153

Tierra del Fuego

1833

General Observations The mean from these two sets of observations from the 18th of Decembr to 20th of Feb. (a period of 65 days) gives

temp: 47.41

Mean Max: 51.76 Mean Range

Min: 43.82} 8.44

Mean of extremes 47.54.—

The accuracy of this mean is affected by several causes.— the first set was out at sea & sometime at a higher latitude; it may therefore be supposed to be too low.— the second set is calculated from observations made in the day time (6 AM. 12. 6 PM) & the weather was, from the report, of those who have known the climate for some years, most unusually hot & fine; this second set gives perhaps too high a mean; it is to be hoped the mean of both may be near the truth.— These 65 days, judging from the appearance of the Vegetation in first part, & from the weather in Falkland Islands at the latter, includes the whole summer.—

Mr. Daniell journal In the years 1820, 21, 22 in London, the mean of Extremes of June, July, August, which months correspond to the Fuegian summer, was 60.93: so that the English summer is 13.39 hotter than the Fuegian.—

Capt King from observat: at 6 AM. 9. 12. 3 PM. 6, makes the mean of May, June, July, the brumal period in Tierra del F. 34.49.— In London from same years as above & corresponding months, it is 41.34; making the winter of the latter 6.85 warmer than the Fuegian: From these facts, we may form some judgement of the climate.—

154

Tierra del Fuego

1833

General Observations I was surprised to see in Lat 55° & near to West ocean, magnificent glaciers forming perpendicular cliffs into the Sounds: this was in the end of January: Mr Bynoe has actually seen a glacier reaching to the sea & in the summer in the gulf of Penas in Lat 47°.— This is a most singular fact when we recollect that Von Buch first found glaciers on (P 152 VB) West coast of Norway in Lat 67° at Kunnen.— This gives a difference of 20 degrees for the same phenomenon in the Northern & Southern hemispheres.— It may be here noticed that Capt. King gives the line of perpetual snow to St of Magellan (a little North of parallel of 50°) to be between 3000 & 4000 feet.— (P 227 V Buch) Von Buch in Norway says in Lat 70° the line is about 3000 above the sea.— Again there is this difference of 20° degrees.—

At the end of December large patches of snow were lying on the East side of hills at about 1700 feet elevation: these had disappeared by the end of (a) February (answering to our August).— The Westerly winds have the constancy of the trades. it is clear the snow lies longest on the ESE side from being most protected from WNW wind, which of the prevalent ones would be the warmest.—

At the height of about 1400 feet I found dwarf Beech trees, (about a foot high), in sheltered corners.— the main line of separation between the trees & grass is perhaps 2 or 300 feet lower. Within the Beagle channel this line was so horizontal & wound round in the vallies in so straight

[154v]

(a) (B) not copied Jemmy Button said "when leaves yellow, snow all go".— Capt Fitz Roy states that in April the leaves of the trees which grow on the lower parts of the hills turn colour; but not those high up.— I recollect having read a paper to show that in England warm Autumns hastened the falling of the leaves: that the process is regular part of the vegetation: This fact would seem to show the same law.— It was in January in these very hills, about (a) 1400 feet high, that a snow-storm destroyed two of Mr Banks party & caused so much suffering to the whole of them.—

155

Tierra del Fuego

1833

General Observations (b) Vegetation a direction as to resemble the high water mark on a beach.—

The extreme dampness of the climate favours the coarse luxuriance of the vegetation; the woods are an entangled mass where the dead & the living strive for mastery.— Cryptogamic plants here find a most congenial site.— Ferns however are not abundant.— The Fuegians inhabit the same spot for many years; in one place I found 10 inches of fine vegetable mould over the layer of muscle & limpet shells, in consequence of this these mounds may be told at a distance by the bright green of the vegetation.— amongst the concomitant 1076. 984. 9858 (not spirits) plants are mostly the wild celery, scurvy grass, black-currant tree; these, although not used by the Fuegians, are the most useful plants in the country & seem placed to attract attention.—

Peat 1833 In every part of the country which I have seen, the land is covered by a thick bed of peat.— It is universal in the mountains, above the limits the Beech; & everywhere, excepting in the very thickest parts of the woods it abounds.— The beech often grows out of it & hence great quantities of timber must annually be imbedded.— It flourishes It increases most on the sides of hills & is I think of great thickness: the only section I saw varied from 6 to 12 feet. In more level sites the surface is broken up by numberless pools, which have an artificial appearance, as if dug for the sake of peat.— These are often close to each other & yet of

[155v]

(a) The appearance of these woods forests brought to my mind the artificial woods at Mount Edgecombe: the greeness of the bushes & the twisted forms of the trees, covered with Lichens, in both places are caused by strong prevalent winds & great dampness of climate.—

(b) It would be difficult to find a spade-full of earth in Tierra del F, excepting in the spots where the Fuegians have long frequented, & on the remnants of ancient alluvial formations, described in Geological Notes; but even this latter ground is, in some places, covered with peat, as in Goree Sound.—

156

Tierra del Fuego

1833 Jan-Feb

Peat different levels, showing how impervious the peat is when acted on by water.— At the bottom of these shallow pools there is a quantity of brown flocculent matter in which Confervæ flourish & very little moss.—

1075 & 976 (not spirits)  The great agent which forms the peat is a small plant with thick leaves & of a bright green colour (No. 976)9.— The plant grows on itself; the lower leaves die, but yet remain attached to the tap root.— this latter penetrates in a living state to the depth of a foot or two.— & from the surface to the bottom the succession of leaves can be traced from their perfect state to one almost entirely disorganized.— Subterranean streams are common, these & the pools of [stagnant] water by breaking up the upper peat & dissolving macerating the rotten leaves helps to form the more compact parts.— Specimen (1073) is cut out of the surface of a peat Bog: This above plant is eminently social, few others grow with it: some small creeping ligneous plants bearing berrys (978 &c); another in its form, habits & colour strikingly resembling the Europæan heaths (1077); & a third equally resembling our rush (1045); It would appear to be necessary under similar circumstances, the landscape should possess the same form & tints. — These latter plants & some others doubtless add their efforts: But the plant (976) & not any sort of moss is the main agent; On the sides of hills where it mostly abounded the surface of the peat was often convex.— By these gradual changes of level, water rests on different parts & thus completes the disorganization of the plant & consolidates the whole.—

157

Tierra del Fuego

1833 Jan-Feb

General observations (b) Upon considering these facts, which show how inhospitable the climate of Tierra del is, we are the more surprised to hear from Capt. King10 that Humming birds have been seen in Sts of Magellan sipping the flowers of the Fuchsia & Parrots feeding on the seeds of the Winters bark.— I have seen the latter South of the parallel 55°.—

Zoology (a) 1002 not spirits

Amongst the Mammalia, excepting Cetaceæ & Phoceæ, I saw a Bat; 2 sorts of mice; one of which I have (1002); a Fox & a sea otter; & in Navarin island there were plenty of Guanaco.— the presence of many of these animals in these islands is accounted for by the probability of there being at one time an extended formation of Alluvium which connected them. Vide Geology:—

Amongst birds (I refer more to numbers of individuals than species) Certhia was abundant in the woods; also Fringilla, Sylvia & Merlus: On the sea:— Petrels & Albatrosses, especially the first, exceedingly numerous:— Gulls not nearly so numerous or [illeg]. I never saw any reptiles; Jemmy Button states there are none.—

526 Besides small fresh water fish (526), I have good reason to believe the genus Salmo exists :— There a few land shells; Succinea in the damp climate is common; in the pools I did not find any molluscous animals: the only inhabitants were Colymbetes & some small Hirudo's.— In the sea.— Capulus, Crepidula & Fissurella are all abundant.— the latter of great size.— But of all the Gasteropods: Cyclobranche, Patella & Chiton, in numbers of individuals & species are

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(a) The other mouse was of much larger size: but I could not catch it:

(b) The tropical resemblance given by these birds & Plants is continued in the sea by the stony branching Corallines, the large Volutans, Balanidæ & Patelliform shells.—

158

Tierra del Fuego

1833 Jan-Feb

General Observations Crustaceæ 497:541 beyond everything numerous.— The Chitons reach up to a large size.

Amongst Crustaceæ: Cymothoades (Leach) take the lead.— the numbers of the genus Sphæroma are wonderful.— under every stone amongst the rocks at low water they swarm like bees: I was immediately reminded of the numbers of Trilobites in the Transition limestones:—

Insecta (b) (a) In the Coleoptera the only genera which are abundant are some few Harpalidous & some few Heteromerous — they are chiefly found under stones high in the mountains (such as Katers peak, 1700 feet high) together with Lycosa (Arachnidæ): scarcely any other Coleoptera, excepting a few Curculios are found: The tribe of Cycliques (Lat:) so characteristic (a) of the Tropics is here absent; whilst Harpalidous insects, as I have noticed are common.— In the hottest part of the year, the mean maximum (during 37 days) was 55.34 & the thermometer often rose to about 60°.— Yet there were no Orthoptera, few diptera, still fewer butterflies & no bees, this together with absence of flower feeding beetles (Cycliques) throughily convinced me, how poor a climate, that of Tierra del F is.— The sea is very favourable to the growth of Hydrophites.— Here grows Fucus giganticus in 25 fathom water:— the little pools abound with small species, (c) almost to the exclusion of Corallines.— Corallina was present: & some species of Clytia (or allied to it) grew on the F Giganticus — They were the same species which I found floating in Lat 45°: V P 135.—

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(a) I must except one alpine Haltica.

(b) It will be curious to ascertain whether the plants of Tierra del bespeak as high a Latitude as many of the above facts point out.—

(c) 1834 The immense number of encrusting Corallines form the strongest exception to this remark.— I think a comparison of the Corallines of this country & England (nearly similarly situated) would be interesting in showing a very wide difference in the leading forms.—