THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 73 



spitting capacities, as exercised upon a party of Yankee 

 sailors who had run from a ship passing through the Strait 

 some months previously, and were now exercising their 

 ingenuity in teasing the poor animals. Gradually the 

 guanacos approached nearer and nearer the paling which 

 separated them from their assailants, at the same time going 

 through a process of churning up the saliva in their mouths, 

 till, all preparations being completed, a volley was projected 

 to a distance of two or three feet, after the fashion of a 

 hot-house squirt, right in the faces of the enemy, who preci- 

 pitately retreated. 



This instructive exhibition over, I proceeded to walk 

 down to the beach in search of spoils in the shape of marine 

 animals. On the flat ground over which I passed many 

 specimens of a little bird, which reminded me of a Saxicola, 

 were hopping about and lighting on the low bushes. This 

 was the Centrites niger, widely distributed over South 

 America, being found, according to Mr. Darwin, " in La 

 Plata, Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and on the west coast, at 

 least as far north as the valley of Copiapo, in Northern 

 Chili." The plumage of the male bird is russet and black, 

 and that of the female grayish ; and though a bold little 

 bird, our sportsmen at first found them so difficult to shoot, 

 that the cognomen^of "ironclads" was bestowed upon them. 

 I was much perplexed as to the true nature of a large 

 long-necked bird which was stalking about on the open 

 ground at a distance, but, later in the day, saw several 

 specimens on the wing, and ascertained that they were a 

 large species of ibis, the Tlieristicus melanopis, known to the 

 Chilians under the name of " Bandurria." 



On reaching the shore I found a few additional plants grow- 

 ing in the sand, a little above high-water mark. Of these one 



