THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 105 



my companions when they had fixed upon their first station 

 for observations, I pursued my sohltary way along the beach 

 in search of marine animals. The tide was low, and a great 

 mud flat, known as the Direction Bank, stretched out for a 

 long distance seaward. Over a considerable portion of this 

 I struggled with some difficulty, owing to the extreme slip- 

 periness and tenacity of the mud, on the surface of which I 

 occasionally measured my length ; but, with the exception of 

 a few Algpe and Molluscs, and a curious Isopodous crustacean, 

 the Edotia FalUandica, I got but little for my pains. After 

 this I walked along for some distance, a little below high- 

 water mark, observing great numbers of the sterna and 

 other bones of cormorants, as well as fragments of the cara- 

 pace of Lithodes antarctica, and another species of the same 

 genus, lying scattered about. While thus occupied, I 

 suddenly discovered, to my surprise, at a considerable distance 

 from me, several large dark-brown objects moving along the 

 shore, and occasionally stooping down to pick up something. 

 My first conjecture was, that these were Patagonians ; but 

 judging it advisable to make certain of the fact before report- 

 ing it to my companions, I resolved to approach as near as 

 I could to them without being perceived. I accordingly 

 left the beach, and after ascending a steep bank to an 

 elevation overlooking the neighbouring plain, beheld not 

 Patagonians, but a herd of between fifty and sixty guanacos, 

 which were speedily joined by several others from the 

 beach, which, I suppose, must have been engaged in licking 

 the salt from off the masses of kelp lying scattered there. 

 As I could not have approached them from the situation 

 where I was without frightening them away, I returned to 

 where I had left the surveying party to inform, them of the 

 circumstance, but found that they had left the station and 



