THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 9 



individuals, varying from 6 to 9 inches long ; and in a space 

 of time almost incredibly short, the mortal remains of the 

 shark disappeared from my astonished gaze, having been 

 devoured piecemeal. Dredging was carried on from time to 

 time as opportunities occurred, and a considerable number 

 of molluscs, including species of Rissoa, Natica, Haliotis, 

 Pecten, Gardium, Pullastra, Venus, Tellina, Solecurtus, etc., 

 as well as a few echinoderms, were obtained. That noted 

 dredger, Mr. M'Andrew, who has carefully investigated 

 the molluscan fauna of Madeira, under much more advan- 

 tageous circumstances, has recorded 156 species, "of which 

 44 per cent are British, 70 per cent common to the Mediter- 

 ranean, and 83 to the Canaries."* Large gulls, apparently 

 our British greater black-backed species, and small terns, 

 were frequently to be seen fishing about the harbour, the 

 large birds often bullying their smaller neighbours, who 

 sometimes collected in flocks on some of the rugged pro- 

 jecting rocks. Our fishing and dredging operations were not 

 seldom viewed with considerable curiosity, at a safe distance, 

 by the boatmen, who, for the most part, pursued their 

 avocations in a very light and airy costume, consisting of a 

 shirt and an odd little peaked cap. 



Our period of enthralment at length came to an end at 

 noon on the 1st of October ; and, after the dirty-looking old 

 guardiano who had been keeping watch and ward over us for 

 the last five days, had fumigated us to his satisfaction, and 

 the Portuguese doctor had come on board and satisfied 

 himself as to our state and condition, we received the 

 welcome permission to go on shore as soon as we chose. 

 Accordingly, a considerable number of us landed that after- 

 noon, and, under the guidance of one of the officers who had 



" S. p. Woodward — Manual of Mollusca, 2d edition, p. 65. 



