376 GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. [caaP. XVII. 
pot in which it has been boiled, or have burst forth from smaller 
orifices on the flanks; in their descent they have spread over 
miles of the sea-coast. On both of these islands, eruptions are 
known to have taken place; and in Albemarle, we saw a small 
jet of smoke curling from the summit of one of the great craters. 
In the evening we anchored in Bank’s Cove, in Albemarle 
Island. The next morning I went out walking. ‘To the south 
of the broken tuff-crater, in which the Beagle was anchored, 
there was another beautifully symmetrical one of an elliptic form ; 
its longer axis was a little less than a mile, and its depth about 
500 feet. At its bottom there was a shallow lake, in the middle 
of which a tiny crater formed an islet. The day was overpower- 
ingly hot, and the lake looked clear and blue: I hurried down 
the cindery slope, and choked with dust eagerly tasted the water 
—but, to my sorrow, I found it salt as brine. 
The rocks on the coast abounded with great black lizards, be- 
tween three and four feet long; and on the hills, an ugly 
yellowish-brown species was equally common. We saw many of 
this latter kind, some clumsily running out of our way, and 
others shuffling into their burrows. I shall presently describe in 
more detail the habits of both these reptiles. The whole of this 
northern part of Albemarle Island is miserably sterile. 
October 8th.—We arrived at James Island: this island, as 
well as Charles Island, were long since thus named after our 
kings of the Stuart line. Mr. Bynoe, myself, and our servants 
were left here for a week, with provisions and a tent, whilst the 
Beagle went for water. We found here a party of Spaniards, who 
had been sent from Charles Island to dry fish, and to salt tortoise- 
meat. About six miles inland, and at the height of nearly 2000 
feet, a hovel had been built in which two men lived, who were 
employed in catching tortoises, whilst the others were fishing 
on the coast. I paid this party two visits, and slept there one 
night. As in the other islands, the lower region was covered by 
nearly leafless bushes, but the trees were here of a larger growth 
than elsewhere, several being two feet and some even two feet 
nine inches in diameter. The upper region being kept damp by 
the clouds, supports a green and flourishing vegetation. So damp 
was the ground, that there were large beds of a coarse cyperus, 
in which great numbers of a very small water-rail lived and bred. 
