A journey to South America

In 1901 Collingwood made his first long-distance journey. He was accompanied by his hunting friend Eddie Cook whose father, usefully, was a director of a shipping line in Liverpool. They left Liverpool on the SS Oravia. calling at Corunna, Rio do Janiero and the Falklands before passing through the Magellan Straits and then north to Valparaiso in Chile. They then joined a party to cross the Andes on foot and by mule to Argentina. where they stayed on estancia (ranches). Among a variety other game, they shot Tinamou, a sort of partridge, and hunted Rhea on horseback. They were away from home for six months.

Collingwood was greatly impressed by his first experience of tropical vegetation.

Awakening this morning, we found ourselves encircled by the beauties of Rio de Janiero Bay, surrounded by hills clothed in a dense mantle of vegetation that on better acquaintance proved of a most enchanting type. To be suddenly thrown in the midst of strange sights is always a bewildering circumstance and upon this occasion I was hopelessly lost amongst the many marvels of this tropical nature – the flowers, trees, hills, birds, were things from a story book, things one had read of but not realized. Certainly here and there a familiar plant caught the eye, but the recognition arose solely from having seen one or two of the species at home, zealously treasured by a staff of gardeners, who nursed them in some hot house or other. Of the luxuriousness of nature at this place no idea can be gathered; from every nook and cranny and from all conceivable places, plants of exquisite form grew; they were all perfect in their way, in form, colour and scent. No rank herb choked the roadside, no evil-smelling fennel polluted the air – every portion of the earth in its own way seemed absolutely perfect in beauty. Great blue butterflies that one knows so well in Steven’s Auction Rooms here flit about in real life and a hundred and one other wonders greeted me on every side.

Later, going ashore in the Magellan Straits, there was a complete contrast.

When we came to the forest itself, where the trees were alive, the progress was still more retarded for, I don’t know why, even here the ground was almost covered by fallen trees, probably felled by the force of some great gale. Every 2 or 3 yards we had to clamber over the huge trunks, held up from the ground by the branches, crawl beneath them or crawl along them lengthwise. This mode of locomotion was a very severe task, rendered all the more so by the spongy, boggy ground over which we were walking. There was a distinct paucity of bird life among these trees and I only observed two thrush-like birds and two parties of little brown and white creepers that I think were species of wood hewer.

At Valparaiso, Collingwood and Eddie stayed for a few days with agents to Lamport and Holt. They then took a train to Salto del Soldados, the furthest point of the railway and climbed higher to Portillo to join a party to cross the Andes. The crossing was not without problems – Collingwood lost his luggage, there was heavy snow and the guides were uncooperative, but eventually they reached Argentina and Buenos Aires where they again stayed with agents of Lamport and Holt, went to a drag hunt at the Hurlingham Club, shot and played polo. On 29 May they left on the steamship Luna along the River Plate for shooting at the estancia Martin Chico and through June and early July were socialising, shooting and hunting. Collingwood also shot and skinned birds for the London Natural History Museum.

     On 19^th  July, invited by Martinez de Hoz, they travelled to Chapadmalalm his estancia. The de Hoz family were (and continued to be) prominent in Argentine politics. Collingwood’s introduction was through a friend of Martinez de Hoz from his school days in England – he was very much an anglophile, introducing to his estancia several European mammals and birds primarily with a view to hunting and shooting them.

27 July 1901, Chapadmalal

Mr de Hoz, among other things, has a small pack of hounds, which he denominates harriers, although they are pretty willing to hunt anything from a partridge to a cur-dog, and most rarely the legitimate quarry. Honestly I do not blame the little hounds, for it is so seldom that they get the opportunity of pursuing a hare that out of mere eagerness they are bound to own to something. Hares of course are not indigenous to the Argentine Republic, but in the Rosario district the imported animals have increased so extensively that they have almost become a pest.

From the descendants of these imported hares, Mr de Hoz turned a number loose upon his property and these he hunts with his diminutive pack. These hares have not proved so prolific as might be expected and have wandered miles away from where they were enlarged and many of them consequently fall victims to the pot hunters. ..….

    …… Mr de Hoz had very elaborate fittings to his horse; bit, stirrup and other parts were made of solid silver and his native saddle was richly padded with expensive cloths – indeed he told me that the value of these expensive accoutrements was at least £50 and if appearance was to be considered the money was not ill-spent for upon his cream-coloured mount and with his handsome Spanish features he certainly cut a good figure.

Collingwood and Eddie left for England from Monte Video on 24^th August, again on the Oravia, arriving in Liverpool on 17^th September

Collingwood and Eddie left for England from Monte Video on 24^th August, again on the Oravia, arriving in Liverpool on 17 September. Martinez de Hoz gave Collingwood a beautiful horse, which cams to England separately. - he named it Pampas.