on Birds and their surroundings.



193



of holes were laid to form the road. As I passed, a pair of oxen

spanned to a large cart full of wood, showing more sense than their

driver, flatly refused to pass over the miserable structure. My

horse had experience enough to avoid the dangerous places, and we

passed over without mishap.


Near the edge of the stream was a small wooden cabin, and

a tame Long-billed Parrakeet ( Henicognathus leptorhynchus) , which

evidently belonged to the people who lived there, was washing its

head in the water of the river. The poor thing had not only its

wings but also its tail cut short, so that it looked quite a different

little thing from what it ought to look. But in Chile they like to

spoil the beauty of anything they can get hold of.


Following the road, I passed some enclosed fields near a farm¬

house, and in one of them about forty Black-faced Ibises (. Theristicus

melanopsis ) had alighted, and were walking about with the greatest

unconcern looking for grubs. Their grey and buff plumage and rosy-

red legs made them objects of great beauty.


The road now led through the remains of a primeval forest

which had been burnt down, and of which the tree stumps were

still standing. Some of them were of enormous size, two or three

yards across, and as the interior was rotten and decayed quite

a little garden of flowering shrubs like fuchsias, Darwin’s barberies,

etc. grew on them.


After about two-and-a-half hours ride, we came to the summit

of the rising ground, and as I reached the top the sea lay in front

of me, whilst in a deep and lovely bay on my right was the town of

Puerto Montt. In front, some islands were visible, and in the

distant haze there was the contour of Chiloe. It was a lovely sight.

The town itself has very little to recommend it. It is like nearly all

South American towns, built on the square system. One fairly wide

street runs right through it, and in the middle near* the sea is an

open square or garden, where the “fashionable” people assemble

in the evening and, I believe, hear a band play occasionally. The

streets are all very dusty when the weather is at all dry, as of course

there is no pavement. The “ trottoirs ” were raised and held by a

square wooden beam, on which I noticed horse-shoes fastened in

such a way as to form rings, and I afterwards saw that they were



