140 



CHARLES DARWIN 



the necessity of a theory being felt, they came to the con- 

 clusion that, like the bizcacha, the mastodon was formerly 

 a burrowing animal ! In the evening we rode another stage, 

 and crossed the Monge, another brackish stream, bearing the 

 dregs of the washings of the Pampas. 



October 2nd. — We passed through Corunda, which, from 

 the luxuriance of its gardens, was one of the prettiest vil- 

 lages I saw. From this point to St. Fe the road is not very 

 safe. The western side of the Parana northward, ceases to 

 be inhabited; and hence the Indians sometimes come down 

 thus far, and waylay travellers. The nature of the country 

 also favours this, for instead of a grassy plain, there is an 

 open woodland, composed of low prickly mimosas. We 

 passed some houses that had been ransacked and since de- 

 serted; we saw also a spectacle, which my guides viewed 

 with high satisfaction; it was the skeleton of an Indian 

 with the dried skin hanging on the bones, suspended to the 

 branch of a tree. 



In the morning we arrived at St. Fe. I was surprised 

 to observe how great a change of climate a difference of only 

 three degrees of latitude between this place and Buenos 

 Ayres had caused. This was evident from the dress and 

 complexion of the men — from the increased size of the 

 ombu-trees — the number of new cacti and other plants — 

 and especially from the birds. In the course of an hour I 

 remarked half-a-dozen birds, which I had never seen at 

 Buenos Ayres. Considering that there is no natural bound- 

 ary between the two places, and that the character of the 

 country is nearly similar, the difference was much greater 

 than I should have expected. 



October 3rd and 4th. — I was confined for these two days 

 to my bed by a headache. A good-natured old woman, 

 who attended me, wished me to try many odd remedies. A 

 common practice is, to bind an orange-leaf or a bit of black 

 plaster to each temple: and a still more general plan is, to 

 split a bean into halves, moisten them, and place one on 

 each temple, where they will easily adhere. It is not thought 

 proper ever to remove the beans or plaster, but to allow 

 them to drop off ; and sometimes, if a man, with patches on 

 his head, is asked, what is the matter? he will answer, "I 



