THE STEAIT OF MAGELLAN. 267 



necks, heads, and bills, the last of which were endowed with a 

 knob of considerable size at the base ; while the third was a 

 specimen of the Cygnus coscoroha, the entire plumage of which, 

 with the exception of a few black feathers in the wings, was 

 pure white, and the feet and bill pink, the latter being destitute 

 of a knob, and considerably broader and flatter than that of 

 the black-necked species. Both sorts had apparently resorted 

 to Elizabeth Island for breeding purposes, as our party 

 found nests which evidently belonged to them ; and earlier in 

 the season, in the month of October, eggs of one or other 

 species were collected on the island by one of the servants of 

 the governor of Sandy Point. This, I think, was the only 

 occasion on Avhich we met with swans in the Strait, though, a 

 month later, specimens of the C. coscoroha were obtained in 

 the vicinity of Gallegos river. Both species are noticed by 

 Captain King ; and in the journal of Mr. Kirk, who was 

 associated with Lieutenant Skyring in the survey of the 

 Western Channels of Patagonia, I find mention made of islets 

 in the neighbourhood of Obstruction Sound which were 

 covered with immense numbers of " black-necked swans, 

 mixed with a few which had black-tipped wings." Both 

 species also occur in South Chili, and in the countries 

 bordering the Eiver Plate. The skinning of one of the 

 individuals of the black-necked species occupied me fully 

 during the 28th, and I ascertained that neither in it nor 

 in the C. coscoroha does a fold of the trachea enter the 

 keel of the sternum. 



On the 29th it was still blowing too hard outside our 

 sheltered position to permit of our making a move. A few 

 Fissurellce and other Molluscs were obtained in the dredge in 

 the morning ; and in the afternoon the greater number of us 

 landed, and spent some hours rambling about. On stepping 



