350 BIRDS OF PREY GUANACOES. April
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about a thousand feet above its level, which, there, is about
three hundred feet above that of the sea. Two guanacoes
were shot with my rifle by H. Fuller,* who hastened to the
boats for assistance. Some of our party went directly with
him to bring in the animals, but .condors and cara-carasf
had eaten every morsel of the flesh of one; though the other
was found untouched and brought to the boats. Four hours
had sufficed to the cara-caras and condors for the cleaning of
every bone. J When our party reached the spot some of those
great birds were so heavily laden that they could hardly hop
away from the place. The guanaco that was eaten by the
birds must have been, by his size, at least fifty pounds heavier
than any shot by us in Patagonia, therefore about SOOlbs.
Mr. Darwin and Mr. Stokes had much amusement with these
animals, upon the heights. Being so much tamer there and
more numerous, whole flocks were driven by them into narrow
defiles, where dozens might have been killed had there
been more people with guns, lassoes, or balls.
Though the bed of the river is there so much below the
level of the stratum of lava,§ it still hears the appearance of
having worn away its channel, by the continual action of running
water. The surface of the lava may be considered as the
natural level of the country, since, when upon it, a plain,
which seems to the eye horizontal, extends in every direction.
How wonderful must that immense volcanic action have been
which spread liquid lava over the surface of such a vast tract
of country. Did the lava flow from the Cordillera of the
Andes, or was it thrown out from craters in the low country ?
Its position with respect to subaqueous deposits, its horizontal
surface and cellular texture, are reasons, among others, for
thinking that it was thrown out of the earth, while these plains
were covered by a depth of sea.
The valley, or channel of the river, varies here from one
mile, or less, to about three miles ; but it looks narrower, owing
* My steward. f A carrion-eating eagle.
t The animal thus eaten lay on high ground : the other was in a hollow
§ From ten to twelve hundred feet.
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