so Cordovans Voyage of Disconjery 



dark-green on the outside, but within, and also in the stem, of 

 a deep-yellow. It produces a fruit iike a mulberry when ripe, 

 of a feeble acid taste 5 but stronger when unripe, and possessing 

 the same virtues. 



The only quadrupeds observed in this mountainous district^ 

 are the dogs, of the same race with those of the Patagonians, 

 from whom, most probably, the natives have drawn them ; and 

 a sort of deer, which we saw only at a distance, and tlierefore 

 cannot say precisely of what kind they were, as there are great 

 varieties in these animals. 



Sarmiento, in his account of his Passage through this Strait, 

 mentions his having seen traces of tygers : on this we can only 

 say, that we met with nothing of that kind ; neither does this 

 climate seem at all proper or suitable for such animals. 



Much more numerous than the quadrupeds are the birds 

 which inhabit the woods ; but the shortness of our time, and 

 the few opportunities we had of shooting or hunting, and the 

 difficulty of ascertaining the names of each kind, obliges us to 

 confine our remarks to those alone which most frequently pre- 

 sented themselves to our view. 



It is a commonly-received opinion, that cold countries and 

 severe climates are but little abundant in birds; and that even 

 those they produce are not so beautiful, nor possess such variety 

 and brilliancy of colours, as those of the torrid zone : neverthe- 

 less, we saw in this part of the strait a kind of green ravens, 

 of the size of a pigeon, with some scarlet birds, like those of 

 Chili, of a very beautiful appearance. 



More beautiful, however, is a little bird, about the size of a 

 sparrow, whose feathers are black as jet, and have a very 

 narrow golden stripe running lengtiiways, and a yellow beak. 

 This contrast of colours forms a whole of a very beautiful ap- 

 pearance. 



The magpie is also met with, which differs little from that 

 of Spain. 



Snipes or woodcocks {becasinus), are also very common, of 

 the same kind with those found in the Falkland Islands, and of 

 an exquisite flavour. 



We also saw very frequently a kind of bird resembling our 

 blackbirds {fnulus), but which is, Avithout doubt, of a diflerent 

 species. 



What caused much astonishment to us, was to meet, 

 even on the mountains covered with snow, some small 

 birds, to which, on account of their resemblance to ours, 

 we called Magellanic swallows. Perhaps these are not, in 



