350 CHARLES DARWIN 



during the act of sucking, as in less than ten minutes it 

 changed from being as flat as a wafer to a globular form. 

 This one feast, for which the benchuca was indebted to one 

 of the officers, kept it fat during four whole months; but, 

 after the first fortnight, it was quite ready to have another 

 suck. 



March 2jth. We rode on to Mendoza. The country was 

 beautifully cultivated, and resembled Chile. This neighbour- 

 hood is celebrated for its fruit; and certainly nothing could 

 appear more flourishing than the vineyards and the orchards 

 of figs, peaches, and olives. We bought water-melons nearly 

 twice as large as a man's head, most deliciously cool and 

 well-flavoured, for a halfpenny apiece; and for the value of 

 threepence, half a wheelbarrowful of peaches. The culti- 

 vated and enclosed part of this province is very small ; there 

 is little more than that which we passed through between 

 Luxan and the capital. The land, as in Chile, owes its fer- 

 tility entirely to artificial irrigation ; and it is really wonder- 

 ful to observe how extraordinarily productive a barren 

 traversia is thus rendered. 



We stayed the ensuing day in Mendoza. The prosperity 

 of the place has much declined of late years. The inhabit- 

 ants say " it is good to live in, but very bad to grow rich in." 

 The lower orders have the lounging, reckless manners of the 

 Gauchos of the Pampas; and their dress, riding-gear, and 

 habits of life, are nearly the same. To my mind the town 

 had a stupid, forlorn aspect. Neither the boasted alameda, 

 nor the scenery, is at all comparable with that of Santiago ; 

 but to those who, coming from Buenos Ayres, have just 

 crossed the unvaried Pampas, the gardens and orchards must 

 appear delightful. Sir F. Head, speaking of the inhabitants, 

 says, " They eat their dinners, and it is so very hot, they go 

 to sleep and could they do better ? " I quite agree with 

 Sir F. Head: the happy doom of the Mendozinos is to eat, 

 sleep and be idle. 



March 2pth. We set out on our return to Chile, by the 

 Uspallata pass situated north of Mendoza. We had to cross 

 a long and most sterile traversia of fifteen leagues. The 

 soil in parts was absolutely bare, in others covered by num- 



