214 NATUKAL HISTOKY OF 



mark painted on his face, the base of the figure passing imme- 

 diately beneath the eyes, and the apex coinciding with the 

 tip of the chin. I do not know whether this colour was 

 produced by barberry juice or by a mineral substance, as they 

 possess a variety of coloured clays, with which they inscribe 

 patterns on the outer (hairless) side of their mantles. This 

 operation is carried on by the women, who stretch out the 

 robes tightly on the ground with small wooden pegs, so as to 

 form a flat surface on which to work. We held a little con- 

 verse with these people in very fragmentary Spanish, and 

 they requested " Polvora " (gunpowder), which they imagined 

 I possessed in one of my vascula ; so, to satisfy them, I opened 

 the case, and displayed to their wondering eyes my collection of 

 mosses and fungi. At the governor's house we were shown 

 two fine puma cubs which had been brought in by the Pata- 

 gonians. They were very powerfully-made little animals, with 

 fine large eyes and soft gray fur, and they scratched and bit 

 at us with great determination when we attempted to handle 

 them, fighting with one another also for scraps of raw meat 

 which were thrown to them. On going on board, I found that 

 specimens of a beautiful little owl {Glaucidium nanuTn), new to 

 us, as well as of a harrier (Circus macwpUrus), previously pro- 

 cured at Malddnado, had been shot by two of the ofiicers 

 (Dr. Campbell and Mr. Bedwell), whose skill as sportsmen 

 yielded me the majority of my ornithological prizes. 



The " Spiteful " had brought us an abundant supply of 

 letters and papers, which were very welcome, as we had had 

 almost no news for nearly three months past, and supplied us 

 with topics of conversation for some time to come, as well as 

 material for occupying our evenings, which were by this time 

 getting very long. On the 8th and 9th it rained nearly all 

 day, and I remained on board skinning birds and drawing 



