190 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



appears to have been much seldomer visited than Elizabeth, 

 Santa Magdalena, and Santa Marta Islands, probably on ac- 

 count of its lying more out of the track of vessels, resembles the 

 other three in general structure, being of considerable elevation, 

 and presenting bold perpendicular clay cliffs, and steep grassy 

 banks sloping down to the water's edge. On approaching it, 

 we saw numbers of the common brown duck swimming about 

 in the belt of kelp which extended along the coast at a little 

 distance from the shore, as well as many gulls and cormo- 

 rants, the latter of which were roosting on ledges on the 

 cliffs ; and on landing, we observed several large dark-brown 

 skua gulls {Lestris antardica), and disturbed a couple of 

 carranchas (Polyhorus tharus) perched on a flat space of 

 ground at the top of a cliff. On arriving at the place 

 where they had been sitting, we found an accumulation of 

 bones of the Ctenomys Magellanicus, including several hun- 

 dred fragments of crania ; and numbers of shells, principally 

 Fissurellce, together with fragments of Lithodes antardica (the 

 relics of former feasts), were lying scattered around. While we 

 were roaming about in search of a suitable place whereon to 

 erect a beacon, I as usual made a collection of all the plants 

 that were to be seen, obtaining numerous specimens of an 

 Erodium, which I had not previously met with, one or two 

 species of Senecio, Homoianthus echinulatus, an Azorella, 

 which formed hard clumps like those of the Balsam-bog, a 

 few grasses, and the Cerastium arvense, which occurs plenti- 

 fully throughout the open country of the Strait, and ranges 

 over a considerable portion of both the Old and the New World. 

 Stunted bushes of Berheris dulcis and of Pernettya mucronata 

 were also common, and a little brown wren {Troglodytes Ma- 

 gellanicus) was flitting about these, and diving into their 

 recesses. After the beacon had been erected, we returned 



