450 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 56. 



and fishery industries appeared in the Proceedings of the Fourth 

 International Congress meeting in Washington in 1908.* Various 

 circumstances unnecessary to be detailed in this place combined to 

 delay, first, the compilation of the observations relating to the habits 

 of the birds, and, second, the publication of the manuscript after it 

 was completed. During the past few years other investigators have 

 studied the guano industry, but, so far as the writer is aware, no 

 report has been issued to cover the ground of the present paper.^ Its 

 publication even at this time seems therefore desirable. 



It does not seem inappropriate to indicate briefly, or at least to 

 suggest, some of the conditions under which the studies were pur- 

 sued, for, had more favorable circumstances prevailed, mvestigations 

 covering a period of like duration might have been productive of 

 more extensive and valuable results. 



Travel was sometimes accomplished by taking a steamer from one 

 port to another, whence small sailing skiffs were used to visit islands 

 that were 10 to 50 miles from port and upon which temporary camps 

 could be established if desired. At other times trips of 100 to 500 

 miles were made in a balandra, or small cargo sloop. In a few 

 instances travel could most conveniently be made by pack over the 

 desert. 



As one may have inferred, the studies were primarily economic 

 and directed at two related industries.^ In such a case the primary 

 needs could be met only by securing accurate knowledge of the 

 natm*al forms upon which the industries are based and recording the 

 methods of operation as well as the precise conditions under which 

 they were conducted. With only unskilled assistance available, it 

 was necessary for the investigator to devote much time personally 

 to the collection and preservation of specunens, to the mevitable 

 routme of record keeping, and to the preparation of reports describing 

 the existing comm.ercial operations. 



It win be understood that the conditions both of work and of 

 travel were not favorable to the preservation of so many skins of 

 birds as it would have been desirable to save. I am glad, however, 

 to acknowledge the cordial aid rendered by Mr. Robert Gunner, of 

 Callao, who, having started with me as interpreter, acquired some 

 facility in the preparation of bird skins and in other services. In 

 all, about 80 skms were saved and 30 lots of eggs. With the permis- 

 sion of the Peruvian Government, and by its direction, this small col- 



» Coker, R. E.: The fisheries and the guano industry of Peru. Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries for 

 1908, vol.28, Washington, pp. 333-365, pis. 12-17, 1910. 



s Allusion must be made, however, to two interesting papers by Prof. Henry O. Forbes, which will b« 

 cited and quoted in a proper connection on a later page. 



» Peruvian guano is indirectly but obviously a product of flsh. The birds in this case fulfil a fimction 

 comparable to that of the American factories that convert flsh into fertilizer. The operation of the birds 

 may in some respects be relatively wasteful, but the product yielded by them has the virtue of being in 

 a form more readily available to the growing crops. 



