120 
BAHIA BLANCA TO BUENOS AYRES 
CHAP. 
were also many extensive but shallow lakes, and large beds of 
reeds. The country on the whole resembled the better parts of 
the Cambridgeshire fens. At night we had some difficulty in 
finding, amidst the swamps, a dry place for our bivouac. 
September I 5 th. — Rose very early in the morning, and shortly 
after passed the posta where the Indians had murdered the five 
soldiers. The officer had eighteen chuzo wounds in his body. 
By the middle of the day, after a hard gallop, we reached the 
fifth posta : on account of some difficulty in procuring horses 
we stayed there the night. As this point was the most exposed 
on the whole line, twenty-one soldiers were stationed here ; at 
sunset they returned from hunting, bringing with them seven 
deer, three ostriches, and many armadilloes and partridges. 
When riding through the country, it is a common practice to 
set fire to the plain ; and hence at night, as on this occasion, the 
horizon was illuminated in several places by brilliant conflagra¬ 
tions. This is done partly for the sake of puzzling any stray 
Indians, but chiefly for improving the pasture. In grassy plains 
unoccupied by the larger ruminating quadrupeds, it seems neces¬ 
sary to remove the superfluous vegetation by fire, so as to render 
the new year’s growth serviceable. 
The rancho at this place did not boast even of a roof, but 
merely consisted of a ring of thistle-stalks, to break the force of 
the wind. It was situated on the borders of an extensive but 
shallow lake, swarming with wild fowl, among which the black¬ 
necked swan was conspicuous. 
The kind of plover which appears as if mounted on stilts 
(Himantopus nigricollis) is here common in flocks of con¬ 
siderable size. It has been wrongfully accused of inelegance ; 
when wading about in shallow water, which is its favourite 
resort, its gait is far from awkward. These birds in a flock 
utter a noise, that singularly resembles the cry of a pack of 
small dogs in full chase : waking in the night, I have more than 
once been for a moment startled at the distant sound. The 
teru-tero (Vanellus cayanus) is another bird which often dis¬ 
turbs the stillness of the night. In appearance and habits it 
resembles in many respects our peewits ; its wings, however, are 
armed with sharp spurs, like those on the legs of the common 
cock. As our peewit takes its name from the sound of its voice, 
