CHILOE AND CHONOS ISLANDS
Chiloe--General Aspect--Boat Excursion--Native Indians--Castro--Tame
Fox--Ascend San Pedro--Chonos Archipelago--Peninsula of Tres
Montes--Granitic Range--Boat-wrecked Sailors--Low's Harbour--Wild
Potato--Formation of Peat--Myopotamus, Otter and Mice--Cheucau and
Barking-bird--Opetiorhynchus--Singular Character of
Ornithology--Petrels.
NOVEMBER 10th.--The Beagle sailed from Valparaiso to the south, for the
purpose of surveying the southern part of Chile, the island of Chiloe,
and the broken land called the Chonos Archipelago, as far south as the
Peninsula of Tres Montes. On the 21st we anchored in the bay of S.
Carlos, the capital of Chiloe.
This island is about ninety miles long, with a breadth of rather less
than thirty. The land is hilly, but not mountainous, and is covered by
one great forest, except where a few green patches have been cleared
round the thatched cottages. From a distance the view somewhat
resembles that of Tierra del Fuego; but the woods, when seen nearer,
are incomparably more beautiful. Many kinds of fine evergreen trees,
and plants with a tropical character, here take the place of the gloomy
beech of the southern shores. In winter the climate is detestable, and
in summer it is only a little better. I should think there are few
parts of the world, within the temperate regions, where so much rain
falls. The winds are very boisterous, and the sky almost always
clouded: to have a week of fine weather is something wonderful. It is
even difficult to get a single glimpse of the Cordillera: during our
first visit, once only the volcano of Osorno stood out in bold relief,
and that was before sunrise; it was curious to watch, as the sun rose,
the outline gradually fading away in the glare of the eastern sky.
The inhabitants, from their complexion and low stature; appear to have
three-fourths of Indian blood in their veins. They are an humble,
quiet, industrious set of men. Although the fertile soil, resulting
from the decomposition of the volcanic rocks, supports a rank
vegetation, yet the climate is not favourable to any production which
requires much sunshine to ripen it. There is very little pasture for
the larger quadrupeds; and in consequence, the staple articles of food
are pigs, potatoes, and fish. The people all dress in strong woollen
garments, which each family makes for itself, and dyes with indigo of a
dark blue colour. The arts, however, are in the rudest state;--as may
be seen in their strange fashion of ploughing, their method of
spinning, grinding corn, and in the construction of their boats. The
forests are so impenetrable, that the land is nowhere cultivated except
near the coast and on the adjoining islets. Even where paths exist,
they are scarcely passable from the soft and swampy state of the soil.
The inhabitants, like those of Tierra del Fuego, move about chiefly on
the beach or in boats. Although with plenty to eat, the people are
very poor: there is no demand for labour, and consequently the lower
orders cannot scrape together money sufficient to purchase even the
smallest luxuries. There is also a great deficiency of a circulating
medium. I have seen a man bringing on his back a bag of charcoal, with
which to buy some trifle, and another carrying a plank to exchange for
a bottle of wine. Hence every tradesman must also be a merchant, and
again sell the goods which he takes in exchange.
November 24th.--The yawl and whale-boat were sent under the command of
Mr. (now Captain) Sulivan, to survey the eastern or inland coast of
Chiloe; and with orders to meet the Beagle at the southern extremity of
the island; to which point she would proceed by the outside, so as thus
to circumnavigate the whole. I accompanied this expedition, but
instead of going in the boats the first day, I hired horses to take me
to Chacao, at the northern extremity of the island. The road followed
the coast; every now and then crossing promontories covered by fine
forests. In these shaded paths it is absolutely necessary that the
whole road should be made of logs of wood, which are squared and placed
by the side of each other. From the rays of the sun never penetrating
the evergreen foliage, the ground is so damp and soft, that except by
this means neither man nor horse would be able to pass along. I
arrived at the village of Chacao shortly after the tents belonging to
the boats were pitched for the night.
The land in this neighbourhood has been extensively cleared, and there
were many quiet and most picturesque nooks in the forest. Chacao was
formerly the principal port in the island; but many vessels having been
lost, owing to the dangerous currents and rocks in the straits, the
Spanish government burnt the church, and thus arbitrarily compelled the
greater number of inhabitants to migrate to S. Carlos. We had not long
bivouacked, before the barefooted son of the governor came down to
reconnoitre us. Seeing the English flag hoisted at the yawl's
mast-head, he asked with the utmost indifference, whether it was always
to fly at Chacao. In several places the inhabitants were much
astonished at the appearance of men-of-war's boats, and hoped and
believed it was the forerunner of a Spanish fleet, coming to recover
the island from the patriot government of Chile. All the men in power,
however, had been informed of our intended visit, and were exceedingly
civil. While we were eating our supper, the governor paid us a visit.
He had been a lieutenant-colonel in the Spanish service, but now was
miserably poor. He gave us two sheep, and accepted in return two
cotton handkerchiefs, some brass trinkets, and a little tobacco.
25th.--Torrents of rain: we managed, however, to run down the coast as
far as Huapi-lenou. The whole of this eastern side of Chiloe has one
aspect; it is a plain, broken by valleys and divided into little
islands, and the whole thickly covered with one impervious
blackish-green forest. On the margins there are some cleared spaces,
surrounding the high-roofed cottages.
26th--The day rose splendidly clear. The volcano of Orsono was
spouting out volumes of smoke. This most beautiful mountain, formed
like a perfect cone, and white with snow, stands out in front of the
Cordillera. Another great volcano, with a saddle-shaped summit, also
emitted from its immense crater little jets of steam. Subsequently we
saw the lofty-peaked Corcovado--well deserving the name of "el famoso
Corcovado." Thus we beheld, from one point of view, three great active
volcanoes, each about seven thousand feet high. In addition to this,
far to the south, there were other lofty cones covered with snow,
which, although not known to be active, must be in their origin
volcanic. The line of the Andes is not, in this neighbourhood, nearly
so elevated as in Chile; neither does it appear to form so perfect a
barrier between the regions of the earth. This great range, although
running in a straight north and south line, owing to an optical
deception, always appeared more or less curved; for the lines drawn
from each peak to the beholder's eye, necessarily converged like the
radii of a semicircle, and as it was not possible (owing to the
clearness of the atmosphere and the absence of all intermediate
objects) to judge how far distant the farthest peaks were off, they
appeared to stand in a flattish semicircle.
Landing at midday, we saw a family of pure Indian extraction. The
father was singularly like York Minster; and some of the younger boys,
with their ruddy complexions, might have been mistaken for Pampas
Indians. Everything I have seen, convinces me of the close connexion
of the different American tribes, who nevertheless speak distinct
languages. This party could muster but little Spanish, and talked to
each other in their own tongue. It is a pleasant thing to see the
aborigines advanced to the same degree of civilization, however low
that may be, which their white conquerors have attained. More to the
south we saw many pure Indians: indeed, all the inhabitants of some of
the islets retain their Indian surnames. In the census of 1832, there
were in Chiloe and its dependencies forty-two thousand souls; the
greater number of these appear to be of mixed blood. Eleven thousand
retain their Indian surnames, but it is probable that not nearly all of
these are of a pure breed. Their manner of life is the same with that
of the other poor inhabitants, and they are all Christians; but it is
said that they yet retain some strange superstitious ceremonies, and
that they pretend to hold communication with the devil in certain
caves. Formerly, every one convicted of this offence was sent to the
Inquisition at Lima. Many of the inhabitants who are not included in
the eleven thousand with Indian surnames, cannot be distinguished by
their appearance from Indians. Gomez, the governor of Lemuy, is
descended from noblemen of Spain on both sides; but by constant
intermarriages with the natives the present man is an Indian. On the
other hand the governor of Quinchao boasts much of his purely kept
Spanish blood.
We reached at night a beautiful little cove, north of the island of
Caucahue. The people here complained of want of land. This is partly
owing to their own negligence in not clearing the woods, and partly to
restrictions by the government, which makes it necessary, before buying
ever so small a piece, to pay two shillings to the surveyor for
measuring each quadra (150 yards square), together with whatever price
he fixes for the value of the land. After his valuation the land must
be put up three times to auction, and if no one bids more, the
purchaser can have it at that rate. All these exactions must be a
serious check to clearing the ground, where the inhabitants are so
extremely poor. In most countries, forests are removed without much
difficulty by the aid of fire; but in Chiloe, from the damp nature of
the climate, and the sort of trees, it is necessary first to cut them
down. This is a heavy drawback to the prosperity of Chiloe. In the
time of the Spaniards the Indians could not hold land; and a family,
after having cleared a piece of ground, might be driven away, and the
property seized by the government. The Chilian authorities are now
performing an act of justice by making retribution to these poor
Indians, giving to each man, according to his grade of life, a certain
portion of land. The value of uncleared ground is very little. The
government gave Mr. Douglas (the present surveyor, who informed me of
these circumstances) eight and a half square miles of forest near S.
Carlos, in lieu of a debt; and this he sold for 350 dollars, or about
70 pounds sterling.
The two succeeding days were fine, and at night we reached the island
of Quinchao. This neighbourhood is the most cultivated part of the
Archipelago; for a broad strip of land on the coast of the main island,
as well as on many of the smaller adjoining ones, is almost completely
cleared. Some of the farm-houses seemed very comfortable. I was
curious to ascertain how rich any of these people might be, but Mr.
Douglas says that no one can be considered as possessing a regular
income. One of the richest landowners might possibly accumulate, in a
long industrious life, as much as 1000 pounds sterling; but should this
happen, it would all be stowed away in some secret corner, for it is
the custom of almost every family to have a jar or treasure-chest
buried in the ground.
November 30th.--Early on Sunday morning we reached Castro, the ancient
capital of Chiloe, but now a most forlorn and deserted place. The usual
quadrangular arrangement of Spanish towns could be traced, but the
streets and plaza were coated with fine green turf, on which sheep were
browsing. The church, which stands in the middle, is entirely built of
plank, and has a picturesque and venerable appearance. The poverty of
the place may be conceived from the fact, that although containing some
hundreds of inhabitants, one of our party was unable anywhere to
purchase either a pound of sugar or an ordinary knife. No individual
possessed either a watch or a clock; and an old man, who was supposed
to have a good idea of time, was employed to strike the church bell by
guess. The arrival of our boats was a rare event in this quiet retired
corner of the world; and nearly all the inhabitants came down to the
beach to see us pitch our tents. They were very civil, and offered us
a house; and one man even sent us a cask of cider as a present. In the
afternoon we paid our respects to the governor--a quiet old man, who,
in his appearance and manner of life, was scarcely superior to an
English cottager. At night heavy rain set in, which was hardly
sufficient to drive away from our tents the large circle of lookers-on.
An Indian family, who had come to trade in a canoe from Caylen,
bivouacked near us. They had no shelter during the rain. In the
morning I asked a young Indian, who was wet to the skin, how he had
passed the night. He seemed perfectly content, and answered, "Muy
bien, senor."
December 1st.--We steered for the island of Lemuy. I was anxious to
examine a reported coal-mine which turned out to be lignite of little
value, in the sandstone (probably of an ancient tertiary epoch) of
which these islands are composed. When we reached Lemuy we had much
difficulty in finding any place to pitch our tents, for it was
spring-tide, and the land was wooded down to the water's edge. In a
short time we were surrounded by a large group of the nearly pure
Indian inhabitants. They were much surprised at our arrival, and said
one to the other, "This is the reason we have seen so many parrots
lately; the cheucau (an odd red-breasted little bird, which inhabits
the thick forest, and utters very peculiar noises) has not cried
'beware' for nothing." They were soon anxious for barter. Money was
scarcely worth anything, but their eagerness for tobacco was something
quite extraordinary. After tobacco, indigo came next in value; then
capsicum, old clothes, and gunpowder. The latter article was required
for a very innocent purpose: each parish has a public musket, and the
gunpowder was wanted for making a noise on their saint or feast days.
The people here live chiefly on shell-fish and potatoes. At certain
seasons they catch also, in "corrales," or hedges under water, many
fish which are left on the mud-banks as the tide falls. They
occasionally possess fowls, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and cattle; the
order in which they are here mentioned, expressing their respective
numbers. I never saw anything more obliging and humble than the
manners of these people. They generally began with stating that they
were poor natives of the place, and not Spaniards and that they were in
sad want of tobacco and other comforts. At Caylen, the most southern
island, the sailors bought with a stick of tobacco, of the value of
three-halfpence, two fowls, one of which, the Indian stated, had skin
between its toes, and turned out to be a fine duck; and with some
cotton handkerchiefs, worth three shillings, three sheep and a large
bunch of onions were procured. The yawl at this place was anchored
some way from the shore, and we had fears for her safety from robbers
during the night. Our pilot, Mr. Douglas, accordingly told the
constable of the district that we always placed sentinels with loaded
arms and not understanding Spanish, if we saw any person in the dark,
we should assuredly shoot him. The constable, with much humility,
agreed to the perfect propriety of this arrangement, and promised us
that no one should stir out of his house during that night.
During the four succeeding days we continued sailing southward. The
general features of the country remained the same, but it was much less
thickly inhabited. On the large island of Tanqui there was scarcely
one cleared spot, the trees on every side extending their branches over
the sea-beach. I one day noticed, growing on the sandstone cliffs,
some very fine plants of the panke (Gunnera scabra), which somewhat
resembles the rhubarb on a gigantic scale. The inhabitants eat the
stalks, which are subacid, and tan leather with the roots, and prepare
a black dye from them. The leaf is nearly circular, but deeply indented
on its margin. I measured one which was nearly eight feet in diameter,
and therefore no less than twenty-four in circumference! The stalk is
rather more than a yard high, and each plant sends out four or five of
these enormous leaves, presenting together a very noble appearance.
December 6th.--We reached Caylen, called "el fin del Cristiandad." In
the morning we stopped for a few minutes at a house on the northern end
of Laylec, which was the extreme point of South American Christendom,
and a miserable hovel it was. The latitude is 43 degs. 10', which is
two degrees farther south than the Rio Negro on the Atlantic coast.
These extreme Christians were very poor, and, under the plea of their
situation, begged for some tobacco. As a proof of the poverty of these
Indians, I may mention that shortly before this, we had met a man, who
had travelled three days and a half on foot, and had as many to return,
for the sake of recovering the value of a small axe and a few fish. How
very difficult it must be to buy the smallest article, when such
trouble is taken to recover so small a debt.
In the evening we reached the island of San Pedro, where we found the
Beagle at anchor. In doubling the point, two of the officers landed to
take a round of angles with the theodolite. A fox (Canis fulvipes), of
a kind said to be peculiar to the island, and very rare in it, and
which is a new species, was sitting on the rocks. He was so intently
absorbed in watching the work of the officers, that I was able, by
quietly walking up behind, to knock him on the head with my geological
hammer. This fox, more curious or more scientific, but less wise, than
the generality of his brethren, is now mounted in the museum of the
Zoological Society.
We stayed three days in this harbour, on one of which Captain Fitz
Roy, with a party, attempted to ascend to the summit of San Pedro. The
woods here had rather a different appearance from those on the northern
part of the island. The rock, also, being micaceous slate, there was no
beach, but the steep sides dipped directly beneath the water. The
general aspect in consequence was more like that of Tierra del Fuego
than of Chiloe. In vain we tried to gain the summit: the forest was so
impenetrable, that no one who has not beheld it can imagine so
entangled a mass of dying and dead trunks. I am sure that often, for
more than ten minutes together, our feet never touched the ground, and
we were frequently ten or fifteen feet above it, so that the seamen as
a joke called out the soundings. At other times we crept one after
another on our hands and knees, under the rotten trunks. In the lower
part of the mountain, noble trees of the Winter's Bark, and a laurel
like the sassafras with fragrant leaves, and others, the names of which
I do not know, were matted together by a trailing bamboo or cane. Here
we were more like fishes struggling in a net than any other animal. On
the higher parts, brushwood takes the place of larger trees, with here
and there a red cedar or an alerce pine. I was also pleased to see, at
an elevation of a little less than 1000 feet, our old friend the
southern beech. They were, however, poor stunted trees, and I should
think that this must be nearly their northern limit. We ultimately
gave up the attempt in despair.
December 10th.--The yawl and whale-boat, with Mr. Sulivan, proceeded on
their survey, but I remained on board the Beagle, which the next day
left San Pedro for the southward. On the 13th we ran into an opening in
the southern part of Guayatecas, or the Chonos Archipelago; and it was
fortunate we did so, for on the following day a storm, worthy of Tierra
del Fuego, raged with great fury. White massive clouds were piled up
against a dark blue sky, and across them black ragged sheets of vapour
were rapidly driven. The successive mountain ranges appeared like dim
shadows, and the setting sun cast on the woodland a yellow gleam, much
like that produced by the flame of spirits of wine. The water was
white with the flying spray, and the wind lulled and roared again
through the rigging: it was an ominous, sublime scene. During a few
minutes there was a bright rainbow, and it was curious to observe the
effect of the spray, which being carried along the surface of the
water, changed the ordinary semicircle into a circle--a band of
prismatic colours being continued, from both feet of the common arch
across the bay, close to the vessel's side: thus forming a distorted,
but very nearly entire ring.
We stayed here three days. The weather continued bad: but this did not
much signify, for the surface of the land in all these islands is all
but impassable. The coast is so very rugged that to attempt to walk in
that direction requires continued scrambling up and down over the sharp
rocks of mica-slate; and as for the woods, our faces, hands, and
shin-bones all bore witness to the maltreatment we received, in merely
attempting to penetrate their forbidden recesses.
December 18th.--We stood out to sea. On the 20th we bade farewell to
the south, and with a fair wind turned the ship's head northward. From
Cape Tres Montes we sailed pleasantly along the lofty weather-beaten
coast, which is remarkable for the bold outline of its hills, and the
thick covering of forest even on the almost precipitous flanks. The
next day a harbour was discovered, which on this dangerous coast might
be of great service to a distressed vessel. It can easily be
recognized by a hill 1600 feet high, which is even more perfectly
conical than the famous sugar-loaf at Rio de Janeiro. The next day,
after anchoring, I succeeded in reaching the summit of this hill. It
was a laborious undertaking, for the sides were so steep that in some
parts it was necessary to use the trees as ladders. There were also
several extensive brakes of the Fuchsia, covered with its beautiful
drooping flowers, but very difficult to crawl through. In these wild
countries it gives much delight to gain the summit of any mountain.
There is an indefinite expectation of seeing something very strange,
which, however often it may be balked, never failed with me to recur on
each successive attempt. Every one must know the feeling of triumph
and pride which a grand view from a height communicates to the mind. In
these little frequented countries there is also joined to it some
vanity, that you perhaps are the first man who ever stood on this
pinnacle or admired this view.
A strong desire is always felt to ascertain whether any human being has
previously visited an unfrequented spot. A bit of wood with a nail in
it, is picked up and studied as if it were covered with hieroglyphics.
Possessed with this feeling, I was much interested by finding, on a
wild part of the coast, a bed made of grass beneath a ledge of rock.
Close by it there had been a fire, and the man had used an axe. The
fire, bed, and situation showed the dexterity of an Indian; but he
could scarcely have been an Indian, for the race is in this part
extinct, owing to the Catholic desire of making at one blow Christians
and Slaves. I had at the time some misgivings that the solitary man
who had made his bed on this wild spot, must have been some poor
shipwrecked sailor, who, in trying to travel up the coast, had here
laid himself down for his dreary night.
December 28th.--The weather continued very bad, but it at last
permitted us to proceed with the survey. The time hung heavy on our
hands, as it always did when we were delayed from day to day by
successive gales of wind. In the evening another harbour was
discovered, where we anchored. Directly afterwards a man was seen
waving a shirt, and a boat was sent which brought back two seamen. A
party of six had run away from an American whaling vessel, and had
landed a little to the southward in a boat, which was shortly
afterwards knocked to pieces by the surf. They had now been wandering
up and down the coast for fifteen months, without knowing which way to
go, or where they were. What a singular piece of good fortune it was
that this harbour was now discovered! Had it not been for this one
chance, they might have wandered till they had grown old men, and at
last have perished on this wild coast. Their sufferings had been very
great, and one of their party had lost his life by falling from the
cliffs. They were sometimes obliged to separate in search of food, and
this explained the bed of the solitary man. Considering what they had
undergone, I think they had kept a very good reckoning of time, for
they had lost only four days.
December 30th.--We anchored in a snug little cove at the foot of some
high hills, near the northern extremity of Tres Montes. After
breakfast the next morning, a party ascended one of these mountains,
which was 2400 feet high. The scenery was remarkable The chief part of
the range was composed of grand, solid, abrupt masses of granite, which
appeared as if they had been coeval with the beginning of the world.
The granite was capped with mica-slate, and this in the lapse of ages
had been worn into strange finger-shaped points. These two formations,
thus differing in their outlines, agree in being almost destitute of
vegetation. This barrenness had to our eyes a strange appearance, from
having been so long accustomed to the sight of an almost universal
forest of dark-green trees. I took much delight in examining the
structure of these mountains. The complicated and lofty ranges bore a
noble aspect of durability--equally profitless, however, to man and to
all other animals. Granite to the geologist is classic ground: from
its widespread limits, and its beautiful and compact texture, few rocks
have been more anciently recognised. Granite has given rise, perhaps,
to more discussion concerning its origin than any other formation. We
generally see it constituting the fundamental rock, and, however
formed, we know it is the deepest layer in the crust of this globe to
which man has penetrated. The limit of man's knowledge in any subject
possesses a high interest, which is perhaps increased by its close
neighbourhood to the realms of imagination.
January 1st 1835.--The new year is ushered in with the ceremonies
proper to it in these regions. She lays out no false hopes: a heavy
north-western gale, with steady rain, bespeaks the rising year. Thank
God, we are not destined here to see the end of it, but hope then to be
in the Pacific Ocean, where a blue sky tells one there is a heaven,--a
something beyond the clouds above our heads.
The north-west winds prevailing for the next four days, we only managed
to cross a great bay, and then anchored in another secure harbour. I
accompanied the Captain in a boat to the head of a deep creek. On the
way the number of seals which we saw was quite astonishing: every bit
of flat rock, and parts of the beach, were covered with them. There
appeared to be of a loving disposition, and lay huddled together, fast
asleep, like so many pigs; but even pigs would have been ashamed of
their dirt, and of the foul smell which came from them. Each herd was
watched by the patient but inauspicious eyes of the turkey-buzzard.
This disgusting bird, with its bald scarlet head, formed to wallow in
putridity, is very common on the west coast, and their attendance on
the seals shows on what they rely for their food. We found the water
(probably only that of the surface) nearly fresh: this was caused by
the number of torrents which, in the form of cascades, came tumbling
over the bold granite mountains into the sea. The fresh water attracts
the fish, and these bring many terns, gulls, and two kinds of
cormorant. We saw also a pair of the beautiful black-necked swans, and
several small sea-otters, the fur of which is held in such high
estimation. In returning, we were again amused by the impetuous manner
in which the heap of seals, old and young, tumbled into the water as
the boat passed. They did not remain long under water, but rising,
followed us with outstretched necks, expressing great wonder and
curiosity.
7th.--Having run up the coast, we anchored near the northern end of the
Chonos Archipelago, in Low's Harbour, where we remained a week. The
islands were here, as in Chiloe, composed of a stratified, soft,
littoral deposit; and the vegetation in consequence was beautifully
luxuriant. The woods came down to the sea-beach, just in the manner of
an evergreen shrubbery over a gravel walk. We also enjoyed from the
anchorage a splendid view of four great snowy cones of the Cordillera,
including "el famoso Corcovado;" the range itself had in this latitude
so little height, that few parts of it appeared above the tops of the
neighbouring islets. We found here a party of five men from Caylen,
"el fin del Cristiandad," who had most adventurously crossed in their
miserable boat-canoe, for the purpose of fishing, the open space of sea
which separates Chonos from Chiloe. These islands will, in all
probability, in a short time become peopled like those adjoining the
coast of Chiloe.
The wild potato grows on these islands in great abundance, on the
sandy, shelly soil near the sea-beach. The tallest plant was four feet
in height. The tubers were generally small, but I found one, of an
oval shape, two inches in diameter: they resembled in every respect,
and had the same smell as English potatoes; but when boiled they shrunk
much, and were watery and insipid, without any bitter taste. They are
undoubtedly here indigenous: they grow as far south, according to Mr.
Low, as lat. 50 degs., and are called Aquinas by the wild Indians of
that part: the Chilotan Indians have a different name for them.
Professor Henslow, who has examined the dried specimens which I brought
home, says that they are the same with those described by Mr. Sabine
[1] from Valparaiso, but that they form a variety which by some
botanists has been considered as specifically distinct. It is
remarkable that the same plant should be found on the sterile mountains
of central Chile, where a drop of rain does not fall for more than six
months, and within the damp forests of these southern islands.
In the central parts of the Chonos Archipelago (lat. 45 degs.), the
forest has very much the same character with that along the whole west
coast, for 600 miles southward to Cape Horn. The arborescent grass of
Chiloe is not found here; while the beech of Tierra del Fuego grows to
a good size, and forms a considerable proportion of the wood; not,
however, in the same exclusive manner as it does farther southward.
Cryptogamic plants here find a most congenial climate. In the Strait
of Magellan, as I have before remarked, the country appears too cold
and wet to allow of their arriving at perfection; but in these islands,
within the forest, the number of species and great abundance of mosses,
lichens, and small ferns, is quite extraordinary. [2] In Tierra del
Fuego trees grow only on the hill-sides; every level piece of land
being invariably covered by a thick bed of peat; but in Chiloe flat
land supports the most luxuriant forests. Here, within the Chonos
Archipelago, the nature of the climate more closely approaches that of
Tierra del Fuego than that of northern Chiloe; for every patch of level
ground is covered by two species of plants (Astelia pumila and Donatia
magellanica), which by their joint decay compose a thick bed of elastic
peat.
In Tierra del Fuego, above the region of woodland, the former of these
eminently sociable plants is the chief agent in the production of peat.
Fresh leaves are always succeeding one to the other round the central
tap-root, the lower ones soon decay, and in tracing a root downwards in
the peat, the leaves, yet holding their place, can be observed passing
through every stage of decomposition, till the whole becomes blended in
one confused mass. The Astelia is assisted by a few other
plants,--here and there a small creeping Myrtus (M. nummularia), with a
woody stem like our cranberry and with a sweet berry,--an Empetrum (E.
rubrum), like our heath,--a rush (Juncus grandiflorus), are nearly the
only ones that grow on the swampy surface. These plants, though
possessing a very close general resemblance to the English species of
the same genera, are different. In the more level parts of the
country, the surface of the peat is broken up into little pools of
water, which stand at different heights, and appear as if artificially
excavated. Small streams of water, flowing underground, complete the
disorganization of the vegetable matter, and consolidate the whole.
The climate of the southern part of America appears particularly
favourable to the production of peat. In the Falkland Islands almost
every kind of plant, even the coarse grass which covers the whole
surface of the land, becomes converted into this substance: scarcely
any situation checks its growth; some of the beds are as much as twelve
feet thick, and the lower part becomes so solid when dry, that it will
hardly burn. Although every plant lends its aid, yet in most parts the
Astelia is the most efficient. It is rather a singular circumstance,
as being so very different from what occurs in Europe, that I nowhere
saw moss forming by its decay any portion of the peat in South America.
With respect to the northern limit, at which the climate allows of that
peculiar kind of slow decomposition which is necessary for its
production, I believe that in Chiloe (lat. 41 to 42 degs.), although
there is much swampy ground, no well-characterized peat occurs: but in
the Chonos Islands, three degrees farther southward, we have seen that
it is abundant. On the eastern coast in La Plata (lat. 35 degs.) I was
told by a Spanish resident who had visited Ireland, that he had often
sought for this substance, but had never been able to find any. He
showed me, as the nearest approach to it which he had discovered, a
black peaty soil, so penetrated with roots as to allow of an extremely
slow and imperfect combustion.
The zoology of these broken islets of the Chonos Archipelago is, as
might have been expected, very poor. Of quadrupeds two aquatic kinds
are common. The Myopotamus Coypus (like a beaver, but with a round
tail) is well known from its fine fur, which is an object of trade
throughout the tributaries of La Plata. It here, however, exclusively
frequents salt water; which same circumstance has been mentioned as
sometimes occurring with the great rodent, the Capybara. A small
sea-otter is very numerous; this animal does not feed exclusively on
fish, but, like the seals, draws a large supply from a small red crab,
which swims in shoals near the surface of the water. Mr. Bynoe saw one
in Tierra del Fuego eating a cuttle-fish; and at Low's Harbour, another
was killed in the act of carrying to its hole a large volute shell. At
one place I caught in a trap a singular little mouse (M. brachiotis);
it appeared common on several of the islets, but the Chilotans at Low's
Harbour said that it was not found in all. What a succession of
chances, [3] or what changes of level must have been brought into play,
thus to spread these small animals throughout this broken archipelago!
In all parts of Chiloe and Chonos, two very strange birds occur, which
are allied to, and replace, the Turco and Tapacolo of central Chile.
One is called by the inhabitants "Cheucau" (Pteroptochos rubecula): it
frequents the most gloomy and retired spots within the damp forests.
Sometimes, although its cry may be heard close at hand, let a person
watch ever so attentively he will not see the cheucau; at other times,
let him stand motionless and the red-breasted little bird will approach
within a few feet in the most familiar manner. It then busily hops
about the entangled mass of rotting cones and branches, with its little
tail cocked upwards. The cheucau is held in superstitious fear by the
Chilotans, on account of its strange and varied cries. There are three
very distinct cries: One is called "chiduco," and is an omen of good;
another, "huitreu," which is extremely unfavourable; and a third, which
I have forgotten. These words are given in imitation of the noises;
and the natives are in some things absolutely governed by them. The
Chilotans assuredly have chosen a most comical little creature for
their prophet. An allied species, but rather larger, is called by the
natives "Guid-guid" (Pteroptochos Tarnii), and by the English the
barking-bird. This latter name is well given; for I defy any one at
first to feel certain that a small dog is not yelping somewhere in the
forest. Just as with the cheucau, a person will sometimes hear the
bark close by, but in vain many endeavour by watching, and with still
less chance by beating the bushes, to see the bird; yet at other times
the guid-guid fearlessly comes near. Its manner of feeding and its
general habits are very similar to those of the cheucau.
On the coast, [4] a small dusky-coloured bird (Opetiorhynchus
Patagonicus) is very common. It is remarkable from its quiet habits;
it lives entirely on the sea-beach, like a sandpiper. Besides these
birds only few others inhabit this broken land. In my rough notes I
describe the strange noises, which, although frequently heard within
these gloomy forests, yet scarcely disturb the general silence. The
yelping of the guid-guid, and the sudden whew-whew of the cheucau,
sometimes come from afar off, and sometimes from close at hand; the
little black wren of Tierra del Fuego occasionally adds its cry; the
creeper (Oxyurus) follows the intruder screaming and twittering; the
humming-bird may be seen every now and then darting from side to side,
and emitting, like an insect, its shrill chirp; lastly, from the top of
some lofty tree the indistinct but plaintive note of the white-tufted
tyrant-flycatcher (Myiobius) may be noticed. From the great
preponderance in most countries of certain common genera of birds, such
as the finches, one feels at first surprised at meeting with the
peculiar forms above enumerated, as the commonest birds in any
district. In central Chile two of them, namely, the Oxyurus and
Scytalopus, occur, although most rarely. When finding, as in this
case, animals which seem to play so insignificant a part in the great
scheme of nature, one is apt to wonder why they were created.
But it should always be recollected, that in some other country perhaps
they are essential members of society, or at some former period may
have been so. If America south of 37 degs. were sunk beneath the
waters of the ocean, these two birds might continue to exist in central
Chile for a long period, but it is very improbable that their numbers
would increase. We should then see a case which must inevitably have
happened with very many animals.
These southern seas are frequented by several species of Petrels: the
largest kind, Procellaria gigantea, or nelly (quebrantahuesos, or
break-bones, of the Spaniards), is a common bird, both in the inland
channels and on the open sea. In its habits and manner of flight, there
is a very close resemblance with the albatross; and as with the
albatross, a person may watch it for hours together without seeing on
what it feeds. The "break-bones" is, however, a rapacious bird, for it
was observed by some of the officers at Port St. Antonio chasing a
diver, which tried to escape by diving and flying, but was continually
struck down, and at last killed by a blow on its head. At Port St.
Julian these great petrels were seen killing and devouring young gulls.
A second species (Puffinus cinereus), which is common to Europe, Cape
Horn, and the coast of Peru, is of much smaller size than the P.
gigantea, but, like it, of a dirty black colour. It generally
frequents the inland sounds in very large flocks: I do not think I ever
saw so many birds of any other sort together, as I once saw of these
behind the island of Chiloe. Hundreds of thousands flew in an irregular
line for several hours in one direction. When part of the flock
settled on the water the surface was blackened, and a noise proceeded
from them as of human beings talking in the distance.
There are several other species of petrels, but I will only mention one
other kind, the Pelacanoides Berardi which offers an example of those
extraordinary cases, of a bird evidently belonging to one well-marked
family, yet both in its habits and structure allied to a very distinct
tribe. This bird never leaves the quiet inland sounds. When disturbed
it dives to a distance, and on coming to the surface, with the same
movement takes flight. After flying by a rapid movement of its short
wings for a space in a straight line, it drops, as if struck dead, and
dives again. The form of its beak and nostrils, length of foot, and
even the colouring of its plumage, show that this bird is a petrel: on
the other hand, its short wings and consequent little power of flight,
its form of body and shape of tail, the absence of a hind toe to its
foot, its habit of diving, and its choice of situation, make it at
first doubtful whether its relationship is not equally close with the
auks. It would undoubtedly be mistaken for an auk, when seen from a
distance, either on the wing, or when diving and quietly swimming about
the retired channels of Tierra del Fuego.
[1] Horticultural Transact., vol. v. p. 249. Mr. Caldeleugh sent home
two tubers, which, being well manured, even the first season produced
numerous potatoes and an abundance of leaves. See Humboldt's
interesting discussion on this plant, which it appears was unknown in
Mexico,--in Polit. Essay on New Spain, book iv. chap. ix.
[2] By sweeping with my insect-net, I procured from these situations a
considerable number of minute insects, of the family of Staphylinidae,
and others allied to Pselaphus, and minute Hymenoptera. But the most
characteristic family in number, both of individuals and species,
throughout the more open parts of Chiloe and Chonos is that of
Telephoridae.
[3] It is said that some rapacious birds bring their prey alive to
their nests. If so, in the course of centuries, every now and then,
one might escape from the young birds. Some such agency is necessary,
to account for the distribution of the smaller gnawing animals on
islands not very near each other.
[4] I may mention, as a proof of how great a difference there is
between the seasons of the wooded and the open parts of this coast,
that on September 20th, in lat. 34 degs., these birds had young ones in
the nest, while among the Chonos Islands, three months later in the
summer, they were only laying, the difference in latitude between these
two places being about 700 miles.