396 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [26] 



Coradonga Group, but they took to the water as soon as the Albatross 

 hove in sight, experience having taught them to give passing vessels a 

 wide berth. 



A successful haul of the trawl was made in 196 fathoms, blue mud, 

 1J miles to the southward of Direction Islands, and another in 449 

 fathoms, in Messier Channel, 2.J miles N. E. J E., magnetic, from Sidney 

 Point, Black Island. 



We swung ship under steam from 3.50 to 4.30 p. m., then ran into 

 Island Harbor, and anchored for the night in 20 fathoms, mud. It is a 

 good harbor for vessels of the size of the Albatross, but it can hardly 

 be recommended for heavier vessels, on account of its limited space 

 and the difficulty of turning. Anchorage may be found outside of the 

 harbor in ordinary weather. The naturalists had several hours on shore 

 and made some additions to their collections, but found the fauna and 

 flora closely resembling that which we had seen farther south. 



We were under way at 4.20 the following morning, and steaming 

 through Messier Channel crossed Tarn Bay and the Gulf of Penas to 

 Tres Montes Gulf, made two hauls of the trawl in Holloway Sound in 

 57 and 61 fathoms, then steamed to Port Otway and anchored in 7 fath- 

 oms, sand and mud. The weather was beautifully clear, giving us a 

 magnificent view of the snow-capped Andes during our run across the 

 Gulf of Peiias. We were surrounded by snow-covered heights in the 

 Straits of Magellan and the western Patagonian channels, yet our view 

 was so restricted by thick weather and intervening mountains that we 

 saw comparatively little of them. On this occasion, however, there was 

 spread before us a vast extent of the Andes, whose gigantic peaks were 

 seen towering one above the other far into the region of eternal snow 

 and ice. 



Port Otway was found to be an excellent harbor, with particularly 

 good facilities for procuring wood and water, while in the inner basin a 

 vessel would be entirely protected from the ocean swell and find a se- 

 cure haven in case extensive repairs were required. 



The naturalists, with many volunteers, were soon scattered in every 

 direction, and returned at sunset laden with many new and valuable 

 specimens. They were very enthusiastic over the region, declaring it 

 to be rich in life, both animal and vegetable, specimens being found pe- 

 culiar to the temperate and frigid zones. Familiar forms in the Straits 

 and western Patagonia grow more luxuriantly, and others unknown to 

 that inhospitable region w r ere found in abundance. Forest trees were 

 larger, straighter, and of greater variety, and while the surface was gen- 

 erally covered with mosses, it was not in a state of complete saturation, 

 as we found it farther south. The weather was milder, the sun shining 

 all day without rain or fog; in fact, everything gave evidence of our 

 approach to a temperate climate. 



We remained at anchor during the 10th, to enable the naturalists to 

 make further investigations in a region of such unusual interest to them. 



