410 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



summoned to a very excellent dinner, with only too many 

 courses, and treated to some very good light wine, manufac- 

 tured at Santiago, and known under the name of Ochagavia. 

 After dinner we adjourned to the " salon," where we spent 

 the rest of the evening, the young ladies of the house contri- 

 buting to our entertainment by playing on their guitars, and 

 some of the members of our party being induced to take part 

 in the " Zamecuaca," the national dance of Chili. The evening 

 was terminated with a song improvised as a welcome to the 

 visitors, whose Christian names were introduced and celebrated 

 with a variety of compliments. 



Next morning we left the farm on our way to Sauce 

 mine, the property of Mr. Hamilton. Following the course 

 of the valley, between one and two p.m. we reached a very 

 pretty farm the name of which has escaped my memory, 

 where we breakfasted and remained for about a couple of 

 hours, investigating the garden and vineyard appertaining 

 to it. The vine-stocks were very old and gnarled, and the 

 young wood does not appear to be trained, as is generally 

 the case in Europe, so that at a distance a vineyard of 

 this sort looks much like an orchard of stunted old apple-trees. 

 We then rode on to Pangue, a farm close to the bank of the 

 stream running through the valley. Here we dismounted 

 and remained for a short time, being shown the apparatus 

 used in the manufacture of " chicha " the national beverage. 

 Some enormous earthenware jars, employed for holding the 

 fluid, had been in use, we were informed, for 150 years. 

 They were about five feet in height, by between three or four 

 in diameter, the mouth, which was furnished with a lip, being 

 about a foot and a half wide. At this place there was a 

 beautiful orchard, carpeted with sweet violets, and filled with 

 peach-trees in full blossom. On leaving Pangue we followed 



