﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  IN 
  NATURAL 
  HISTORY, 
  dc. 
  407 
  

  

  anchored 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  beauty 
  of 
  one's 
  surroundings 
  in 
  

   these 
  anchorages 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  describe 
  ; 
  towering 
  

   hills 
  on 
  every 
  side, 
  covered 
  to 
  their 
  highest 
  peaks 
  with 
  dense 
  

   forests, 
  which 
  are 
  almost 
  impenetrable 
  ; 
  the 
  water 
  like 
  glass, 
  

   and 
  of 
  an 
  inky 
  blackness 
  ; 
  little 
  islands 
  dotted 
  around, 
  and 
  

   covered 
  with 
  flowering 
  shrubs, 
  fuchsias, 
  &c, 
  form 
  a 
  scene 
  of 
  

   such 
  magnificent 
  beauty 
  that 
  I 
  shall 
  never 
  forget 
  the 
  time 
  spent 
  

   in 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Magellan. 
  

  

  After 
  leaving 
  the 
  Magellan 
  Straits 
  we 
  passed 
  through 
  Smythe's 
  

   Channel, 
  through 
  the 
  last 
  narrows, 
  and 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  stormy 
  waters 
  

   of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Peilas. 
  During 
  our 
  passage 
  through 
  Smythe's 
  

   Channel 
  we 
  came 
  across 
  several 
  parties 
  of 
  the 
  now 
  comparatively 
  

   scarce 
  Fuegian 
  Indians. 
  These 
  stunted 
  and 
  hideously 
  ugly 
  

   people 
  travel 
  about 
  in 
  canoes 
  from 
  island 
  to 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  Straits 
  ; 
  

   they 
  wear 
  comparatively 
  little 
  clothing 
  — 
  a 
  few 
  Otter 
  skins 
  only 
  

   — 
  and 
  live 
  almost 
  entirely 
  on 
  Mussels 
  (Mytilus 
  magellanicus). 
  

   When 
  travelling 
  they 
  always 
  have 
  a 
  wood 
  fire 
  burning 
  in 
  

   their 
  boat. 
  We 
  came 
  across 
  several 
  deserted 
  camps 
  of 
  these 
  

   Indians. 
  

  

  No 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Magellan 
  would 
  be 
  complete 
  

   without 
  a 
  mention 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  "Steamer 
  Duck" 
  (Tachyeres 
  

   cinereus). 
  This 
  curious 
  Duck 
  is, 
  I 
  am 
  afraid, 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  

   abundant 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  formerly 
  ; 
  at 
  least, 
  so 
  I 
  was 
  told 
  by 
  our 
  pilot 
  

   and 
  others, 
  and, 
  although 
  we 
  saw 
  plenty 
  of 
  them, 
  there 
  were 
  not 
  

   the 
  large 
  numbers 
  as 
  described 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Cunningham 
  (' 
  Natural 
  

   History 
  of 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Magellan'). 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  controversy 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  

   " 
  Steamers 
  " 
  or 
  not. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  one 
  species 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  fly, 
  

   while 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  not. 
  I 
  myself 
  never 
  saw 
  a 
  bird 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   fly, 
  although 
  I 
  pursued 
  numbers. 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  run 
  on 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  flapping 
  their 
  tiny 
  wings. 
  One 
  of 
  our 
  

   party, 
  however, 
  saw 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  Ducks 
  fly, 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  close 
  

   enough 
  to 
  clearly 
  identify 
  it. 
  For 
  my 
  own 
  part, 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  one 
  species 
  only, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  assertion 
  made 
  by 
  some 
  

   authors 
  — 
  viz. 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  fly, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  

   get 
  older 
  they 
  lose 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  — 
  is 
  correct, 
  and 
  my 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  seems 
  to 
  convince 
  me 
  of 
  this 
  ; 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  that 
  during 
  

   our 
  visit, 
  early 
  in 
  February, 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  were 
  nearly 
  always 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  down 
  birds, 
  or 
  young 
  birds 
  not 
  fully 
  fledged, 
  

  

  