VUl Preface.
home to the Admiralty, whence they were transmitted to the
British Museum, the authorities of that institution then submitting
them to specialists for systematic description. For much kindly
aid in making these arrangements, as well as for advice and
encouragement received during the progress of the cruise, I am
indebted to Dr. Albert Günther, F.R.S., Keeper of Zoology in the
British Museum.
I take this opportunity to thank Mr. Frederick North, R.N.,
for the use of a collection of photographs which were taken by
him during the cruise under circumstances of peculiar difficulty,
and of which most of the engravings in this work arc reproductions.
I am also under obligations to all the other officers for assistance
rendered to me in various ways ; and especially to those
officers who acted successively as Senior Lieutenants, for the
consideration with which they tolerated those parts of my
dredging operations that necessarily interfered with the maintenance
of good order and cleanliness on the ship’s decks.
Finally, I have to thank my friend, Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe,
the distinguished ornithologist of the British Museum, by whose
advice and encouragement I was induced to submit these pages
to the public, for his assistance in perusing my MS., and offering
some useful suggestions.
R. W. C.
T A B L E OF C O N T E N T S .
INTRODUCTION.
PAGE
Object of the Voyage— Former Surveys of Straits of Magellan— Change
of Programme— Selection of Ship— Equipment— Arrangements for
Natural History Work— Change of Captain— List of Officers . . i—4
CH A P T E R I.
Departure from England— Storm Petrels— A Sparrow-hawk at Sea—
Collecting Surface Organisms with Tow-net—Water-kite—Wire
Sounding Apparatus— Land-swallow at Sea— Gulfweed— Phospho-
rescence of Seawater—Arrive at Madeira— Curious Town— Dredging
Work— A Piner}’— Discoloured Seawater— Petrels again— St. Vincent—
Cape de Verdes— Pelagic Animals— Sounding near Abrolhos
Bank— Dredging over Hotspur Bank— Dredging over Victoria Bank
— Moths and Butterflies on the Ocean— Extraordinary Vitality of
Sphynx Moths— Arrive at Monte Video—GauchoS— Trip into Interior
of Uruguay— Buenos Ayres— Dr. Burmeister’ s Museum—Arrive at
the Falklands— “ Stone Runs.” .........................................................5— 33
CH A P T E R II.
We enter Straits of Magellan— Reach Sandy Point— Gold and C o a l -
Surrounding Country— Elizabeth Island— Dredging— Fuegians at
Port Famine—We enter Smyth’ s Channel— Canoe “ Portage” at
Isthmus Bay— Arrive at Tom Bay— A Fuegian Family— Trinidad
Channel— Climate of Western Patagonia— Flora— Rock Formation
— Soilcap— Natives— The Channel Tribe of Fuegians— Scarcity of
Old People— Water-birds of Tom Bay— Sea Otters—A Concealed
“ Portage” — Habits of Gulls and Shags— Steamer Ducks—Land-
shells— Freshwater Fish— D e e r ...............................................................3^~^S