138 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



of a small black and white woodpecker, with a red crest. This 

 species, the Picus ligniarius, which does not appear to be 

 common in the Strait, we subsequently met with at Chiloe. 



As we had learned from some of the inhabitants of the 

 settlement who had come on board the "Nassau" on our 

 arrival, that a party of the far-famed Patagonians had lately 

 arrived at the settlement for trading purposes, we paid a 

 visit to their camp before returning to the ship in the 

 evening. On approaching their tents, which were placed in 

 a hollow close to the river's bank, we were met by an 

 individual possessed of a small stock of broken English, of 

 which he appeared very proud, and who announced that his 

 name was Pedro, and that he was a little chief. He con- 

 sidered it necessary to shake hands with us all round, and 

 said, "You come to my house and see skin;" and we 

 accordingly accompanied him to his guanaco-skin tent, where 

 were a number of his tribe, who smiled and looked affable, 

 but spoke little. We were then shown some guanaco, puma, 

 and ostrich skins, and asked, " Why you no bring bread, 

 rum, tabac, from ship ?" — rum, as we afterwards learned, 

 being an article which, unfortunately for themselves, they 

 value very highly. The whole party on this occasion con- 

 sisted of about twenty adults and a number of children. 

 The men were in general tall and very strongly made, 

 particularly as regarded their chests and arms, the muscular 

 development of which, strongly favoured by their habits of 

 life, was excessive. The lower limbs, on the other hand, 

 appeared much less muscular, and they walked with an 

 awkward shambling .gait, the result, probably, of their 

 spending the greater part of their lives on horseback, never 

 travelling any distance on foot. Their heads were large, and 

 thatched with thick black hair, in general divided in the 



