SIGNPOSTS OF THE OCEAN 



war bird pounces on it before it reaches the water. There are 

 five different varieties of frigate birds. 



The albatrosses also are fascinating to watch. Large and 

 beautiful birds, they have guided me to many a swordfish. 

 There are thirteen different albatrosses in the family. 



Shearwaters are another species that the angler should ob- 

 serve. They always seem to know where the fish are. And 

 the tiny petrels, small as they are, should be carefully studied. 

 These little birds, called "Mother Carey's chickens," often- 

 times feed on oil that comes from a school of fish which can- 

 not be seen with the human eye. Petrels are extraordinarily 

 interesting marine birds. The pinado petrel of Peru and Chile 

 is one of the most interesting. 



The only place I have fished where I have never seen any 

 of the many members of the cormorant family— of which 

 there are twenty-nine in number— has been in the Hawaiian 

 Islands. None of these birds has ever led me to fish. Off the 

 Peruvian coast I have seen the guano, or Humboldt cor- 

 morant, flying single file in a line that must have been twenty 

 miles long at a height of about fifteen feet above the water. 

 This cormorant has a white breast and is the best looking of 

 the family— if that is any compliment— and this is the guano 

 bird of the west coast of South America. It is protected by 

 the Chilean and Peruvian governments because of yielding 

 this valuable product. 



So, if you want a tip, learn all about the birds of the sea and 

 their habits in the vicinity of where you intend to fish. Talk 

 to commercial fishermen and baymen about the birds and 

 their actions over the various species of fish. They know them 

 better than anyone else. Aiembers of the Coast Guard patrol- 

 ling our beaches are also excellent sources of information. 



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