276 MR. H, PRICnARD ON PATAGONIAN MAMMALS. [Apr. 15, 



dying ? or are the bones and remains of animals eaten by lions or 

 by Indians ? or are they washed together by floods ? Certain it 

 is that they are remarkably numei'ous near the banks of the 

 river (Santa Cruz), but not so elsewhere." 



It is true that, although one comes upon skeletons of these 

 animals upon the pampas, they are not crowded together as they 

 are in the cauadones or by the lakes near water. At the edge of 

 a lagoon at the eastern end of Mystery Plain a great number 

 of skeletons were to be seen. They extended in a wide track 

 down the hillside and to the edge of the water. At Lake Yiedma 

 the margins of the lake, near the outflow of the River Leona, 

 were covered with their skins and bones. The meaning of this I 

 gathered from Mr. Ernest Cattle, He told me that in the winter 

 of 1899 enormous numbers of Guanaco sought the Lake Argen- 

 tine, and died of starvation upon its shores. In the severities of 

 winter they seek drinking-places whei'e there aie large masses 

 of water likely to be unfiozen. The few last winters in Pata- 

 gonia have been so severe as to woi'k gi'eat havoc among the 

 herds of Guanaco. 



At nightfall Guanacos gather into close order, a large herd 

 collecting in a small radius. They seem to choose open spaces in 

 which to pass the hours of darkness. In moments of danger also 

 they pack together densely. At the sound of a shot, the outlying 

 members of a herd will close up and sway their long necks almost 

 to the ground in unison. I see that Darwin says that Guanaco 

 are " generally very wild and wary." In places where they are 

 hvmted by the Indians this is no doubt the case, but on this point 

 no law can be laid down. In some distiicts the Guanaco is very 

 difficult of approach : in others extremely easy. Their instinct 

 of curiosity is very lai-gely developed. Diuing our wanderings I 

 studied the habits of the Guanaco with ever increasing interest. 

 In cold weather they become exti'aordinaiily tame, and will 

 permit a man to walk among them as a shepherd walks among 

 his sheep. 



The young are brought forth in the months of October, 

 November, and the eai'ly part of December. In Southern 

 Patagonia some are born as late as the end of December, During 

 the pei'iod of copulation the bucks fight a good deal, I never 

 shot an old buck which was not seamed and scarred with the 

 marks of these contests. When fighting they give vent to loud 

 squeals of rage ; they kick with their fore feet and bite savagely, 

 mostly at the neck of the antagonist. The mai'ks of these bites 

 are often deep and long. The skin of the neck is very thick. A a 

 has been noted before, the Guanacos drop all their dung in one 

 spot, and near these spots their waUows are oi-dinaiily to be found. 

 I saw an old buck spend a long time over his toilet while his 

 wives looked on and waited. He would pass nearly half an 

 hour on his back with his legs in the air, at intei'vals standing up 

 to neigh, and then rolling again. 



