THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 283 



species of Adesmia growing in rounded clumps resembling 

 those of Ulex narnis, armed with weak spines, and covered 

 with beautiful flame-coloured flowers. After securing speci- 

 mens of this plant, I resolved on keeping on the high ground, 

 and accordingly pursued my way over hill and dale, busily en- 

 gaged in collecting, till I arrived at the edge of a fresh-water 

 lake, where I found a species of Acwna that was new to me. 

 My paper was now pretty well filled with specimens, and 

 finding that it was about three p.m., I judged it advisable to 

 return to camp, to be in time for dinner, which I now felt 

 pretty ready for, having eaten nothing, with the exception of 

 half a ship's biscuit, since seven in the morning. I there- 

 fore bent my steps in the direction of a low hill which 

 I believed I had crossed on my way out. After walking for 

 some distance, I reached an extensive tract of flat ground, 

 which it struck me I had not traversed before. This circum- 

 stance somewhat perplexed me, but I thought that I could 

 not be mistaken as to the hill in front of me, and so continued 

 on my way over the plain, noticing as I went the Oxalis ennea- 

 phylla in great profusion. Heavy rain now began to fall, and 

 before long I was soaked through, and began to feel decidedly 

 cold, causing me to realise the satisfactoriness of getting back 

 to the tent, and changing my clothes. After walking for 

 some miles over this plain, which was nearly a dead level, 

 and feeling surprised that I did not sooner reach the hill I was 

 in quest of, I reached the edge of the flat ground, and after 

 descending into a narrow valley, gained the desired elevation, 

 which I believed to be close to our camp. On climbing to 

 its summit, however, I beheld neither camp nor river, but 

 only an apparently endless succession of small hills and 

 valleys, radiating in nearly every direction. I now saw 

 plainly that I had utterly lost my way, and began to con- 



