THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 451 



After furling the rain-awning with which we were fortu- 

 nately provided during this season, but which presented a 

 surface of attack to the " williwaws," we left Skyring Harbour 

 and returned to Tuesday Bay, where we anchored between 

 seven and eight p.m. 



The 23d was a day of heavy squalls, with calm inter- 

 vals, when the sun occasionally appeared for a few minutes. 

 Two of the officers, with myself, left the ship in the 

 dingy soon after breakfast, and occupied the day in the 

 investigation of the bay and its inlets, landing here and 

 there as we considered advisable. On some cliffs we found 

 a small rookery of cormorants, and in the nests were a few 

 addled eggs, and several well-grown young birds covered 

 with sooty black down. One of these, which fell over the 

 ledge into the water, appeared to feel itself quite at home in 

 that element, swimming and diving with great rapidity. A 

 few brown ducks were also seen, as well as several kelp-geese, 

 which were, however, exceedingly wary. The vegetation 1 

 found to be identical with that of the southern Channels, 

 the prevailing shrubs being dwarf Lihocedrus, Metrosideros sti- 

 jpularis, Fagus hettdoides, and F, antarctica, the latter in a very 

 stunted form ; Winter' s-bark, Desfontainea, Berberis ilicifolia, 

 and Escallonia serrata, the bushes of which, now in full flower, 

 appeared at a distance as if sprinkled with snow. N"o trees 

 of any considerable size were to be seen ; and as usual, 

 Donatia Magellanica, Astelia, Gaimardia, Myrtus mimmnlaria, 

 etc., were among the commoner herbaceous plants on the wet 

 slopes of the hills. Here, as throughout the Channels, Mytili 

 were very plentiful, and a Patella was also common. The 

 dredge only yielded a dead fragment of a Polyzoon. One of 

 the surveying staff, who were busily engaged in their work 

 this day, brought me in the evening two broken crania of the 



