2 84 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



of a particular animal in a year. This idea, as a universal law, is, of 

 course, impossible of fulfilment, but surely in sport moderation and 

 a due regard for the surviv^al of the various kinds of game should 

 be the i;iiitlin^- rule and principle. However, my pen has carried 

 me away. 1 merely say that it would be well if public opinion 

 trended more resolutely towards censuring the hunter who selfishly 

 makes immoderate bags. At the present moment he is looked 

 upon as rather a fine fellow by those who lack any real knowledge 

 of the subject, for no man is more strongly opposed to such doings 

 than the true sportsman. 



Owing to the unfortunate accident of Bernardo's illness, the 

 general advance of our party was out of the question. It only 

 remained for me to push on alone, and to give up any attempt 

 to take the boat farther. Cattle stayed with Bernardo, to look 

 after him, while I went on up the valley along the banks of the 

 Katarina. 



There can be little doubt that all the cauaaoii of this river 

 formed at one time part of Lake Argentino, and that the hills in 

 the valley were merely small islands in the same. One of the 

 most interestinor facts in connection with Lake Arcrentino is the 

 large volume of water that is precipitated into it by a number 

 of rivers and mountain torrents. Besides the Rivers Leona and 

 Katarina, there are two or three streams of considerable size 

 and countless snow-fed cascades fallino- from the cliffs. On the 

 other hand, the only large outlet is the River Santa Cruz, and 

 though that river carries off an important amount of water to 

 the Atlantic, the quantity is not sufficient to account for the fact 

 that the great lake is surely if slowly shrinking in size. The 

 North and South Fjords with their adjoining reaches of water 

 at one time formed part of a wide-spreading lake, whose waters 

 washed completely round the bases of the mountains — such 

 as Mount Ikienos Aires — and of hills that now stand upon out- 

 jutting points of land or actually upon the present lines of the 

 shores. The reason for this shrinkage of the lake, when appear- 

 ances would seem to point rather to increase of size, is difficult 

 to discover. 



The features of the canadoii of the Katarina changed but little 



