Aspects of the Valley. 49 
wild flavours and little adventures that count for so 
much with the very young. In birds’ eggs, the 
greatest prizes are those of the partridge-like tina- 
mous, the beautifully mottled and crested martineta 
(Calodromas elegans), that lays a dozen eggs as large 
as those of a fowl, with deep-green polished shells ; 
and the smaller Nothura darwini, whose eggs vary 
in tint from wine-purple to a reddish-purple or liver 
colour. In summer and autumn fruits and sweet 
gums are not scarce. One grey-leafed herbaceous 
shrub is much sought after for its sap, that oozes 
from the stem and hardens in small globes and lumps 
that look and taste like white sugar. There is a 
small disc-shaped cactus, growing close to the sur- 
face, and well defended with sharp spines, which 
bears a pinkish-yellow fruit with a pleasant taste. 
There is also a large cactus, four or five feet high, 
so dark-green as to appear almost black among 
the pale-grey bushes. It bears a splendid crimson 
flower, and a crimson fruit that is insipid and not 
considered worth eating ; but being of so beautiful 
a colour to see it is sufficient pleasure. The plant 
is not very common, and one does not see too many 
of the fruits even in a long day’s ramble: 
Like stones of worth, they thinly placéd are, 
The chajiar bears a fruit like a cherry in size, and, 
like a cherry, with a stone inside; it has a white 
pulp and a golden skin; the flavour is peculiar and 
delicious, and seemed to be greatly appreciated by 
the birds, so that the children get little. Another 
D 
