whichsamecircumstancehasbeenmentionedassometimesoccurringwiththegreatrodent，theCapybara。Asmallsea-otterisverynumerous；thisanimaldoesnotfeedexclusivelyonfish，but，liketheseals，drawsalargesupplyfromasmallredcrab，whichswimsinshoalsnearthesurfaceofthewater。Mr。BynoesawoneinTierradelFuegoeatingacuttle-fish；
　　andatLow’sHarbour，anotherwaskilledintheactofcarryingtoitsholealargevoluteshell。AtoneplaceIcaughtinatrapasingularlittlemouseM。brachiotis；itappearedcommononseveraloftheislets，buttheChilotansatLow’sHarboursaidthatitwasnotfoundinall。Whatasuccessionofchances，[3]orwhatchangesoflevelmusthavebeenbroughtintoplay，thustospreadthesesmallanimalsthroughoutthisbrokenarchipelago！
　　InallpartsofChiloeandChonos，twoverystrangebirdsoccur，whicharealliedto，andreplace，theTurcoandTapacoloofcentralChile。Oneiscalledbytheinhabitants“Cheucau“Pteroptochosrubecula：itfrequentsthemostgloomyandretiredspotswithinthedampforests。Sometimes，althoughitscrymaybeheardcloseathand，letapersonwatcheversoattentivelyhewillnotseethecheucau；atothertimes，lethimstandmotionlessandthered-breastedlittlebirdwillapproachwithinafewfeetinthemostfamiliarmanner。Itthenbusilyhopsabouttheentangledmassofrottingconesandbranches，withitslittletailcockedupwards。ThecheucauisheldinsuperstitiousfearbytheChilotans，onaccountofitsstrangeandvariedcries。Therearethreeverydistinctcries：Oneiscalled“chiduco。”
　　andisanomenofgood；another，“huitreu。”whichisextremelyunfavourable；
　　andathird，whichIhaveforgotten。Thesewordsaregiveninimitationofthenoises；andthenativesareinsomethingsabsolutelygovernedbythem。TheChilotansassuredlyhavechosenamostcomicallittlecreaturefortheirprophet。Analliedspecies，butratherlarger，iscalledbythenatives“Guid-guid“PteroptochosTarnii，andbytheEnglishthebarking-bird。
　　Thislatternameiswellgiven；forIdefyanyoneatfirsttofeelcertainthatasmalldogisnotyelpingsomewhereintheforest。Justaswiththecheucau，apersonwillsometimeshearthebarkcloseby，butinvainmanyendeavourbywatching，andwithstilllesschancebybeatingthebushes，toseethebird；yetatothertimestheguid-guidfearlesslycomesnear。
　　Itsmanneroffeedinganditsgeneralhabitsareverysimilartothoseofthecheucau。
　　Onthecoast，[4]asmalldusky-colouredbirdOpetiorhynchusPatagonicusisverycommon。Itisremarkablefromitsquiethabits；itlivesentirelyonthesea-beach，likeasandpiper。Besidesthesebirdsonlyfewothersinhabitthisbrokenland。InmyroughnotesIdescribethestrangenoises，which，althoughfrequentlyheardwithinthesegloomyforests，yetscarcelydisturbthegeneralsilence。Theyelpingoftheguid-guid，andthesuddenwhew-whewofthecheucau，sometimescomefromafaroff，andsometimesfromcloseathand；thelittleblackwrenofTierradelFuegooccasionallyaddsitscry；thecreeperOxyurusfollowstheintruderscreamingandtwittering；thehumming-birdmaybeseeneverynowandthendartingfromsidetoside，andemitting，likeaninsect，itsshrillchirp；lastly，fromthetopofsomeloftytreetheindistinctbutplaintivenoteofthewhite-tuftedtyrant-flycatcherMyiobiusmaybenoticed。Fromthegreatpreponderanceinmostcountriesofcertaincommongeneraofbirds，suchasthefinches，onefeelsatfirstsurprisedatmeetingwiththepeculiarformsaboveenumerated，asthecommonestbirdsinanydistrict。IncentralChiletwoofthem，namely，theOxyurusandScytalopus，occur，althoughmostrarely。Whenfinding，asinthiscase，animalswhichseemtoplaysoinsignificantapartinthegreatschemeofnature，oneisapttowonderwhytheywerecreated。
　　Butitshouldalwaysberecollected，thatinsomeothercountryperhapstheyareessentialmembersofsociety，oratsomeformerperiodmayhavebeenso。IfAmericasouthof37degs。weresunkbeneaththewatersoftheocean，thesetwobirdsmightcontinuetoexistincentralChileforalongperiod，butitisveryimprobablethattheirnumberswouldincrease。Weshouldthenseeacasewhichmustinevitablyhavehappenedwithverymanyanimals。
　　ThesesouthernseasarefrequentedbyseveralspeciesofPetrels：thelargestkind，Procellariagigantea，ornellyquebrantahuesos，orbreak-bones，oftheSpaniards，isacommonbird，bothintheinlandchannelsandontheopensea。Initshabitsandmannerofflight，thereisaverycloseresemblancewiththealbatross；andaswiththealbatross，apersonmaywatchitforhourstogetherwithoutseeingonwhatitfeeds。The“break-bones“
　　is，however，arapaciousbird，foritwasobservedbysomeoftheofficersatPortSt。Antoniochasingadiver，whichtriedtoescapebydivingandflying，butwascontinuallystruckdown，andatlastkilledbyablowonitshead。AtPortSt。Julianthesegreatpetrelswereseenkillinganddevouringyounggulls。AsecondspeciesPuffinuscinereus，whichiscommontoEurope，CapeHorn，andthecoastofPeru，isofmuchsmallersizethantheP。gigantea，but，likeit，ofadirtyblackcolour。Itgenerallyfrequentstheinlandsoundsinverylargeflocks：IdonotthinkIeversawsomanybirdsofanyothersorttogether，asIoncesawofthesebehindtheislandofChiloe。Hundredsofthousandsflewinanirregularlineforseveralhoursinonedirection。Whenpartoftheflocksettledonthewaterthesurfacewasblackened，andanoiseproceededfromthemasofhumanbeingstalkinginthedistance。
　　Thereareseveralotherspeciesofpetrels，butIwillonlymentiononeotherkind，thePelacanoidesBerardiwhichoffersanexampleofthoseextraordinarycases，ofabirdevidentlybelongingtoonewell-markedfamily，yetbothinitshabitsandstructurealliedtoaverydistincttribe。Thisbirdneverleavesthequietinlandsounds。Whendisturbeditdivestoadistance，andoncomingtothesurface，withthesamemovementtakesflight。
　　Afterflyingbyarapidmovementofitsshortwingsforaspaceinastraightline，itdrops，asifstruckdead，anddivesagain。Theformofitsbeakandnostrils，lengthoffoot，andeventhecolouringofitsplumage，showthatthisbirdisapetrel：ontheotherhand，itsshortwingsandconsequentlittlepowerofflight，itsformofbodyandshapeoftail，theabsenceofahindtoetoitsfoot，itshabitofdiving，anditschoiceofsituation，makeitatfirstdoubtfulwhetheritsrelationshipisnotequallyclosewiththeauks。Itwouldundoubtedlybemistakenforanauk，whenseenfromadistance，eitheronthewing，orwhendivingandquietlyswimmingabouttheretiredchannelsofTierradelFuego。[1]HorticulturalTransact。，vol。v。p。249。Mr。
　　Caldeleughsenthometwotubers，which，beingwellmanured，eventhefirstseasonproducednumerouspotatoesandanabundanceofleaves。SeeHumboldt’sinterestingdiscussiononthisplant，whichitappearswasunknowninMexico，——inPolit。EssayonNewSpain，bookiv。chap。ix。
　　[2]Bysweepingwithmyinsect-net，Iprocuredfromthesesituationsaconsiderablenumberofminuteinsects，ofthefamilyofStaphylinidae，andothersalliedtoPselaphus，andminuteHymenoptera。
　　Butthemostcharacteristicfamilyinnumber，bothofindividualsandspecies，throughoutthemoreopenpartsofChiloeandChonosisthatofTelephoridae。
　　[3]Itissaidthatsomerapaciousbirdsbringtheirpreyalivetotheirnests。Ifso，inthecourseofcenturies，everynowandthen，onemightescapefromtheyoungbirds。Somesuchagencyisnecessary，toaccountforthedistributionofthesmallergnawinganimalsonislandsnotveryneareachother。
　　[4]Imaymention，asaproofofhowgreatadifferencethereisbetweentheseasonsofthewoodedandtheopenpartsofthiscoast，thatonSeptember20th，inlat。34degs。，thesebirdshadyoungonesinthenest，whileamongtheChonosIslands，threemonthslaterinthesummer，theywereonlylaying，thedifferenceinlatitudebetweenthesetwoplacesbeingabout700miles。PreviousChapterNextChapterTheVoyageoftheBeagle-Chapter14TheVoyageoftheBeaglebyCharlesDarwinPreviousChapterNextChapterChapter14-ChiloeandConcepcion：GreatEarthquakeONJANUARYthe15thwesailedfromLow’sHarbour，andthreedaysafterwardsanchoredasecondtimeinthebayofS。CarlosinChiloe。Onthenightofthe19ththevolcanoofOsornowasinaction。Atmidnightthesentryobservedsomethinglikealargestar，whichgraduallyincreasedinsizetillaboutthreeo’clock，whenitpresentedaverymagnificentspectacle。
　　Bytheaidofaglass，darkobjects，inconstantsuccession，wereseen，inthemidstofagreatglareofredlight，tobethrownupandtofalldown。Thelightwassufficienttocastonthewateralongbrightreflection。
　　LargemassesofmoltenmatterseemverycommonlytobecastoutofthecratersinthispartoftheCordillera。IwasassuredthatwhentheCorcovadoisineruption，greatmassesareprojectedupwardsandareseentoburstintheair，assumingmanyfantasticalforms，suchastrees：theirsizemustbeimmense，fortheycanbedistinguishedfromthehighlandbehindS。Carlos，whichisnolessthanninety-threemilesfromtheCorcovado。
　　Inthemorningthevolcanobecametranquil。
　　IwassurprisedathearingafterwardsthatAconcaguainChile，480milesnorthwards，wasinactiononthesamenight；andstillmoresurprisedtohearthatthegreateruptionofCoseguina2700milesnorthofAconcagua，accompaniedbyanearthquakefeltovera1000miles，alsooccurredwithinsixhoursofthissametime。Thiscoincidenceisthemoreremarkable，asCoseguinahadbeendormantfortwenty-sixyears；andAconcaguamostrarelyshowsanysignsofaction。Itisdifficulteventoconjecturewhetherthiscoincidencewasaccidental，orshowssomesubterraneanconnection。IfVesuvius，Etna，andHeclainIcelandallthreerelativelynearereachotherthanthecorrespondingpointsinSouthAmerica，suddenlyburstforthineruptiononthesamenight，thecoincidencewouldbethoughtremarkable；butitisfarmoreremarkableinthiscase，wherethethreeventsfallonthesamegreatmountain-chain，andwherethevastplainsalongtheentireeasterncoast，andtheupraisedrecentshellsalongmorethan2000milesonthewesterncoast，showinhowequableandconnectedamannertheelevatoryforceshaveacted。
　　CaptainFitzRoybeinganxiousthatsomebearingsshouldbetakenontheoutercoastofChiloe，itwasplannedthatMr。KingandmyselfshouldridetoCastro，andthenceacrosstheislandtotheCapelladeCucao，situatedonthewestcoast。Havinghiredhorsesandaguide，wesetoutonthemorningofthe22nd。Wehadnotproceededfar，beforewewerejoinedbyawomanandtwoboys，whowerebentonthesamejourney。Everyoneonthisroadactsona“hailfellowwellmet“fashion；andonemayhereenjoytheprivilege，sorareinSouthAmerica，oftravellingwithoutfirearms。Atfirst，thecountryconsistedofasuccessionofhillsandvalleys：nearertoCastroitbecameverylevel。Theroaditselfisacuriousaffair；itconsistsinitswholelength，withtheexceptionofveryfewparts，ofgreatlogsofwood，whichareeitherbroadandlaidlongitudinally，ornarrowandplacedtransversely。Insummertheroadisnotverybad；butinwinter，whenthewoodisrenderedslipperyfromrain，travellingisexceedinglydifficult。Atthattimeoftheyear，thegroundoneachsidebecomesamorass，andisoftenoverflowed：henceitisnecessarythatthelongitudinallogsshouldbefasteneddownbytransversepoles，whicharepeggedoneachsideintotheearth。Thesepegsrenderafallfromahorsedangerous，asthechanceofalightingononeofthemisnotsmall。Itisremarkable，however，howactivecustomhasmadetheChilotanhorses。Incrossingbadparts，wherethelogshadbeendisplaced，theyskippedfromonetotheother，almostwiththequicknessandcertaintyofadog。Onbothhandstheroadisborderedbytheloftyforest-trees，withtheirbasesmattedtogetherbycanes。Whenoccasionallyalongreachofthisavenuecouldbebeheld，itpresentedacurioussceneofuniformity：thewhitelineoflogs，narrowinginperspective，becamehiddenbythegloomyforest，orterminatedinazigzagwhichascendedsomesteephill。
　　AlthoughthedistancefromS。CarlostoCastroisonlytwelveleaguesinastraightline，theformationoftheroadmusthavebeenagreatlabour。
　　Iwastoldthatseveralpeoplehadformerlylosttheirlivesinattemptingtocrosstheforest。ThefirstwhosucceededwasanIndian，whocuthiswaythroughthecanesineightdays，andreachedS。Carlos：hewasrewardedbytheSpanishgovernmentwithagrantofland。Duringthesummer，manyoftheIndianswanderabouttheforestsbutchieflyinthehigherparts，wherethewoodsarenotquitesothickinsearchofthehalf-wildcattlewhichliveontheleavesofthecaneandcertaintrees。Itwasoneofthesehuntsmenwhobychancediscovered，afewyearssince，anEnglishvessel，whichhadbeenwreckedontheoutercoast。Thecrewwerebeginningtofailinprovisions，anditisnotprobablethat，withouttheaidofthisman，theywouldeverhaveextricatedthemselvesfromthesescarcelypenetrablewoods。Asitwas，oneseamandiedonthemarch，fromfatigue。TheIndiansintheseexcursionssteerbythesun；sothatifthereisacontinuanceofcloudyweather，theycannottravel。
　　Thedaywasbeautiful，andthenumberoftreeswhichwereinfullflowerperfumedtheair；yeteventhiscouldhardlydissipatetheeffectsofthegloomydampnessoftheforest。Moreover，themanydeadtrunksthatstandlikeskeletons，neverfailtogivetotheseprimevalwoodsacharacterofsolemnity，absentinthoseofcountrieslongcivilized。Shortlyaftersunsetwebivouackedforthenight。Ourfemalecompanion，whowasrathergood-looking，belongedtooneofthemostrespectablefamiliesinCastro：