196 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



including specimens of Scutellaria nummularicefolia and the 

 common mushroom, but met with nothing new in the 

 botanical line. 



On our return to the tent we had dinner, after which the 

 evening was beguiled in reading, Ali Baba and the Forty 

 Thieves being listened to with deep interest and occasional 

 comments by the boat's crew ; and, later, we lay down to 

 rest, with arms as usual in readiness, in case of any hostile 

 demonstration on the part of Fuegians. It was a wild, 

 pitch-dark night, the sea roaring and raging on the beach, 

 and a strong breeze blowing and shaking the canvas of the 

 tent, on which heavy rain was pattering, while at intervals the 

 wild cry of a sea-bird came across the water, producing a 

 rather weird sensation. Soon after eleven p.m. we were 

 roused by the watch announcing that he had seen a light, 

 apparently carried by some one, pass rapidly along from the 

 camp fire towards the boat, which intelligence caused us to 

 spring up speedily and sally forth, revolvers in hand, to 

 look for the enemy ; but on investigation nothing was to be 

 discovered, and we turned in again, to be disturbed, two 

 hours later, with the information that the sea had reached 

 the boat, which accordingly required to be hauled up out of 

 danger. After this, we were left to sleep in peace, and next 

 morning, when we rose early, the rain had cleared off. 

 While preparations for breakfast were going on I walked 

 along the beach for some distance, and obtained a fine live 

 male and female of a short-spined or rather tuberculated 

 species of Lithodes {L. verrucosa^, which appears to be 

 tolerably common in the eastern part of the Strait, as well as 

 in Falkland Sound, where we subsequently found numbers, 

 I also met with two or three specimens of an apparently new 

 species of the genus Serolis, which I have named aS'. convexus. 



