310 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



to the westward, as well as throughout the Channels, 

 and which appears to be a species of Panax or some allied 

 genus ; a Myrtaceous shrub, the Metrosideros stipularis, 

 which seems not to have been observed previously to the 

 south of the Chonos Archipelago, but which I subsequently 

 ascertained to be extremely abundant on both sides of the 

 western portion of the Strait, and throughout the Channels 

 of western Patagonia, forming an elegant low tree, with a 

 red bark, small dotted leaves, and pretty white flowers ; 

 Escallonia serrata, out of flower ; Pernettya mucronata ; 

 Lihocedrus tetragonus, here existing as a low shrub ; Callixene 

 marginata ; Tapeinia Magellanica ; Myrtus nummularia ; a 

 curious little Caltha, the C. dionemfolia, which grows in low 

 firm bright green clumps or bosses ; Lomaria Magellanica. ; 

 Gleichenia acutifolia ; and two species of Hymenophyllum, 

 H. tortuosum and H. pedinatum, the last of which had not 

 been previously recorded to the south of the Chonos Archi- 

 pelago, although it is very common in the western part of 

 the Strait, and throughout the entire extent of the Channels, 

 Next morning (12th) we left Playa Parda, and proceeded 

 westwards amid frequent showers of heavy rain, reaching 

 ShoU Bay, on the western side of the southern extremity of 

 Smyth's Channel, between three and four p.m. Here we 

 anchored, and shortly after, landing with two of the officers, 

 had a walk, or rather scramble, over the country in the 

 neighbourhood, the aspect of which struck us as singularly 

 gloomy and desolate, as seen under a sky black with thick 

 clouds, which descended at short intervals in tremendous 

 showers. The bay is bounded by a tract of low ground 

 covered with a thick vegetation of stunted trees of ever- 

 green beech, Winter's-bark, and Lihocedrus tetragonus, to- 

 gether with a sprinkling of the Panax mentioned above, and 



