THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 295 



evening were fine. We entered the Sound in tlie course of 

 the afternoon, and were agreeably surprised by finding the 

 scenery on either side of a considerably more attractive 

 character than that in the neighbourhood of Stanley — the 

 land presenting a less barren appearance, and the groves of 

 tussac-grass, which here we saw for the first time in luxuri- 

 ance, imparting a pleasing shade of green to the landscape, 

 the quiet evening light also contributing to '' lend enchant- 

 ment to the view." It was dead calm, a rare phenomenon in 

 these parts, when we anchored for the night at Swan Island, 

 not far from the Tyssen group, close to which the wreck was 

 situated. Soon after we came to a halt one of the men 

 brought me two specimens of a Myxine, of the same species 

 previously taken in the Strait, which he had caught on a line. 

 Next morning we moved on to the Tyssen Islands, only a few 

 miles from our last night's position. We had had the dredge 

 over during the night, and hauled it in before we shifted, but 

 with poor results, a Terebratula and a small Natica being almost 

 the sole proceeds obtained. A female dog-fish (Acanthias 

 vulgaris) was caught by one of the men, and on being opened, 

 three live young ones, each with the yolk-bag attached, were 

 found in the interior, and when released swam actively about 

 in a basin of water. 



Early in the forenoon a number of us landed on the 

 largest island of the group, which the wreck party had 

 selected as their head-quarters for the month or six weeks 

 which they expected to spend in solitude. This island was, 

 I should think, about a mile or a mile and a half long, and was 

 girdled with a broad belt of tussac. In walking along the 

 beach I observed that rocks of clay-slate appeared to be the 

 principal formation, and I did not notice any vestiges of 

 quartz. Fragments of several common Strait shells, includ- 



