THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 355 



seen at Halt Bay and Island Harbour, together with another 

 climbing plant, also with pinnate leaves, was abundant, as 

 were also Mitraria coccinea and Hymenophyllum cruentum. 

 This I may remark was the southernmost locality where I 

 met with this elegant little fern. A turkey-buzzard {Cath- 

 artes aura) was shot as it was flying over the water, and 

 afterwards skinned by me. It formed a truly disgusting 

 object when we picked it up, with its naked scarlet head 

 which resembled an unhealthy ulcer, its ruffless neck, dull 

 brown plumage, and ugly legs. The feet were partially 

 webbed, the nostrils very large, and the tongue deeply hol- 

 lowed out, as if for the purpose of scooping up filth. These 

 birds, though extremely plentiful in Chiloe, become rather 

 scarce to the southward. In the Channels and western part 

 of the Strait we saw them occasionally, but never more then a 

 couple of individuals at any one time. 



Eain continued throughout the afternoon of this day ; in the 

 evening set in with increased vehemence ; and during the 

 whole of the 10th fell in torrents. By this time Captain 

 Mayne judged it advisable to leave the Channels for the 

 season, as the weather was so extremely bad that very little 

 work could be accomplished. On the 11th, accordingly, when 

 the weather was somewhat improved, we left Hoskyn Cove, 

 and moved slowly northwards along the Messier Channel. 

 In the forenoon we met a Chilian vessel on her way to Sandy 

 Point, with emigrants and provisions for the colony, and we 

 availed ourselves of the opportunity thus presented to de- 

 spatch letters by her. While lying-to we observed several 

 Cape pigeons, birds we had never before noticed in the 

 Channels, and a sure evidence of bad weather outside. After 

 proceeding northwards for between twenty and thirty miles, 

 we anchored about four p.m. in a small new harbour in the 



