THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. . 275 



passages betwixt them, were so smooth and cleane, as if they had "been 

 newly swept & washed. 



" One day hauing ended our hunting of Pengioins, one of our 

 mariners walking about the Hand, discouered a great company of Seales, 

 or Sea-wolues (so called for that they are in the Sea, as the Wolues on 

 the Land), aduising us, that he left them sleeping, with their bellies 

 toasting against the Sunne ; we prouided our selues with stones and other 

 weapons and sought to steale vpon them at vnawares, to surprize some 

 of them, and comming downe the side of a Hill, we were not dis- 

 couered till wee were close vpon them, notwithstanding, their Sentinell 

 (before wee could approach) with a great howle waked them ; we got 

 betwdxt the Sea and some of them, but they shunned vs not ; for they 

 came directly vpon us ; and though we dealt heere and there a blow, 

 yet not a man that withstood them escaped the overthrow. They 

 reckon not of a Musket shot, a sword pierceth not their skinne, and to 

 giue a blowe with a staffe, is as to smite vpon a stone ; only in 

 giuing the blowe vpon his snout presently he falleth downe dead. After 

 they had recouered the water, they did as it were scorne vs, defie vs 

 and daunced before vs, vntill we had shot some Musket shot through 

 them, and so they appeared no more. 



" This fish is like unto a Calfe, with foure legs, but not aboue a 

 spanne long ; his skinne is hairy like a Calfe ; but these were different 

 to all that euer I hane seene, yet I have seene of them in many parts ; 

 for these were greater, and in their former parts like vnto Lions, with 

 shagge haire, and mostaches. They live in the Sea, and come to sleepe 

 on the Land, and they euer have one that watcheth, who adviseth them 

 of any accident. They are beneficiall to man in their skinnes for many 

 purposes : Li their mostaches for Pick-tooths, and in their fatte to 

 make Traine-oyle." 



Two memorial specimens of our visit to this remarkable 

 island, the inhabitants of which are so amusingly described in 

 the above extract, were preserved — viz., a penguin (Spheniscus 

 Magellanicus) and a cormorant (JPholacrocorax caruncidatus), 

 and their skins, together with those of the other birds obtained 

 in the Strait, are now in the museum of the University of Cam- 

 bridge. The operation of skinning the penguin was of a most 

 unpleasant nature, owing to the very strong fishy smell, and 



