Thecattle，insteadofhavingdegeneratedlikethehorse，seem，asbeforeremarked，tohaveincreasedinsize；andtheyaremuchmorenumerousthanthehorsesCapt。SulivaninformsmethattheyvarymuchlessinthegeneralformoftheirbodiesandintheshapeoftheirhornsthanEnglishcattle。
Incolourtheydiffermuch；anditisaremarkablecircumstance，thatindifferentpartsofthisonesmallisland，differentcolourspredominate。
RoundMountUsborne，ataheightoffrom1000to1500feetabovethesea，abouthalfofsomeoftheherdsaremouseorlead-coloured，atintwhichisnotcommoninotherpartsoftheisland。NearPortPleasantdarkbrownprevails，whereassouthofChoiseulSoundwhichalmostdividestheislandintotwoparts，whitebeastswithblackheadsandfeetarethemostcommon：
inallpartsblack，andsomespottedanimalsmaybeobserved。Capt。Sulivanremarks，thatthedifferenceintheprevailingcolourswassoobvious，thatinlookingfortheherdsnearPortPleasant，theyappearedfromalongdistancelikeblackspots，whilstsouthofChoiseulSoundtheyappearedlikewhitespotsonthehill-sides。Capt。Sulivanthinksthattheherdsdonotmingle；anditisasingularfact，thatthemouse-colouredcattle，thoughlivingonthehighland，calveaboutamonthearlierintheseasonthantheothercolouredbeastsonthelowerland。Itisinterestingthustofindtheoncedomesticatedcattlebreakingintothreecolours，ofwhichsomeonecolourwouldinallprobabilityultimatelyprevailovertheothers，iftheherdswereleftundisturbedforthenextseveralcenturies。
Therabbitisanotheranimalwhichhasbeenintroduced，andhassucceededverywell；sothattheyaboundoverlargepartsoftheisland。Yet，likethehorses，theyareconfinedwithincertainlimits；fortheyhavenotcrossedthecentralchainofhills，norwouldtheyhaveextendedevensofarasitsbase，if，astheGauchosinformedme，smallcolonieshadnotbeencarriedthere。Ishouldnothavesupposedthattheseanimals，nativesofnorthernAfrica，couldhaveexistedinaclimatesohumidasthis，andwhichenjoyssolittlesunshinethatevenwheatripensonlyoccasionally。
ItisassertedthatinSweden，whichanyonewouldhavethoughtamorefavourableclimate，therabbitcannotliveoutofdoors。Thefirstfewpairs，moreover，hadheretocontendagainstpre-existingenemies，inthefoxandsomelargehawks。TheFrenchnaturalistshaveconsideredtheblackvarietyadistinctspecies，andcalleditLepusMagellanicus。[5]TheyimaginedthatMagellan，whentalkingofananimalunderthenameof“conejos“intheStraitofMagellan，referredtothisspecies；buthewasalludingtoasmallcavy，whichtothisdayisthuscalledbytheSpaniards。
TheGauchoslaughedattheideaoftheblackkindbeingdifferentfromthegrey，andtheysaidthatatalleventsithadnotextendeditsrangeanyfurtherthanthegreykind；thatthetwowereneverfoundseparate；
andthattheyreadilybredtogether，andproducedpiebaldoffspring。OfthelatterInowpossessaspecimen，anditismarkedabouttheheaddifferentlyfromtheFrenchspecificdescription。Thiscircumstanceshowshowcautiousnaturalistsshouldbeinmakingspecies；forevenCuvier，onlookingattheskullofoneoftheserabbits，thoughtitwasprobablydistinct！
Theonlyquadrupednativetotheisland[6]；isalargewolf-likefoxCanisantarcticus，whichiscommontobothEastandWestFalkland。Ihavenodoubtitisapeculiarspecies，andconfinedtothisarchipelago；becausemanysealers，Gauchos，andIndians，whohavevisitedtheseislands，allmaintainthatnosuchanimalisfoundinanypartofSouthAmerica。
Molina，fromasimilarityinhabits，thoughtthatthiswasthesamewithhis“culpeu；“[7]butIhaveseenboth，andtheyarequitedistinct。ThesewolvesarewellknownfromByron’saccountoftheirtamenessandcuriosity，whichthesailors，whoranintothewatertoavoidthem，mistookforfierceness。Tothisdaytheirmannersremainthesame。Theyhavebeenobservedtoenteratent，andactuallypullsomemeatfrombeneaththeheadofasleepingseaman。TheGauchosalsohavefrequentlyintheeveningkilledthem，byholdingoutapieceofmeatinonehand，andintheotheraknifereadytostickthem。AsfarasIamaware，thereisnootherinstanceinanypartoftheworld，ofsosmallamassofbrokenland，distantfromacontinent，possessingsolargeanaboriginalquadrupedpeculiartoitself。Theirnumbershaverapidlydecreased；
theyarealreadybanishedfromthathalfoftheislandwhichliestotheeastwardoftheneckoflandbetweenSt。SalvadorBayandBerkeleySound。
Withinaveryfewyearsaftertheseislandsshallhavebecomeregularlysettled，inallprobabilitythisfoxwillbeclassedwiththedodo，asananimalwhichhasperishedfromthefaceoftheearth。
Atnight17thwesleptontheneckoflandattheheadofChoiseulSound，whichformsthesouth-westpeninsula。Thevalleywasprettywellshelteredfromthecoldwind；buttherewasverylittlebrushwoodforfuel。
TheGauchos，however，soonfoundwhat，tomygreatsurprise，madenearlyashotafireascoals；thiswastheskeletonofabullocklatelykilled，fromwhichthefleshhadbeenpickedbythecarrion-hawks。Theytoldmethatinwintertheyoftenkilledabeast，cleanedthefleshfromtheboneswiththeirknives，andthenwiththesesamebonesroastedthemeatfortheirsuppers。
18th——Itrainedduringnearlythewholeday。Atnightwemanaged，however，withoursaddle-clothstokeepourselvesprettywelldryandwarm；
butthegroundonwhichwesleptwasoneachoccasionnearlyinthestateofabog，andtherewasnotadryspottositdownonafterourday’sride。
Ihaveinanotherpartstatedhowsingularitisthatthereshouldbeabsolutelynotreesontheseislands，althoughTierradelFuegoiscoveredbyonelargeforest。ThelargestbushintheislandbelongingtothefamilyofCompositaeisscarcelysotallasourgorse。Thebestfuelisaffordedbyagreenlittlebushaboutthesizeofcommonheath，whichhastheusefulpropertyofburningwhilefreshandgreen。ItwasverysurprisingtoseetheGauchos，inthemidstofrainandeverythingsoakingwet，withnothingmorethanatinder-boxandapieceofrag，immediatelymakeafire。Theysoughtbeneaththetuftsofgrassandbushesforafewdrytwigs，andthesetheyrubbedintofibres；thensurroundingthemwithcoarsertwigs，somethinglikeabird’snest，theyputtheragwithitssparkoffireinthemiddleandcovereditup。Thenestbeingthenhelduptothewind，bydegreesitsmokedmoreandmore，andatlastburstoutinflames。Idonotthinkanyothermethodwouldhavehadachanceofsucceedingwithsuchdampmaterials。
19th——Eachmorning，fromnothavingriddenforsometimepreviously，Iwasverystiff。IwassurprisedtoheartheGauchos，whohavefrominfancyalmostlivedonhorseback，saythat，undersimilarcircumstances，theyalwayssuffer。St。Jagotoldme，thathavingbeenconfinedforthreemonthsbyillness，hewentouthuntingwildcattle，andinconsequence，forthenexttwodays，histhighsweresostiffthathewasobligedtolieinbed。
ThisshowsthattheGauchos，althoughtheydonotappeartodoso，yetreallymustexertmuchmusculareffortinriding。Thehuntingwildcattle，inacountrysodifficulttopassasthisisonaccountoftheswampyground，mustbeveryhardwork。TheGauchossaytheyoftenpassatfullspeedovergroundwhichwouldbeimpassableataslowerpace；inthesamemannerasamanisabletoskateoverthinice。Whenhunting，thepartyendeavourstogetascloseaspossibletotheherdwith。outbeingdiscovered。Eachmancarriesfourorfivepairofthebolas；thesehethrowsoneaftertheotheratasmanycattle，which，whenonceentangled，areleftforsomedaystilltheybecomealittleexhaustedbyhungerandstruggling。Theyarethenletfreeanddriventowardsasmallherdoftameanimals，whichhavebeenbroughttothespotonpurpose。Fromtheirprevioustreatment，beingtoomuchterrifiedtoleavetheherd，theyareeasilydriven，iftheirstrengthlastout，tothesettlement。
Theweathercontinuedsoverybadthatwedeterminedtomakeapush，andtrytoreachthevesselbeforenight。Fromthequantityofrainwhichhadfallen，thesurfaceofthewholecountrywasswampy。Isupposemyhorsefellatleastadozentimes，andsometimesthewholesixhorseswereflounderinginthemudtogether。Allthelittlestreamsareborderedbysoftpeat，whichmakesitverydifficultforthehorsestoleapthemwithoutfalling。
Tocompleteourdiscomfortswewereobligedtocrosstheheadofacreekofthesea，inwhichthewaterwasashighasourhorses’backs；andthelittlewaves，owingtotheviolenceofthewind，brokeoverus，andmadeusverywetandcold。Eventheiron-framedGauchosprofessedthemselvesgladwhentheyreachedthesettlement，afterourlittleexcursion。
Thegeologicalstructureoftheseislandsisinmostrespectssimple。
Thelowercountryconsistsofclay-slateandsandstone，containingfossils，verycloselyrelatedto，butnotidenticalwith，thosefoundintheSilurianformationsofEurope；thehillsareformedofwhitegranularquartzrock。
Thestrataofthelatterarefrequentlyarchedwithperfectsymmetry，andtheappearanceofsomeofthemassesisinconsequencemostsingular。Pernety[8]hasdevotedseveralpagestothedescriptionofaHillofRuins，thesuccessivestrataofwhichhehasjustlycomparedtotheseatsofanamphitheatre。Thequartzrockmusthavebeenquitepastywhenitunderwentsuchremarkableflexureswithoutbeingshatteredintofragments。Asthequartzinsensiblypassesintothesandstone，itseemsprobablethattheformerowesitsorigintothesandstonehavingbeenheatedtosuchadegreethatitbecameviscid，anduponcoolingcrystallized。
Whileinthesoftstateitmusthavebeenpushedupthroughtheoverlyingbeds。
Inmanypartsoftheislandthebottomsofthevalleysarecoveredinanextraordinarymannerbymyriadsofgreatlooseangularfragmentsofthequartzrock，forming“streamsofstones。”ThesehavebeenmentionedwithsurprisebyeveryvoyagersincethetimeofPernety。Theblocksarenotwaterworn，theiranglesbeingonlyalittleblunted；theyvaryinsizefromoneortwofeetindiametertoten，orevenmorethantwentytimesasmuch。Theyarenotthrowntogetherintoirregularpiles，butarespreadoutintolevelsheetsorgreatstreams。Itisnotpossibletoascertaintheirthickness，butthewaterofsmallstreamletscanbeheardtricklingthroughthestonesmanyfeetbelowthesurface。Theactualdepthisprobablygreat，becausethecrevicesbetweenthelowerfragmentsmustlongagohavebeenfilledupwithsand。Thewidthofthesesheetsofstonesvariesfromafewhundredfeettoamile；butthepeatysoildailyencroachesontheborders，andevenformsisletswhereverafewfragmentshappentolieclosetogether。InavalleysouthofBerkeleySound，whichsomeofourpartycalledthe“greatvalleyoffragments。”itwasnecessarytocrossanuninterruptedbandhalfamilewide，byjumpingfromonepointedstonetoanother。Solargewerethefragments，thatbeingovertakenbyashowerofrain，Ireadilyfoundshelterbeneathoneofthem。
Theirlittleinclinationisthemostremarkablecircumstanceinthese“streamsofstones。”Onthehill-sidesIhaveseenthemslopingatanangleoftendegreeswiththehorizon；butinsomeofthelevel，broad-bottomedvalleys，theinclinationisonlyjustsufficienttobeclearlyperceived。
Onsoruggedasurfacetherewasnomeansofmeasuringtheangle，buttogiveacommonillustration，ImaysaythattheslopewouldnothavecheckedthespeedofanEnglishmail-coach。Insomeplaces，acontinuousstreamofthesefragmentsfollowedupthecourseofavalley，andevenextendedtotheverycrestofthehill。Onthesecrestshugemasses，exceedingindimensionsanysmallbuilding，seemedtostandarrestedintheirheadlongcourse：there，also，thecurvedstrataofthearchwayslaypiledoneachother，liketheruinsofsomevastandancientcathedral。Inendeavouringtodescribethesescenesofviolenceoneistemptedtopassfromonesimiletoanother。Wemayimaginethatstreamsofwhitelavahadflowedfrommanypartsofthemountainsintothelowercountry，andthatwhensolidifiedtheyhadbeenrentbysomeenormousconvulsionintomyriadsoffragments。
Theexpression“streamsofstones。”whichimmediatelyoccurredtoeveryone，conveysthesameidea。Thesescenesareonthespotrenderedmorestrikingbythecontrastofthelowroundedformsoftheneighbouringhills。
Iwasinterestedbyfindingonthehighestpeakofonerangeabout700feetabovetheseaagreatarchedfragment，lyingonitsconvexside，orbackdownwards。Mustwebelievethatitwasfairlypitchedupintheair，andthusturned？Or，withmoreprobability，thatthereexistedformerlyapartofthesamerangemoreelevatedthanthepointonwhichthismonumentofagreatconvulsionofnaturenowlies。Asthefragmentsinthevalleysareneitherroundednorthecrevicesfilledupwithsand，wemustinferthattheperiodofviolencewassubsequenttothelandhavingbeenraisedabovethewatersofthesea。Inatransversesectionwithinthesevalleys，thebottomisnearlylevel，orrisesbutverylittletowardseitherside。
Hencethefragmentsappeartohavetravelledfromtheheadofthevalley；
butinrealityitseemsmoreprobablethattheyhavebeenhurleddownfromthenearestslopes；andthatsince，byavibratorymovementofoverwhelmingforce，[9]thefragmentshavebeenlevelledintoonecontinuoussheet。Ifduringtheearthquake[10]whichin1835overthrewConcepcion，inChile，itwasthoughtwonderfulthatsmallbodiesshouldhavebeenpitchedafewinchesfromtheground，whatmustwesaytoamovementwhichhascausedfragmentsmanytonsinweight，tomoveonwardslikesomuchsandonavibratingboard，andfindtheirlevel？