THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 425 



profusion of flowers in bloom, some of wHch, such as the 

 large white -flowered (Enothera mutica, the exquisite blue 

 Pasithea ccerulea, and the Tropmolum tricolor, I had already 

 observed in the north, while others were now seen for the 

 first time. Among the latter were the Chilian strawberry 

 {Fragaria Chilensis), and a handsome twining Amaryllid, the 

 Bomarea Salsilla, with umbels of purple flowers. Lapageria 

 rosea w^as completely out of flower on this occasion, though I 

 recognised many specimens of its young shoots. When we 

 started on our ride we had some idea of going as far as Con- 

 cepcion ; but as, after riding sixteen miles, we were informed 

 that the city was yet twenty miles distant, it appeared that 

 it would be impracticable for us to reach it without being 

 much later in getting back to the ship than seemed advisable, 

 and we therefore relinquished the attempt, and halted for a 

 time at a pretty little hacienda, the steward of which had 

 passed some years in San Francisco, and spoke English toler- 

 ably well. He very hospitably invited us to his house, where 

 he entertained us with some excellent home-made bread and 

 butter, and " chicha manzana," namely — chicha made from 

 green apples, an extremely acid composition. He possessed 

 a variety of dogs, among which was a black cross between a 

 bull-dog and mastiff, which, despite its ferocious appearance, 

 w^as a most amiable creature ; and a fine set of beehives, some 

 of the inhabitants of which were swarming. He informed us 

 that pumas were common in the neighbourhood, and some 

 ludicrously ill-stuffed specimens of these quadrupeds, some- 

 what resembling four-legged bolsters, were suspended from the 

 rafters of a shed. 



Next morning a party of us landed, and after a ramble 

 along the beach to the south of Lota in search of marine 

 animals, in the course of which we encountered a consider- 



