THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 237 



them large enough to contain several persons standing up- 

 right, and yet entirely concealed from view * 



The evening of this day, in common with those during the 

 rest of my stay, was spent most agreeably, sitting in the 

 veranda in the moonlight, drinking in the beauty of the scene 

 around, while all night long a loud ringing tremulous sound 

 was maintained, without intermission, by a multitude of tree- 

 frogs, cicadas, crickets, and grasshoppers. The variety of 

 notes emitted by the tree-frogs is very remarkable, ranging 

 from a sort of chirping, like that of a bird, to a sound like 

 that of hammering. They are very often " vox et ]pTceterea 

 nihil" however, and I succeeded in capturing but few speci- 

 mens of the family. Next day I had a long and beautiful 

 ride on mule-back, winding through wooded valleys and along 

 the sides of forest-clad hills. The creepers and lianas, or 

 ropelike twiners, in the woods, were amazing to behold — the 

 latter varying in thickness from the diameter of a stout string 

 to that of a thick cable, and hanging down fifty, sixty, or 

 even a greater number of feet, in loops and festoons from the 

 tops of the trees. The epiphytes, or parasitic plants, were also 

 very noteworthy. They principally consisted of Orchids and 

 Bromeliacece (many of the latter of which displayed, high up 

 among the tree-tops, fine spikes of rose-coloured flowers), 

 together with an infinite variety of ferns. Many of the stems 

 of the trees were also covered with creeping Aracece, with 

 deeply-lobed leaves, and many other plants too numerous to 

 mention. In open spaces at the sides of the roads, several 

 handsome species of Solamcm, with formidable prickly leaves, 

 were common, together with a leafless composite plant, with 

 sessile flowers and a tri- winged stem, and curious arborescent 



* A similar stem luas been figured by Martins. Cf. Lindley, Veg. King. , 

 p. 551. 



