The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-18

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We spent two days In the bay fishing and collect
ing specimens Among our prizes was shark be.
which has long been known as the Port Jackson
shark This genus was widely diffused In geologi-
Devonian and eliminating In the Triassc period.
1t is characterized by the arrangement OF the teeth,
which are set in subsgirsl rows.the mont ones S
and nat
Offcers Of the United States steamship Ossipee,
then on the eve OF departure for New York
On the afternoon OF the 9th we stood out OF the
Observations were then recommended on the tenn
perature, specific gravity and salinity OF the sur
OF the ocean currents and have since been con.
tinued day and night. The Galapagos Archipelago
Is situated ON the Equator, between five and six
hundred miles west OF the coast OF South America,
and consists Of thirteen islands, hve OF which much
exceed the others in size. They are entirely COM
immense number Of craters, it having been esti-
mated that there are at least two thousand on the
various islands. They have had frequent visitors,
the most distinguished OF whom was Mr.. Darwin,
who was there thirty-six years ago In Her Majestys
ship Beagle. Some Of them have been used as
penal stations by the government OF Ecuador, ana
are still inhabited
Early on the morning Of June 10 we passed Hood
and Gardner islands, and after rounding the south
Office Bay, on its western side. The harbor IL so
called from having been made by whalers station
for the interchange OF letters. AS viewed nom the
sea the island presented q succession OF round
topped hills, partially covered with vegetation,
their slopes and spreading out over their plains
even to the waters edge. We landed on small
Srossn @ Of lsva which ned the
shore In either direction. There were thou
sands Of crabs I running over these rocks
hopping about among the twigs; but on this occa-
sion we saw nothing of the lizards for which the
which they take their name; but fifteen different
species of fish, obtained by hauling the seine more
@ ss pm the e ssns ne se w
extremely peculiar in appearance, nearly all the
trees, shrubs and vines being eaness, deadlock
white against the dark background of lava. Great
cacti resembling those OF the genera cereus and
opunti, are scattered about singly or in groves
growing directly on the bare rocks and add to the
singularity Of the landscape.
After dinner a small party went over to cove
which seemed TO be sort or rendezvous FOR the
seals which abound ON the shores Hundreds OF
them were lying out on the sand, having ,appar-
approach, there was first slight commotion
among them, a few standing up to reconnoitre,
and then az we drew they al started for the
their hind rippers. In few moments one boat
was completely surrounded by their great dog-like
heads, and the air was filed with their hoarse
cries OF surprise and distress They are species
Of Ottawa. and one which was shot as o specimen
We're barely able to lift it into the boat.
AN EX-POLITICIAN UsEFULLY EMPLOYED.
We we're not greatly surprised on our return to
colonel Of the Ecuadorian army-f0rced by political
trouble to leave his country and now acting as
from the government, at a rent of $4,000 year.
He is said to remunerate himself handsomely by
the collection Of orchilla weed, which Is used as
island. 1t is probably the rOcella tinct0ria,
species OF lichen, ana one of the three blue or
purple coorng substances known in com.
merce, which are obtained from hchenons
plants. An, acid principle, archil or orchll,
Is extracted from Cfem ny macerauOn
n
Our new acquaintance had had at one time fifty or
sixty Poems under his control on the island, but
many Of them had been taken away to other settle.
ments; and two whom he had despatched for assist
ance to q neighboring island, in his only boat had
with but half a dozen men. During the past eight
months great drought had prevailed; not drop
of rain had fallen. The cattle and horses had died
rapidly that he could not their hides,
and his crop of grain had failed. SO our arrival and
pronered assistance were not only welcome, but
almost vital relle h ,,,,.
The next morning two boats went, under his
pilotage, to Black Beach Bay, where we met some
OF his Poems, two Of whom undertook to point out
the locality where we wOu ld be most likely to find
lizards and tortoises. a tiresome walk along the
columns tripping and stumbling among volcanic
pebbles or ankledeep In sand, brought us to little
f the main land. On the rocks at its outer edge
dozens, perhaps hundreds, Of lizards were quietly
summing themselves with oustetchea legs and
key-iike movements. They were of the aquatic
species OF the genus amplyrhyncus a.. crista
ards which live on marine Vegetable pro
est iO length 81 dirty brown or black Color with
an erect, horny spine down the centre OF the BACK,
which hangs in t folds asc 1ss an
tened tail, long, stout claws and partially webbed
feet and are hideous,looking animals TO any but
they drag themselves sluggshly from rock to rock,
put when pursued they run into the nearest creyce
them by their projecting tails. We succeeded in
this way in capturing in short time as many as
OF Us Which renders so aca to
lacertian or true iguana. We returned to the
boat with them and found that the other parties
lected many plants and shells and had caught
several immense fish of the serranus family.
there BEEN Equally successful some dozen or more
species OF Ash having been added to the collection.
ALBEMARl.E ISLAND.
Early the next day we got under way and stood
for Albemaric Island leaving supplies Of food and
clothing with the settlers. During the morning
of cetaceans, Of the genus gooiceps, smaller than
whales and larger than pOrpoises, and we derived
as much pleasure from their splashlngs and sput-
terngs as they seemed to from our proximity.
About three O'Clock we rounded Point Essex, the
southwestern extremity Of Albemarle Island. We
had intended to anchor in Iguana Cove, but finding
only an open roadstead with heavy swell and
surf from the westward, we kept on and on the fol-
lowing morning ran into Tagus Cove, fifty miles
This island Is sixty miles long and fifteen broad
and has elevation OF 1000 feet. 1t consists of
six huge craters, from which many streams OF lava
have proceeded, uniting their bases. In the neigh
borhood Of Iguana Cove the scene was most extra
ordinary, hundreds Of small craters being IN sight
at time, some of them regular truncated cones,
others split and rent into fantastic shapes by the
eruptve forces, all black and barren and looking
as though they had hardly had time to COOL
Tagls Cove, our anchorage, is circular in shape
and surrounded by rocky walls for threefourths OF
Its circumference, soping down 80 steeply into the
spot where gulley, the bed of an ancient water
course, ran down to the shore.
Following this up we reached a plain, filed with
dry, thorny brushwood and completely encircled
by hills, not very df1cult OF ascent, and from
whose SUBMITS several superb views were OBJ
tanned.
ECCENTRIC FORMATION AFTER TIE VOLCANO.
AT that point there are three or four craters In
close vicinity to each other and arranged almost
frically the conc itself being The smallest.