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Show 326 CHILE. Sept. 1834. they were used as heads to clubs, although their form does not appear at all well adapted for that purpose. Burchell* states that some of the tribes in Southern Mrica dig up roots, by the aid of a pointed stick, the force and weight of which is increased by a round stone with a hole, into which the stick is firmly wedged. It appears probable that the Indians of Chile formerly used some such rude agricultural instrument. One day, a German collector in natural history, of the name of Renous, called, and nearly at the same time an old Spanish lawyer. I was amused by afterwards hearing the conversation which took place between them. Renous speaks Spanish so well, that the old lawyer mistook him for a fellowcountryman. Renous, alluding to myself, asked him what he thought of the King of England sending out a collector to their country, to pick up lizards and beetles, and to break stones? The old gentleman thought seriously for some time, and then said, "It is not well,-/zay un gato encen·ado aqui (there is a cat shut up here). No man is so rich as to send out people to pick up such rubbish. I do not like it: if one of us were to go and do such things in England, do not you think the King of England would very soon send us out of his country ?" And this old gentleman, from his profession, belongs to the better informed and more intelligent classes ! Renous himself, two or three years before, left in a house at S. Fernando some caterpillars, under charge of a girl to feed, that they might turn into butterflies. This was rumoured . through the town, and at last the Padres and Governor consulted together, and agreed it must be some heresy. Accordingly, when Renous returned, he was arrested. SEPTEMBER 19Trr.-We left Yaquil, and followed the fiat valley, formed like that of Quillota, in which the Rio Tinde~idica ~ows. Even at these few miles south of Santiago the climate IS much damper; in consequence there were fine tracks of pasturage, which were not irrigated. (20th.) We fol- * Burchell's Travels, vol. ii., p. 45. Sept. 1834. 'l' ll E 1' U :'ll A . lowed this valley till it expanded into a great plain, which reaches from the sea to the mountains west of Rancagua. We shortly lost all trees and even bushes; so that the inhabitants are nearly as badly off for firewood as those in the Pampas. Never having heard of these plains, I was much surprised at meeting with such scenery in Chile. The plains belong to more than one series of different elevations, and they are traversed by broad :fiat-bottomed valleys; both of which circumstances, as in Patagonia, bespeak the gentle retreat of the ocean. In the steep cliffs bordering these valleys, there are some large caves, which no doubt were formed by the waters of the ancient bays and channels. One of these which I visited is celebrated under the name of Cueva del Obispo ; having formerly been consecrated. During the day I felt very unwell, and from that time till the end of October did not recover. SEPTEMBER 22n.-We continued to pass over green plains without a tree. The next day we arrived at a house near N avedad, on the sea-coast, where a rich Haciendero gave us lodgings. I stayed here the two ensuing days, .and although very unwell, managed to collect from the tertlary formation some marine shells, many of which turn out to be quite new forms. 24th. Our course was now directed towards Valparaiso, which with great difficulty I reach~d on the 27th and was there confined to my bed till the end of Octobe/ During this time I was an inmate in Mr. Corfield's house, whose kindness to me I do not know how to express. . I will here add a few observations on some of the ammals and birds of Chile. The Puma, or South American Lion, is not uncommon. This animal has a wide geographical range ; being found from the equatorial forests, throughout the deserts of Patagonia, as far south as the damp and cold latitudes (53° to 54°) of Tierra del Fuego. I have also s~en its footsteps in the Cordillera of central Chile, at an elevatiOn of at least 10,000 feet. In La Plata the puma chiefly pre~s on deer, ostriches, bizcacha, and other small quadrupeds ; It |