Notes from a Traveler in the Tropics 



335 



The region, however, is not wholly devoid of attractions for the bird- 

 student. An engineer, whom I met on January i, had just come down from the 

 Andean valley of San Pedro where, at an elevation of about 11,500 feet, he 

 had found a colony of Flamingoes nesting on a shallow lake. There were, he 

 said, large numbers of young birds. While Flamingoes must, of course, nest at 

 numerous places in the high Andes, from Lake Junin in Peru southward, I know 

 of no other breeding colony which has been definitely located. 



January 4, we reached the coast at Antofogasta and the following day sailed 

 for Valparaiso. After the lifelessness of the desert, the abundance of marine 

 birds impressed me with added force. There were Gulls, Pelicans, Cormorants, 

 and Gannets, and, farther from land. Shearwaters and Petrels of several 

 species. On March 15, when, homeward bound, we dropped anchor foi a few 

 hours off Antofogasta, the waters swarmed with the small sardine-like fish, 

 which apparently form the chief food of the fish-eating birds of the coast, and 

 the birds were correspondingly abundant. The fish closely approached the 

 shore about the docks and shipping, and the birds followed them. There 

 resulted a confusion of tugs, launches, lighters, and rowboats which supplied an 

 unusual setting for the birds' activities. Over great swelling waves we rowed 

 ashore through the melee with, on every side, Gannets and Pelicans plung- 



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THb DIUCA 

 (Abuut Iwu-thirds nutur;il size) 



