252 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



of Liberty, with a sword and banner, the latter of which, 

 hanging in folds, presented in the distance a striking resem- 

 blance to a Gampish nmbrella. After a time I descended to 

 the sea-coast, passing a tract of country on the suburbs of the 

 town, principally distinguished for its sterility of aspect, and 

 the evil smells arising from the dead carcasses of horses, cows, 

 dogs, goats, and fowls, lying about in every direction, with 

 large black pigs prowling about them. Once arrived at the 

 beach, I found that the same destitution of animal life, remarked 

 at the time of my last visit, prevailed, the only living crea- 

 ture to be met with being the small crab observed on the 

 previous occasion. On the rocks, above high-water mark, 

 many plants of a species of Ecliinocadus, were growing, look- 

 ing at first sight like sea-urchins left by the tide; and on 

 some grassy downs sloping towards the sea, with large masses 

 of gray rock cropping out of the turf here and there, I found 

 a number of other plants, including the white Petunia seen 

 the year before, various yellow and white Compositse, a beauti- 

 ful rose-coloured Oxalis, a small passion-flower, a diminutive 

 CereuSy a Gnaplialium, a purple Lathyrus, and a variety of 

 grasses. A few large gulls were assembled on the beach, and 

 a few specimens of a bird resembling a thrush were hopping 

 about on the green sward. 



On the 23d I accompanied Captain Mayne on a visit of a 

 few days to Buenos Ayres, the capital of the Argentine Eepub- 

 lic, about ninety miles up the river from Monte Video. As 

 the scenery of the Plate presents but little of interest for the 

 traveller, we determined on making our passage by night, and 

 accordingly, between five and six p.m., went on board the " Eio 

 Uruguay," a Clyde-built steamer, which shortly after started. 

 Dinner took place about an hour later, and we then found 

 that there were very few English people among our fellow- 



