THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 475 



and seven p.m. we anchored outside Dungeness, and here we 

 were detained during the following day, as it was blowing 

 hard from the S.W. I filled up my spare time in skinning 

 and carefully examining the flying steamer-duck, whose ex- 

 ternal characters agreed in all respects with King's Micropterus 

 Patachonicus, and found, on examination of the skeleton, that 

 it was that of a young bird, the skeleton being imperfectly 

 ossified, and a thick perichondrial layer investing the sternum, 

 which was very thin, rough, and porous in texture. 



The gale was over by the morning of the 13 th, and we 

 therefore got under way soon after four A.M., and went 

 onwards to Sandy Point, dropping one of the boats off 

 Peckett Harbour to effect some necessary soundings there. 

 On reaching Sandy Point at nine P.M. we were surprised by 

 finding no less than three vessels lying at anchor, which 

 proved to be a Chilian man-of-war, the "Ancud;" the 

 schooner of Captain Luis Piedra Buena, whom we met at 

 the Falkland Islands in the course of the previous season ; and 

 our provision-brig, the " Kosario Isabel," which we expected 

 would have nearly reached Valparaiso by this time. We 

 afterwards found that a sprung mainmast, which had to be 

 replaced by a new one from Valparaiso, was the cause of her 

 detention. The wind rose during the night, and next 

 morning, when we came on deck, Sandy Point presented a 

 more dismal appearance than we had ever before seen it 

 exhibit — the day being dreary in the extreme, a strong wind 

 blowing and causing the vessel to roll severely, heavy rain 

 descending, and a violent surf breaking on the beach, so as 

 to render it impossible to land. The wind feU, however, in 

 the course of the evening, and the morning of the 15th was 

 calm and sunny, with a decided touch of frost in the air. 

 Dr. Campbell and I landed as usual to spend the day on 



