GEOGRAPHIC FEA TUBES OF SO UTHERN PA TAGONIA 49 



parallel on the north, or approximately between the 46th and 50th 

 parallels of south latitude. I visited this region in the summer of 

 1896 and 1897, accompanied by Mr 0. A. Peterson. At that time 

 neither the Argentine nor the Chilian commission had entered it, the 

 labors of both having been confined to the more easily accessible dis- 

 tricts to the north and south. , A glance, at any of the current maps 

 will demonstrate how little indeed was then known of its interior. 

 The few travelers who had previously visited it contented themselves 

 with a journe}'' up the Santa Cruz River to the lakes about its source, 

 or at most with a trip over the old Indian trail leading from the 

 mouth of the Santa Cruz River up the River Chico to within about 

 60 miles of the base of the Andes, and thence bearing almost due 

 north over the plains to the head of the Senguer River and down the 

 latter stream to the Chubut, never entering the mountains at any 

 point on their journey. The whole was, at the time of my first visit, 

 practically an entirely unexplored region, abounding in undiscovered 

 and unnamed mountains, lakes, rivers, and glaciers, many of them of 

 great size and exceeding beauty. 



In connection with my work it became absolutely necessary to give 

 names to some of the geographic features discovered, especially in 

 my field-notes. Some of these names I afterwards published with 

 sketch maps, showing their location, accompanying preliminary 

 papers relating chiefly to the geology of tl^e region. I endeavored as 

 much as possible to avoid any attempt at a detailed geography of the 

 region, realizing at the time the speedy completion of the infinitely 

 more accurate and detailed geographic work of the Argentine Limit 

 Commission, in charge of Dr F. P. Moreno, to whom more than to 

 any other person we are indebted for all that is at present known of 

 the geography of the interior of southern South America. I am 

 l)leased to see that my expectations have already been jmrtially met 

 by the publication in the Geograjihical Journal of a paper read by Dr 

 Moreno before the Royal Geographical Society of London, accom- 

 panied l)y a sketch map giving most of the more important geo- 

 graphic features, and ])romising a larger map with more details in 

 the near future. 



I am not only gratified to see that the few names given by me have 

 l)een adopted by Dr Moreno, but I am also confirmed as to the wisdom 

 of my forbearance to enter the field of the professional geographer, 

 which might very easily have resulted in a confusing synonymy of 

 important geographic names. 



