Some Account of the Falkland Islands, from a Six Months' Residence in 1838 and 1839

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A. H. Baily and Company, 1840 - Falkland Islands - 79 pages
 

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Page 23 - In many parts of the island the bottoms of the valleys are covered in an extraordinary manner by myriads of great loose angular fragments of the quartz rock, forming "streams of stones.
Page 31 - In diving, its little plumeless wings are used as fins, but on the land as front legs. When crawling (it may be said on four legs) through the tussocks or on the side of a grassy cliff, it moves so quickly that it might be readily mistaken for a quadruped.
Page 31 - This bird is commonly called the Jackass Penguin, from its habit, while on shore, of throwing its head backwards, and making a loud strange noise, very like the braying of that animal ; but while at sea, and undisturbed, its note is very deep and solemn, and is often heard in the nighttime.
Page 22 - ... head of a creek of the sea, in which the water was as high as our horses' backs ; and the little waves, owing to the violence of the wind, broke over us, and made us very wet and cold. Even the ironframed Gauchos professed themselves glad when they reached the settlement after our little excursion. The geological structure of these islands is in most respects simple. The lower country consists of clay-slate and sandstone...
Page 22 - ... that it became viscid, and upon cooling crystallized. While in the soft state it must have been pushed up through the overlying beds. In many parts of the island the bottoms of the valleys are covered in an extraordinary manner by myriads of great...
Page 23 - I may say that the slope would not have checked the speed of an English mail-coach. In some places, a continuous stream of these fragments followed up the course of a valley, and even extended to the very crest of the hill. On these crests huge masses, exceeding in dimensions any small building, seemed to stand arrested in their headlong course : there, also, the curved strata of the archways lay piled on each other, like the ruins of some vast and ancient cathedral.
Page 31 - ... noise, very like the braying of that animal ; but while at sea and undisturbed, its note is very deep and solemn, and is often heard in the night-time. In diving, its little plumeless wings are used as fins, but on the land as front legs ; when crawling (it may be said on four legs) through the tussocks or on the side of a grassy cliff, it moved so very quickly, that it might easily have been mistaken for a quadruped.
Page 45 - ... much wider, so as to form even a straight line with the upper. The head itself possesses considerable powers of movement, by means of a short neck. In one zoophyte the head itself was fixed, but the lower jaw free: in another it was replaced by a triangular hood, with a beautifully fitted trap-door, which evidently answered to the lower mandible. A species of stony eschara had a structure somewhat similar. In the greater number of species, each shell was provided with one head, but in others...
Page 29 - The goose is also a very handsome bird, remarkably bold or stupid. I have killed several with a stick; they are found in immense numbers all over the islands. There...
Page 72 - I cannot but feel proud and gratified in seeing the flag of my nation — that flag which has for a thousand years braved the battle and the breeze...

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