whichsamecircumstancehasbeenmentionedassometimesoccurringwiththegreatrodent，theCapybara。Asmallsea-otterisverynumerous；thisanimaldoesnotfeedexclusivelyonfish，but，liketheseals，drawsalargesupplyfromasmallredcrab，whichswimsinshoalsnearthesurfaceofthewater。Mr。BynoesawoneinTierradelFuegoeatingacuttle-fish；
andatLow’sHarbour，anotherwaskilledintheactofcarryingtoitsholealargevoluteshell。AtoneplaceIcaughtinatrapasingularlittlemouse(M。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-colouredbird(OpetiorhynchusPatagonicus)isverycommon。Itisremarkablefromitsquiethabits；itlivesentirelyonthesea-beach，likeasandpiper。Besidesthesebirdsonlyfewothersinhabitthisbrokenland。InmyroughnotesIdescribethestrangenoises，which，althoughfrequentlyheardwithinthesegloomyforests，yetscarcelydisturbthegeneralsilence。Theyelpingoftheguid-guid，andthesuddenwhew-whewofthecheucau，sometimescomefromafaroff，andsometimesfromcloseathand；thelittleblackwrenofTierradelFuegooccasionallyaddsitscry；thecreeper(Oxyurus)followstheintruderscreamingandtwittering；thehumming-birdmaybeseeneverynowandthendartingfromsidetoside，andemitting，likeaninsect，itsshrillchirp；lastly，fromthetopofsomeloftytreetheindistinctbutplaintivenoteofthewhite-tuftedtyrant-flycatcher(Myiobius)maybenoticed。Fromthegreatpreponderanceinmostcountriesofcertaincommongeneraofbirds，suchasthefinches，onefeelsatfirstsurprisedatmeetingwiththepeculiarformsaboveenumerated，asthecommonestbirdsinanydistrict。IncentralChiletwoofthem，namely，theOxyurusandScytalopus，occur，althoughmostrarely。Whenfinding，asinthiscase，animalswhichseemtoplaysoinsignificantapartinthegreatschemeofnature，oneisapttowonderwhytheywerecreated。
Butitshouldalwaysberecollected，thatinsomeothercountryperhapstheyareessentialmembersofsociety，oratsomeformerperiodmayhavebeenso。IfAmericasouthof37degs。weresunkbeneaththewatersoftheocean，thesetwobirdsmightcontinuetoexistincentralChileforalongperiod，butitisveryimprobablethattheirnumberswouldincrease。Weshouldthenseeacasewhichmustinevitablyhavehappenedwithverymanyanimals。
ThesesouthernseasarefrequentedbyseveralspeciesofPetrels：thelargestkind，Procellariagigantea，ornelly(quebrantahuesos，orbreak-bones，oftheSpaniards)，isacommonbird，bothintheinlandchannelsandontheopensea。Initshabitsandmannerofflight，thereisaverycloseresemblancewiththealbatross；andaswiththealbatross，apersonmaywatchitforhourstogetherwithoutseeingonwhatitfeeds。The“break-bones“
is，however，arapaciousbird，foritwasobservedbysomeoftheofficersatPortSt。Antoniochasingadiver，whichtriedtoescapebydivingandflying，butwascontinuallystruckdown，andatlastkilledbyablowonitshead。AtPortSt。Julianthesegreatpetrelswereseenkillinganddevouringyounggulls。Asecondspecies(Puffinuscinereus)，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；andstillmoresurprisedtohearthatthegreateruptionofCoseguina(2700milesnorthofAconcagua)，accompaniedbyanearthquakefeltovera1000miles，alsooccurredwithinsixhoursofthissametime。Thiscoincidenceisthemoreremarkable，asCoseguinahadbeendormantfortwenty-sixyears；andAconcaguamostrarelyshowsanysignsofaction。Itisdifficulteventoconjecturewhetherthiscoincidencewasaccidental，orshowssomesubterraneanconnection。IfVesuvius，Etna，andHeclainIceland(allthreerelativelynearereachotherthanthecorrespondingpointsinSouthAmerica)，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，manyoftheIndianswanderabouttheforests(butchieflyinthehigherparts，wherethewoodsarenotquitesothick)insearchofthehalf-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：
