130 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



propitious, preparations were made for despatching boats 

 next morning ; but on tlie 26tli it was again blowing so 

 hard that we were detained prisoners on board. 



At length, on the morning of the 28th, the wind 

 appearing to have expended itself for the present, four 

 boats left the ship on surveying work. On this occasion I 

 accompanied Captain Mayne, who was engaged in the trian- 

 gulation of the coast of the first Narrows. We landed 

 nearly opposite the vessel, which was at this time lying 

 about three miles from the shore, opposite a little hill where 

 we erected a beacon. On the high banks near the beach I 

 again found Adesmia horonioides and Zepidophyllum cupressi- 

 forme in abundance, as well as two yellow-flowered species of 

 Senecio and the blue Homoianthus echinulatus ; and at the 

 edge of a neighbouring marsh Samolus spathulatus, an 

 Epildbium, and a yellow SisyrincJiium, were met with. On 

 the banks of a small fresh-water lake in the vicinity several 

 geese were seen, and stalked, but unsuccessfully. This 

 species, the Upland goose (Chloephaga Magellanica), is very 

 plentiful in the eastern portion of the Strait of Magellan, but 

 is very seldom to be seen much to the west of Port Famine. 

 It is also very abundant at the Falkland Islands, and is 

 common on the lower slopes of the Chilian Andes. In the 

 Strait of Magellan it breeds in numbers, on Elizabeth, Sta. 

 Magdalena, and Quartermaster islands. The plumage of both 

 male and female birds, as aU those who have had an opportu- 

 nity of seeing them in the Zoological Society's Gardens will, 

 I think, agree with me, is very handsome — that of the male 

 being white, with narrow black transverse bars on the 

 feathers of the back and breast ; while that of the female is 

 chiefly composed of various shades of brown, the feathers 

 being also barred with black. Mr. Darwin, in his notes on 



