4 



DESCRIPTIVE OUTLINE 



sides ; the view is completely obstructed ; not an 

 animal is to be seen ; and the stems of the thistles 

 are so close to each other, and so strong, that, 

 independent of the prickles with which they are 

 armed, they form an impenetrable barrier. The 

 sudden growth of these plants is quite astonish- 

 ing ; and though it would be an unusual misfor- 

 tune in military history, yet it is really possible, 

 that an invading army, unacquainted with this 

 country, might be imprisoned by these thistles be- 

 fore they had time to escape from them. The sum- 

 mer is not over before the scene undergoes another 

 rapid change : the thistles suddenly lose their sap 

 and verdure, their heads droop, the leaves shrink 

 and fade, the stems become black and dead, and 

 they remain rattling with the breeze one against 

 another, until the violence of the pampero or hurri- 

 cane levels them with the ground, where they 

 rapidly decompose and disappear — the clover rushes 

 up, and the scene is again verdant. 



Although a few individuals are either scattered 

 along the path, which traverses these vast plains, 

 or are living together in small groups, yet the 

 general state of the country is the same as it has 



