350 



BIRDS OF PREY GUANACOES. 



April 



about a thousand feet above its level, which, there, is about 

 three hundred feet above that of the sea. Two guanacoes 

 were shot with my rifle by H. Fuller,* who hastened to the 

 boats for assistance. Some of our party went directly with 

 him to bring in the animals, but condors and cara-caras-f- 

 had eaten every morsel of the flesh of one ; though the other 

 was found untouched and brought to the boats. Four hours 

 had sufficed to the cara-caras and condors for the cleaning of 

 every bone. ^ When our party reached the spot some of those 

 great birds were so heavily laden that they could hardly hop 

 away from the place. The guanaco that was eaten by the 

 birds must have been, by his size, at least fifty pounds heavier 

 than any shot by us in Patagonia, therefore about BOOlbs. 

 Mr. Darwin and Mr. Stokes had much amusement with these 

 animals, upon the heights. Being so much tamer there and 

 more numerous, whole flocks were driven by them into nar- 

 row defiles, where dozens might have been killed had there 

 been more people with guns, lassoes, or balls. 



Though the bed of the river is there so much below the 

 level of the stratum of lava,§ it still bears the appearance of 

 having worn away its channel, by the continual action of run- 

 ning water. The surface of the lava may be considered as the 

 natural level of the country, since, when upon it, a plain, 

 which seems to the eye horizontal, extends in every direction. 

 How wonderful must that immense volcanic action have been 

 which spread liquid lava over the surface of such a vast tract 

 of country. Did the lava flow from the Cordillera of the 

 Andes, or was it thrown out from craters in the low country ? 

 Its position with respect to subaqueous deposits, its horizontal 

 surface and cellular texture, are reasons, among others, for 

 thinking that it was thrown out of the earth, while these plains 

 were covered by a depth of sea. 



The valley, or channel of the river, varies here from one 

 mile, or less, to about three miles ; but it looks narrower, owing 



* My steward. f A carrion-eating eagle. 



I The animal thus eaten lay on high ground : the other was in a hollow 



§ From ten to twelve hundred feet. 



