494 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 56. 



The fact is that guano of the Chincha region is richer than guano 

 from the Lobos Islands when extracted. Paraphrasing a good prov- 

 erb, and speaking from the commercial point of view, a pelican in the 

 south is worth two in the north. 



The southern climatic conditions are believed to be adapted to the 

 pelican equally as v/ell as the condition in the north. The preference 

 of the pelicans for the Lobos Islands at the period of my visit is easily 

 susceptible of explanation. As long as guano extraction is carried on 

 regularly on all of the islands, v/ith consequent disturbance of the 

 breeding grounds, the pelicans will naturally confine themselves to 

 the outlying rocks, or to the larger islands (such as the Lobos Is- 

 lands) , where it is possible to take up new ground at a distance from 

 the scene of commercial work. It was a matter of observation that 

 the pelicans occupied a few outlying and rather inaccessible rocks near 

 the Chincha Islands and the large Lobos Islands in the north, together 

 with some outlying rocks in that region. There were, however, the 

 most direct evidences that pelican rookeries had existed on the 

 Cliincha, Ballestas, and Santa Rosas Isld.iJs, as well as on San GaUan. 

 Finally, there are entirely reliable statements that pelicans were 

 formerly exceeding abundant in the Chincha region. 



It was attempted to learn what amount of food the pelicans \voidd 

 consume in a day and what the daily production of guano was, but 

 the experiments were not very satisfactory, owing to the fact that in 

 confinement the birds would refuse to eat for several days. Each of 

 two birds produced about half an ounce of guano in the first night of 

 captivity. One of them, after fasting for six days, consumed 4 

 pounds of fish in one day, but later refused to eat and appeared so 

 unwell that it was liberated. The experiment could probably be 

 readily carried out with an immatm'e but grown pelican. 



On one island occupied by jjelicans the deposit was 17 cm. tliick at 

 the thickest part, and I was told that the island had been left clean 

 at the end of the preceding season. The islet covered about 1,225 

 square meters, but, as the guano was very thin in some places, the 

 total yield was only about 125 tons. With a uniform thickness of 

 17 cm. such an area should have yielded a little more than 200 tons. 

 The odor suggested a high nitrogen content. 



THE MAN-O'-WAR BIRD OR "TIJERETA." 



The common name, "tijereta" (meaning "scissors"), as applied 

 by the Peruvians to the man-o'-war bird, Fregata, sp., is aptly de- 

 scriptive of its sharply-forked tail which opens and closes in flight. 

 Jt is scarcely a common bird of the region of the guano islands, 

 having a more tropical habit. Nevertheless, they are not infre- 

 quently seen about the northern islands either soaring in lofty flight 

 or descending to pursue the gidls or gannets. When the harassed 



