XVI PREFACE 



though confined. Thickly -wooded and very steep mountains 

 shut us in on all three sides, and opposite, distant only a few miles, 

 rose an immense barrier of snow-covered mountains, on which the 

 moon was shining brightly. The water between was so glassy 

 that their outline might be distinctly traced in it : but a death- 

 like stillness was sometimes broken by masses of ice falling from 

 the opposite glaciers, which crashed, and reverberated around — 

 like eruptions of a distant volcano." 



As men who had seen the world, the " tremendous and 

 astonishing glaciers " of this region impressed the " Adventure " 

 and " Beagle " Survey as one of its greatest wonders. 

 FLORA For present purposes, the flora may be divided into two 



groups — that of the open parts of the island and that of the 

 forest.* 



The principal growths met with in the open are a 

 bush with sage-green leaves and white Marguerite -like flowers 

 (Chiliotrwhum amelloideum) ; the Box-leafed Barberry [Berher'is 

 huxifolid) ; the Black Currant {Rihes magellanicwn) ; the Crow- 

 berry {Emjpetrum iiigrum) ; the Arbutus -like prickly-leafed 

 Pernettya mucronata ; the delicately beautiful P. serpylUfolia ; 

 and Azorella growing in massive vivid-green mounds. 



Of these, the most important is the Barberry — the Calafate 

 as it is locally known — though not nearly so abundant as 

 Chiliotrichum, which completely clothes the hill-sides and flats 

 for vast areas. To the Calafate Drake refers, as a " small 

 berry with us named currants, or as the comon sort call 

 them small raisins, growing wonderfull piety," in an island, 

 ' ' where the Atlanticke Ocean and the South Sea meete in 



* It has only been by the grace of numerous distinguished botanists that I 

 have been able to arrive at many of these names. From the staff of the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew, I have received the most generous help, which I take 

 this opportunity of associating with Colonel D. Prain ; Mr. W. B. Hemsley ; 

 Dr. Otto Stapf; Mr. G. Massee; Mr. T. A. Sprague ; Mr. A. D. Cotton; 

 and Mr. C. H. Wright. I have also received much help from the staff of the 

 British Museum of Natural History — especially Dr. A. B. Rendle; Mr. A. 

 Jepp; and Mr. James Britten. — R. C. 



