THE STR.AJT OF MAGELLAN. 459 



the beach the view looking westward was most beautiful ; a 

 sea of glass, out of which, on the distant horizon, rose several 

 snowy peaks like icebergs, and overhead a pale green sky. 

 The following day was also spent on shore by us, and in 

 addition to specimens of several small birds not collected 

 previously, I obtained three species of plants which had 

 hitherto escaped my notice. Two of these were marsh Ranun- 

 culi, the R. hydrophihi.s and R, trullifolms, recorded by Dr. 

 Hooker from the Falkland Islands, and the third, a pretty 

 little Gentian, with bright blue flowers, the (r. prostrata, found 

 by Mr. Darwin at Cape Xegro. The distribution of this tiny 

 plant, as given by Dr. Hooker in the Flora Antarctica, is 

 remarkably extensive. According to him, it occurs in Europe 

 on the Carinthian Alps, at an elevation of from 6000 to 

 9000 feet ; in Asia on the Altai Mountains ; in North America 

 on the Eocky Mountains, where it ascends to a height of 15,000 

 to 16,000 feet ; and in South America, on the eastern side of 

 the Cordillera. Its occurrence at the level of the sea in the 

 Strait of Magellan thus affords a striking instance of the 

 semi-alpine character of the flora of that region, which I have 

 earlier commented on. 



On the 8th a party of us rode up to see the deposit of 

 coal in the woods, and to inspect the operations that were 

 being carried on by some men for the procuring of gold in the 

 bed of the stream, some specimens of the precious metal* 

 having been discovered some time previously. We witnessed 

 the process of gold-washing by passing a stream of water 

 through a gently inclined wooden trough with stages of dif- 

 ferent elevations. 



* Specimens of gold from tliis stream, vrliicli Senor Yiel was kind enough 

 to present to me, \rere sent home to the Museum of Practical Geology, 

 London. 



