THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 465 



where we found our old friend, the "Narcissus/' lying. 

 Shortly after we anchored, a small steamer came alongside, 

 and nearly all the passengers took their departure for the 

 shore in her, giving three cheers for the " Nassau " as they 

 bid us farewell. 



We spent a fortnight at Monte Video very agreeably ; 

 the weather, with the exception of one or two violent pam- 

 peros, which sometimes detained us on shore unexpectedly, 

 being gloriously bright and line, though oppressively hot ; but 

 there being almost no shade to be met with, owing to the 

 absence of trees in the country round about the town, pedes- 

 trianism was decidedly fatiguing. The Carnival began at 

 noon on Sunday the 7th, and lasted for about three days, 

 during which numerous processions of people in grotesque 

 masks perambulated the streets, while the inmates of the 

 houses assembled at their windows and squirted perfumed 

 water at the passers-by, who, in general provided with syringes, 

 returned the compliment. One fine morning Dr. Campbell 

 and I went over to the Mount with an old friend, a lieutenant 

 in command of a gunboat, and spent some pleasant hours 

 rambling about in search of plants, etc. I here obtained fine 

 specimens of a handsome lizard {Cnemidophorus lacertinoides), 

 of a vivid green colour, with several longitudinal narrow 

 white bands. It was very common, but ran with such exces- 

 sive rapidity that I was almost in despair of procuring any 

 examples, only succeeding at last owing to the skill possessed 

 by one of my companions in the art of stone-throwing. I 

 also found two species of Amphibia, one a toad, the Bufo 

 agua, and the other a beautiful species of Hyla, which was 

 basking on rocks in the sun. This, the H, agrestis, one 

 of Mr. Darwin's numerous discoveries, was of a grass-green 

 colour above, and yellowish-white beneath, with the back of 



2h 



