54 o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



24th of October, in 3 56' north, 25 15' 15" west, and 2 33' north, 

 25 37' west respectively, and from the 17th to 22d, 25th, and 31st 

 October and the 2d November the thermometer registered 80'8 

 to 83. 



On the 8th of December the rising sun dispersed a dense fog 

 and revealed the rugged shores of West Falkland, the first land 

 we had seen for three months, and in its likeness recalling the 

 last glimpses we had of Cape Wrath. By noon we had dropped 

 anchor, and during the next few days, while the ship was being 

 stocked with a supply of fresh meat and water, the surgeons of 

 the vessels were able to make one or two short excursions. These 

 excursions, however, had to be extremely brief, for not knowing 

 when the ships would depart it was necessary to remain in sight 

 of them the whole time. A few plants, stones, and insects were 

 hastily gathered together, and several birds shot. Among the lat- 

 ter were the notable steamer duck and the upland goose. A strik- 

 ing feature of the Falkland Islands is the great absence of trees ; 

 the camp, as the open country is termed, is clothed with a short 

 scrub called diddle-dee (Empetrum rubrum), growing upon and 

 indeed chiefly forming the enormous peat-beds that this country 

 is so rich in ; the largest bush native to the country is the gigantic 

 woolly ragweed, which grows to a height of three or four feet ; 

 but there are few flowering plants. The gorse or furze has been 

 introduced and seems to thrive well, but a few trees that have 

 been planted about Stanley present a meager appearance. Mosses 

 and lichens abound everywhere and many of the lichens are very 

 beautiful. Besides the above-mentioned, one must note the ever- 

 famous balsam bogs and tussock grass, and the enormous banks 

 of kelp that fringe the coast, the stems of which vary in length 

 from five to forty feet. Among birds, the penguins and albatross 

 must not be forgotten. Insects are rare. The famous wolf-like 

 fox is almost extinct; Darwin's prophecy is coming true the 

 wild horses and cattle now no longer roam the plains, their place 

 having been taken by the more remunerative sheep. The fur-seal 

 is still found, but so eagerly have they been hunted that their 

 numbers have been greatly reduced. A solitary lizard and a few 

 insects almost complete the list of animals found in these islands. 

 One must ever remember the world-renowned streams of stones 

 and the characteristic quartz rocks cutting their way through the 

 quilt of peat. But Darwin, Hooker, and others have so ably pic- 

 tured the natural features of the Falkland Islands that it would 

 be out of place to describe them again after so short a visit. 

 There is a great change, however, since Darwin's time he found 

 it a settlement of thieves and murderers, now it is a peaceful 

 British colony, for, after a disputed possession of the islands by 

 Britain, Spain, France, and Buenos Ayres, Britain finally took 



