240 TIERRA DEL FUEGO. [cuap. x1. 
greater depth of forty-five fathoms. The beds of this sea-weed, 
even when of not great breadth, make excellent natural floating 
breakwaters. It is quite curious to see, in an exposed harbour, 
how soon the waves from the open sea, as they travel through 
the straggling stems, sink in height, and pass into smooth 
water. 
The number of living creatures of all Orders, whose existence 
intimately depends on the kelp, is wonderful. A great volume 
might be written, describing the inhabitants of one of these beds 
of sea-weed. Almost all the leaves, excepting those that float on 
the surface, are so thickly incrusted with corallines as to be of a 
white colour. We find exquisitely delicate structures, some in- 
habited by simple hydra-like polypi, others by more organized 
kinds, and beautiful compound <Ascidiz. On the leaves, also, 
various patelliform shells, ‘Trochi, uncovered molluscs, and some 
bivalves are attached. Innumerable crustacea frequent every 
part of the plant. On shaking the great entangled roots, a pile 
of small fish, shells, cuttle-fish, crabs of all orders, sea-eggs, star- 
fish, beautiful Holuthurie, Planarie, and crawling nereidous 
animals of a multitude of forms, all fall out together. Often as 
I recurred to a branch of the kelp, I never failed to discover 
animals of new and curious structures. In Chiloe, where the 
kelp does nc‘ thrive very well, the numerous shells, corallines, 
and crustacea are absent; but there yet remain a few of the 
Flustracee, and some compound Ascidiz ; the latter, however, 
are of different species from those in Tierra del Fuego: we 
here see the fucus possessing a wider range than the animals 
which use it as an abode. I can only compare these great 
aquatic forests of the southern hemisphere, with the terrestria! 
ones in the intertropical regions. Yet if in any country a forest 
was destroyed, I do not believe nearly so many species of animals 
would perish as would here, from the destruction of the kelp. 
Amidst the leaves of this plant numerous species of fish live, 
which nowhere else could find food or shelter ; with their destruc- 
tion the many cormorants and other fishing birds, the otters, 
seals, and porpoises, would soon perish also; and lastly, the 
Fuegian savage, the miserable lord of this miserable land, would 
redouble his cannibal feast, decrease in numbers, and perhaps 
. cease to exist. 
