

 On two occasions I saw some ostriches swimming across the Sania 

 Cruz river, where its course was about four hundred yards wide, 

 and the stream rapid. Captain Sturt,* when descending the Mur- 

 rumbidgee, in Australia, saw two emus in the act of swimming. 



The inhabitants of the country readily distinguish, even at a 

 distance, the cock bird from the hen. The former is larger and 

 * Shirt's Travels, vol. ii. p. 74. 



