FAXnSTA AIID FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 353 



The Eat (Mus decumanus) abotinds in the settlement, and 

 especially in the immediate vicinity of the two slaughter-houses 

 which are located at either extremity of the town. The common 

 house-mouse (Mies nmsculus) is also very abundant in the wooden 

 houses in Stanley. Both these species have been introduced by 

 the many vessels which have from time to time visited this port, 

 and in many instances remained, having been irreparably damaged 

 off the Horn and elsewhere. 



The indigenous field-mouse, whose presence was suspected 

 by Darwin, eluded my most careful search ; neither did I ever 

 hear of one ever been seen by the inhabitants. 



On more than one occasion I saw porpoises fairly close at 

 hand, but never near enough for certain identification of species. 



On several occasions during my rambles along the shores 

 between Hooker's Point and Port Harriet, about four miles to the 

 eastward of Stanley, I saw huge water- worn skulls of whales, 

 Otari(S, and portions of seal. Once I found quite hali-a-mile from 

 the shore, the right lower mandible of a cachalot {Pliyaeter macro- 

 cephalus) in a very decayed condition, and consequently very old. 

 How it got there, unless by human agency, I cannot tell. Can 

 the land be rising ? 



A stray specimen of Otariajuhata and hair- seal may occasion- 

 ally be seen on the shores or on one of the numerous islets 

 near Stanley. 



I was fortunate to see a very fine male specimen of Macror- 

 hiniis elejphantinus^ which was discovered stranded on the southern 

 shore of Stanley harbour early on the 6th February, 1899. 

 Lantern slides and photographs of this mammal in various 

 positions were exhibited at a meeting of the Linnean Society 

 early in June, and copies of two of the photograj)hs were repro- 

 duced in " The Field" of 30th September, 1899. 



After a most diligent search, I have only been able to find 

 one other authenticated instance of the elephant-seal having been 

 seen alive on the Falkland archipelago smce the islands passed 

 into British hands, although on the first colonizatian those 

 creatures were common. 



When Dom Pernetty^-^) landed at the head of Berkley Sound 

 in the East Falklands, and the settlement of Port Louis was 



