PREFACE XVll 



a most large and free scope." On the bare wind-swept flats 

 the Calafate grows the merest stunted bush, sprawling along 

 the ground hardly a foot in height ; but, in sheltered places in 

 valleys and on the outskirts of forest, it develops into a tree 

 as large as the White Thorn {Cratmgus oxyacantha). It 

 is the most uncompromising mass of thorns imaginable, yet is 

 the most beloved of all trees. In spring, its rich yellow sweet- 

 smelling blossoms altogether pervade the air ; in summer its 

 generous black-grape-coloured fruit is a blessing to man and 



beast and bird. 



" Quien come Calafate^ 

 Vuelve por mas." 



The Black Currant, from which one is apt to look for so 

 much on hearing its name, is a disappointment. The fruit 

 never properly ripens. It is hard, juiceless, and insipid. 

 I have eaten it on occasion, though never with any sense of 

 satisfaction. Certain birds, however, appreciate it — in particular 

 the thrush. 



The Crowberry is the principal growth of the moors, where 

 it takes the place of Heather. Here the berries are bright red, 

 whereas in the British Isles these are black. The leaves are the 

 food of the grouse-like Attagis. 



Amongst the more noticeable Flowers are the Pink Primula 

 (P. mac/ellanica) , about the first to show growth in spring; the 

 Gladiolus -like SisyrincMum jiUfoUum with clusters of delicate 

 bell-shaped sweet-smelling pink-and- maroon blossoms suspended 

 by the merest threads ; a large single-headed Calceolaria ( G. 

 darwlnii) ; the Mauve Pea {Lathyrus magellanicus) commonly 

 found along the cliffs to the south of Useless Bay ; and in the 

 beds of streams a luxuriant plant with white Daisy-like flowers 

 growing in a cluster on a massive stalk {Senecio smifhii). On 

 open grassland anyway sheltered, the Buttercup {Ranunculus) 

 becomes a veritable cloth of gold. Cerastium arvense occurs 

 in patches of dazzling whiteness. Celery (Apium) is exceedingly 

 plentiful, also the Dandelion (Taraxacum) ; and both are largely 

 eaten by the white settlers. 



