THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 123 



beacon. I availed myself of this opportunity of setting my 

 foot for the first time on the Fuegian shore, accompanying 

 Captain Mayne, who was ever ready to afford me all the faci- 

 lities in his power for the prosecution of my work. On our 

 way from the ship, a small whale passed very near us, spout- 

 ing at intervals. Our landing was accomplished with much 

 difficulty, owing to the violence with which the surf broke 

 on the steep shelving beach ; and we were well wet in the 

 process. The shore was formed of small, rounded stones, ex- 

 hibiting several distinct terraces ; and as the tide fell, a 

 muddy flat was disclosed, on which were large beds of mussels, 

 affording a feeding ground for numbers of gulls, sand-pipers, 

 and oyster-catchers, the last of whom appeared to take great 

 exception to our presence, flying about in wide circles and 

 screaming. Two species of Hcematojpus, I may here observe, 

 are common throughout the Strait of Magellan, and on the 

 west coast of South America as far north as Chiloe. The 

 plumage of one of these {H. ater) is wholly black, while that of 

 the other {H. palliatus) is pied with black and white, so as 

 closely to resemble the British H. ostralegus. We found them 

 both to be very good eating, and they were therefore entered 

 in the game-book which was kept by one of our number as 

 a register of the skill of the sportsmen. Like many other 

 Grallce, they are possessed of tolerable swimming powers. 



At high-water mark numbers of broken and worn Volutes 

 {V. Ferussacii) were lying about, some of them very large 

 and strongly formed ; and at a short distance from the beach I 

 collected a few plants, all of which, however, with the single 

 exception of a small purple-flowered labiate, the Scutellaria 

 nummularicefolia, I had previously obtained on the northern 

 shore of the Strait. After spending some hours on shore we 

 got on board late in the evening. 



