168 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



miles east of Punta Arenas, and not far from the 

 shore of the Straits. 



This giant ground-sloth appears to have 

 inhabited the shores of the Straits of Magellan, 

 and quite recently it was believed that specimens 

 were still living in Patagonia. This, however, 

 is most unlikely, as the Patagonian natives live 

 almost entirely on the money they obtain for the 

 skins of the wild animals of the country, and they 

 regularly bring their collections of skins to Punta 

 Arenas for sale. If the mylodon were still in 

 existence in a living state, these natives long ago 

 would have been aware of the fact, and have 

 brought in specimens for sale. 



One afternoon the Governor, Captain Gomez, 

 invited us to visit some coal mines which had just 

 been opened, and we gladly availed ourselves of 

 the opportunity. We travelled up to the mines, 

 about five miles distant, in a light railway. The 

 track was laid through a fine forest of Antarctic 

 beech trees, and in a stream which ran through 

 this forest several men were searching for gold. 

 The coal mines were situated in the forest at an 

 altitude of about 500 feet above the level of the 

 sea. The mouth of the shaft was at the foot of 

 a low cliff and we went in on a truck, lying on our 

 backs. It was a curious sensation, rushing down 

 into the tunnel, which was on a slight slope. 

 We soon came to the " working," where the coal 

 was being hewn out and loaded into trucks. The 



