204 FALKLAND ISLANDS chap. 



They imagined that Magellan, when talking of an animal under 

 the name of " conejos " in the Strait of Magellan, referred to this 

 species ; but he was alluding to a small cavy, which to this day 

 is thus called by the Spaniards. The Gauchos laughed at the 

 idea of the black kind being different from the gray, and they 

 said that at all events it had not extended its range any farther 

 than the gray kind ; that the two were never found separate ; 

 and that they readily bred together, and produced piebald off- 

 spring. Of the latter I now possess a specimen, and it is marked 

 about the head differently from the French specific description. 

 This circumstance shows how cautious naturalists should be in 

 making species ; for even Cuvier, on looking at the skull of one 

 of these rabbits, thought it was probably distinct ! 



The only quadruped native to the island^ is a large wolf- like 

 fox (Canis antarcticus), which is common to both East and 

 West Falkland. I have no doubt it is a peculiar species, and 

 confined to this archipelago ; because many sealers, Gauchos, 

 and Indians, who have visited these islands, all maintain that no 

 such animal is found in any part of South America. Molina, 

 from a similarity in habits, thought that this was the same with 

 his " culpeu ;"^ but I have seen both, and they are quite distinct. 

 These wolves are well known, from Byron's account of their 

 tameness and curiosity, which the sailors, who ran into the 

 water to avoid them, mistook for fierceness. To this day their 

 manners remain the same. They have been observed to enter a 

 tent, and actually pull some meat from beneath the head of a 

 sleeping seaman. The Gauchos also have frequently in the 

 evening killed them, by holding out a piece of meat in one hand, 

 and in the other a knife ready to stick them. As far as I am 

 aware, there is no other instance in any part of the w^orld, of so 

 small a mass of broken land, distant from a continent, possessing 

 so large an aboriginal quadruped peculiar to itself Their 

 numbers have rapidly decreased ; they are already banished 

 from that half of the island which lies to the eastward of the 

 neck of land between St. Salvador Bay and Berkeley Sound. 



1 I have reason, however, to suspect that there is a field-mouse. The common 

 European rat and mouse have roamed far from the habitations of the settlers. The 

 common hog has also run wild on one islet : all are of a black colour : the boars are 

 very fierce, and have great tusks. 



2 The "culpeu" is the Canis Magellanicus brought home by Captain King from 

 the Strait of Magellan. It is common in Chile. 



