THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 255 



devotes his efforts principally to making it a complete repre- 

 sentation of the fauna of the Argentine Eepublic. The most 

 valuable part of it is, undoubtedly, the collection of fossil 

 bones ; but there are some very interesting skeletons of recent 

 Cetacea, including the Epiodon, described four or five years ago 

 from a specimen taken in the Plate. In so far as I could learn, 

 however, there appeared to be comparatively little interest 

 taken in the collections by the Argentines ; and Sunday, I 

 believe, is the principal day on which the Museum is open to 

 the general public. 



Buenos Ayres, it is almost needless to remark, is a very 

 large city, and, like most other South American towns, inha- 

 bited by a Spanish-speaking community, is constructed with 

 great regularity, the houses forming hollow squares, with 

 courtyards in the centre, and being arranged in quadras, so 

 that nearly all the streets intersect one another rectangularly. 

 At one time most of the houses were only one storey in height, 

 but now, except in the outskirts, the generality are provided 

 with two or three. Germans and English form a considerable 

 item of the population, and it was readily to be observed to 

 what a much greater degree these languages were to be heard 

 spoken in the streets than in those of Monte Video. It would 

 be unpardonable were I not to refer to the exceeding kind- 

 ness and hospitality which we received during our short stay 

 from various of the English residents ; and among these I may 

 be permitted specially to mention Mr. Smith, the clergyman 

 of the Presbyterian church, who is held in great and deserved 

 respect by the general community. 



On Sunday the 27th I witnessed a great Eoman Catholic 

 ceremony, that of Corpus Christi, as I was informed, which 

 had been delayed beyond its usual time on account of the 

 state of the weather. At the close of morning service in the 



