256 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



their wallows are ordinaril\- to be found. I saw an old buck spend 

 a long time over his toilette while his wives looked on and waited. 

 He would spend nearly half an hour on his back with his legs in 

 the air, at intervals standing up to neigh and then rolling again. 



GUANACO CHICO (CAPTURED WITH LASSOo) 



A o-uanaco descendino- a hillside is a truly wonderful sioht. 

 He proceeds in a succession of bounds, on landing from each 

 of which he dips his head almost to touch his forefeet. The 

 young guanaco keeps up with his elders over bad ground in an 

 extraordinary way. 



The power of affection in guanacos towards their young did not 

 appear to me to be very strong. F"rom time to time I had to shoot 

 a youno- one for food. Out of nine instances which I find in my 

 diary, only twice did the mother halt in her Ihght to see what had 

 happened to her offspring. On both occasions she stopped within 

 two hundred and fifty yards and stared towards me. If dogs 

 enter into the chase the mother deserts to a greater distance. 

 One day, when I with the dogs had killed a young guanaco, I left 

 it lying and rode away with the dogs. Returning alone, I took up 

 my quarters in the heart of a bush, from whence I observed 

 the herd to which the mother belonged. They did not return nearer 

 than a quarter of a mile to the spot. On another occasion when 



