THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 403 



On the 5th I had a walk of about sixteen miles with 

 Dr. Campbell and an officer of the " Topaze," past Herradura 

 Bay in the direction of Tongoi. The scenery had that 

 desert-like rocky aspect so characteristic of the country, 

 tall Cacti and the Oxalis gigantea forming the most prevalent 

 features of the vegetation ; while the occasional flocks of goats, 

 wandering about and browsing on the latter plant, added 

 materially to the peculiar effect of the landscape. Here and 

 there the tall flower-stems of the Puya coardata formed con- 

 spicuous objects in the distance. One of these, which we cut 

 down, was about nine feet in height, the beautiful pale yellow, 

 somewhat lily- like flowers forming a dense spike between 

 three and four feet long. A rather curious, thorny, stiff- 

 growing shrub, with abruptly pinnate leaves and bluish- 

 purple flowers, seen for the first time, was the Porlieria 

 hygrometrica, the specific name of which is derived from the 

 property which the leaflets possess of closing and folding them- 

 selves upon the branches at sunset. "We observed two fine 

 condors soaring at a considerable elevation, and numbers of a 

 grotesque-looking little bird, the " Tapacolo," Pteroptochos 

 albicollis, were hopping out among the rocks with their tails 

 cocked over their backs, and giving vent to a curious variety 

 of notes. On the sandy beach of Herradura Bay I found 

 several specimens of Hijpjpa talpoides creeping rapidly along, 

 as well as two dead individuals of the Pseudocorystes sicarius 

 previously met with at Lota. 



The afternoon of the 6th I devoted to the shell-beds, and 

 obtained a good collection of the prevalent forms ; and on the 

 morning of next day a small party of us set out in the dingy, 

 with the intention of shooting pelicans on the Pajeros Mfios 

 rocks at the entrance of the bay. We found, however, that 

 unfortunately the surf was too great to permit of our landing 



