NO. 2298. THE GUANO BIRDS OF PERU—COKER. 457 



The penguins are active indeed for walking birds and step along 

 with quickly moving feet, but with an awkward movement of the 

 upper part of the body, and with wings hanging out like stiff and 

 useless little arms. When they have retreated to the back of their 

 cavern they make no further effort to run out and escape, but huddle 

 together and gaze stupidly at the intruder. They make a queer 

 twisting movement with the head and neck so as to place first one 

 side of the head toward you then the other, pausing a moment 

 between each twist. When the natives capture them they do so by 

 striking them on the back of the head with a club or with a stone 

 thrown at them, for their bills are too strong and vicious in defense 

 to make a close approach entirely safe. Once it is slightly stunned, 

 a penguin may safely be taken up by the back of the neck. Even 

 after an extremely severe blow they soon recover and appear to be 

 in good health. 



We kept a penguin at our camp for some weeks restrained by a 

 long line (pi. 53, fig. 1). When it rested upon the rocks above the 

 water, its round fat body and stout neck laid flat on the rock, its slick 

 hair-like covering of short close feathers, and its outspread seal-like 

 flippers, all gave it the semblance of a dimunitive sea lion. Penguins 

 are strong swimmers and, when free in nature, dive for considerable 

 distances, coming up only for a moment's breathing and each time 

 indicating theu* position by a peculiar cry, a slightly prolonged 

 hoarse note of a single pitch, much like the sound of a toy trumpet. 

 At night they are frequently heard to bray in such close imitation of 

 the donkey, that one might well be deceived except for the knowledge 

 that the vicinity is that of a desert island. 



The penguins yield a guano which is generally esteemed, and is 

 regularly sought, but, because of the greatly reduced abundance of 

 the birds and the conditions surrounding the nests in the deep, damp 

 caverns, the fertilizer derived from the penguins is deficient now 

 both in quantity and quality. The birds are frequently killed by 

 the fishermen or guano workers, who esteem not only the oils deriv- 

 able from them, but the skins which are well adapted for the making 

 of warm "fur" caps. 



THE GULLS AND TERNS. 



The most common gulls of the Peruvian coast are the large white 

 "gaviota," "cleo," or ''cau-cau," Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein, a 

 smaller white ''gaviota" or "sime6n," Larus helcTieri Vigors, and the 

 slate-colored "mat^o/' Larus modestus Tschudi. The mat^o was 

 generally observed south of Callao. The two gaviotas are so much 

 alike in color that the two species are readily confused at a distance. 

 At closer view, L. helcheri is easily distinguished by its smaUer size, 

 its red-tipped bill, and bright yeUow feet and tarsi; the feathers of 



