5° 
MALDONADO 
CHAP. 
climate, with a geological formation almost identical, with 
favourable situations and the same kind of peaty soil, yet can 
boast of few plants deserving even the title of bushes ; whilst 
in Tierra del Fuego it is impossible to find an acre of land not 
covered by the densest forest. In this case, both the direction 
of the heavy gales of wind and of the currents of the sea are 
favourable to the transport of seeds from Tierra del Fuego, as 
is shown by the canoes and trunks of trees drifted from that 
country, and frequently thrown on the shores of the Western 
Falkland. Hence perhaps it is, that there are many plants in 
common to the two countries : but with respect to the trees 
of Tierra del Fuego, even attempts made to transplant them 
have failed. 
During our stay at Maldonado I collected several quadru¬ 
peds, eighty kinds of birds, and many reptiles, including nine 
species of snakes. Of the indigenous mammalia, the only one 
now left of any size, which is common, is the Cervus campestris. 
This deer is exceedingly abundant, often in small herds, 
throughout the countries bordering the Plata and in Northern 
Patagonia. If a person crawling close along the ground, slowly 
advances towards a herd, the deer frequently, out of curiosity, 
approach to reconnoitre him. I have by this means killed, 
from one spot, three out of the same herd. Although so tame 
and inquisitive, yet when approached on horseback, they are 
exceedingly wary. In this country nobody goes on foot, and 
the deer knows man as its enemy only when he is mounted 
and armed with the bolas. At Bahia Blanca, a recent establish¬ 
ment in Northern Patagonia, I was surprised to find how little 
the deer cared for the noise of a gun : one day I fired ten 
times from within eighty yards at one animal ; and it was 
much more startled at the ball cutting up the ground than at 
the report of the rifle. My powder being exhausted, I was 
obliged to get up (to my shame as a sportsman be it spoken, 
though well able to kill birds on the wing) and halloo till the 
deer ran away. 
The most curious fact with respect to this animal, is the 
overpoweringly strong and offensive odour which proceeds from 
the buck. It is quite indescribable : several times whilst skin¬ 
ning the specimen which is now mounted at the Zoological 
Museum, I was almost overcome by nausea. I tied up the 
