﻿406 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  In 
  these 
  narrows 
  in 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Magellan 
  there 
  were 
  quantities 
  

   of 
  sea-hirds 
  : 
  Terns 
  (Sterna 
  hirundinacea), 
  Skuas 
  (Megalestris 
  chil- 
  

   ensis), 
  Penguins 
  (Spheniscus 
  magcllaniciis), 
  Albatrosses 
  (Diomedea 
  

   exulang 
  and 
  I). 
  cMororynchus), 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  Diving 
  Petrels. 
  At 
  

   about 
  midday 
  we 
  arrived 
  at 
  Punta 
  Arenas, 
  the 
  only 
  town 
  in 
  the 
  

   " 
  Straits." 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  curious-looking 
  town, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  having 
  

   tin 
  roofs. 
  Punta 
  Arenas 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  low-lying 
  ground 
  close 
  

   to 
  the 
  sea 
  ; 
  behind 
  the 
  town 
  the 
  hills 
  rise 
  up, 
  clothed 
  to 
  their 
  

   summits 
  with 
  beech-forests. 
  In 
  the 
  Magellan 
  Straits 
  there 
  are 
  

   two 
  species 
  of 
  beech-trees, 
  Fagus 
  antarctica, 
  which 
  is 
  deciduous, 
  

   and 
  F. 
  betuloides, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  evergreen. 
  The 
  forests 
  round 
  

   Punta 
  Arenas 
  are 
  chiefly 
  composed 
  of 
  the 
  former. 
  When 
  ap- 
  

   proaching 
  Punta 
  Arenas 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Straits, 
  as 
  we 
  

   did, 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  seen 
  is 
  entirely 
  bare 
  and 
  sandy. 
  In 
  

   this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Straits 
  we 
  saw 
  the 
  curious 
  Huanaco 
  (Lama 
  

   huanacos). 
  When 
  the 
  town 
  is 
  reached, 
  however, 
  the 
  country 
  

   entirely 
  changes 
  ; 
  thick 
  forests 
  and 
  high 
  mountains 
  take 
  the 
  

   place 
  of 
  flat 
  sandy 
  country, 
  and 
  this 
  thickly 
  wooded 
  country 
  

   continues 
  to 
  Chile. 
  During 
  our 
  stay 
  at 
  Punta 
  Arenas 
  the 
  

   forest 
  behind 
  the 
  town 
  was 
  on 
  fire 
  ; 
  we 
  were 
  told 
  that 
  this 
  fire 
  

   had 
  been 
  burning 
  for 
  a 
  month. 
  A 
  coal-mine 
  had 
  just 
  been 
  

   opened, 
  and 
  we 
  paid 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  it, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  the 
  governor 
  

   of 
  the 
  town. 
  I 
  went 
  down 
  the 
  mine 
  ; 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  deep 
  shaft, 
  

   but 
  simply 
  a 
  tunnel 
  bored 
  in 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  hill, 
  through 
  which 
  

   a 
  line 
  is 
  laid, 
  and 
  we 
  went 
  into 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  mine 
  on 
  a 
  

   truck. 
  Outside 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  mine, 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  

   1000 
  ft. 
  above 
  sea-level, 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  large 
  mass 
  of 
  soft 
  rock, 
  in 
  

   which 
  numbers 
  of 
  large 
  Oysters 
  were 
  imbedded. 
  I 
  managed 
  to 
  

   dig 
  out 
  a 
  complete 
  specimen. 
  In 
  the 
  forests 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  

   country 
  round 
  Punta 
  Arenas 
  I 
  saw 
  very 
  few 
  birds, 
  the 
  most 
  

   abundant 
  species 
  being 
  a 
  small 
  Chat 
  (Cent 
  rites 
  niger), 
  which 
  I 
  

   found 
  fairly 
  abundantly 
  along 
  the 
  shore. 
  I 
  also 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  

   curious 
  "Quail 
  Snipe" 
  (Tlrinocorys 
  rumicivorus) 
  ; 
  this 
  little 
  

   wading 
  bird, 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  Sand- 
  

   piper, 
  has 
  the 
  bill 
  of 
  a 
  Quail 
  or 
  Partridge. 
  

  

  On 
  Feb. 
  3rd 
  we 
  left 
  Punta 
  Arenas. 
  Ships 
  going 
  through 
  the 
  

   Straits 
  of 
  Magellan 
  have 
  to 
  anchor 
  every 
  night, 
  so 
  we 
  had 
  several 
  

   opportunities 
  for 
  collecting. 
  All 
  the 
  way 
  through 
  the 
  Straits 
  

   there 
  are 
  numbers 
  of 
  natural 
  harbours, 
  and 
  every 
  afternoon 
  we 
  

  

  