OB, PLAIN TEACHING. 



57 



On the south-western shores 

 of South America great numbers 

 of sea-lions, 17, are found. They 



ber of wild oxen, and small wild 

 horses. The method of catching 

 these is remarkable : the hunter 

 pursuing them on horseback, 

 throws a loaded sling, 18, which 



272. 



frequently quit the sea in large 

 numbers, and crawl up over the 

 land, where they lie basking in 

 the sun. In this position they 

 are sometimes attacked by the 

 crews of ships sailing in the South 

 Pacific, The method the mariners 

 adopt is to row slowly towards 

 the shore, until near where the 

 animals are lying, then to pull 

 rapidly to the beach, and shoot 

 the sea-lions as they endeavour 

 to escape into the sea. 



The southern extremity of the 

 American continent forms a penin- 

 sula, 251, known as Patagonia. 

 The mountain chain of the Andes 

 stretches along its western bor- 

 der. The greater part of Pata- 

 gonia is a sterile plain, which 

 gradually slopes towards the 

 shores of the Atlantic. It is 

 inhabited by a few uncivilized 

 tribes, who subsist on the pro- 

 duce of the chase. To the east 

 of the peninsular extremity lie 

 the Falkland islands. Here there 

 are no trees, but a few hushes 

 occur, and grasses grow to a large 

 size. There is an immense num- 

 3* 



coils around their legs, throws 

 them down, and prevents their 

 escaping. At the southern ex- 

 tremity of Patagonia lies Cape 

 Horn, between which and the 

 main land lie the Straits of Ma- 

 gellan, 19, so-called after the 



274. 



great navigator, who first dis- 

 covered this passage from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in 

 1520. The magnitude of the 

 earth, and the diminutive scale 

 of maps thereof, will be strikingly 

 illustrated by remembering that 

 for many years this narrow and 

 perilous passage was the only one 



