Page:The birds of Tierra del Fuego - Richard Crawshay.djvu/16

viii and of guanacos, trunks of trees, and such evidence of the existence of man as a boat, a spar, an oar, a companion ladder, a ship's draught-board painted in black and white chequers on a stout piece of plank, and other wreckage.

What stirring associations have these winds and waves and shores with the great ocean explorers in days gone by—Magalhaens, Drake, Sarmiento, Richard Hawkins, Cavendish, Van Noort, Narborough, Anson, Byron, Bougainville, Wallis, Carteret, Cordova, B. G. and G. de Nodales, Cook, Weddell, King, Stokes, Fitzroy, Ross! How immortal are the memories of these men in Port Famine, Cape Peñas, Last Hope Inlet, Port Desire, Cape Froward, Cape Deceit, Good Success Bay, Fury Harbour, Useless Bay, Cape Providence, Devil's Basin, Bay of Mercy, Desolation Island—each telling its tale of origin, the details of which one may learn how to fill in from personal experience!

In spite of its terrific elements and inevitable privations, these old time voyagers were, for the most part, impressed with its being a good land.

Magalhaens, its discoverer, on the 21st of October, 1520, says, "There is not in all the world a more healthy country, or better strait." Drake experienced as great hardships and disasters as any, including the foundering of the " Marigold " with all hands under his eyes, yet concludes it " a place, no doubt, that lacketh nothing but a people to use the same to the Creator's glory." Hawkins considered it " a goodly champion country."

Personally, in these latter days I was fascinated by Tierra del Fuego, from the time of first setting eyes on it that morning until I came to leave it six months later, after seeing winter go, and summer come, and go again. I doubt if there is another land on earth concerning which more misconception prevails—partly owing to its geographical position whence it is inferred to be so cold as to be uninhabitable; partly owing to its misleading name, pre-supposing abnormal heat, whereas originally this had reference to the fires of the natives along shore. Both