330 Recently published Ornithological Works. [Ibis. " 



follow, Mr. Murphy, Curator of the Brooklyn Museum in 

 New York, gives us an account of his recent visit to Peru 

 and its bird-islands, which he terms the Peruvian Littoral 

 Expedition, and which he was enabled to undertake through 

 the generous bequest of the late Col. R. B. Woodward, 

 a benefactor of the Brooklyn Museum. The chief objects 

 of the expedition were observation and research, the 

 collecting of specimens, and the obtaining of motion-picture 

 records of the life on the coast and of die Peruvian guano 

 industry. 



As is well known, owing to the cold Humboldt current 

 which, partly coming up from the southern latitudes, and 

 partly owing to the welling-up of colder water fi'om i)elow 

 the surface, due to the trade winds blowing south of the 

 equator in a north-westerly direction, the coasts of Peru 

 have a fauna which is quite unlike that of ordinary tropical 

 coasts, and instead of Frigate-birds and Man-o^-War birds, 

 the characteristic birds are Penguins, Diving Petrels (Pe/e- 

 canoides), and Larus dominicanus. In addition to this, 

 owing to the fact that the great height of the Andes, 

 extending like a gigantic cliff along the whole western coast 

 of South America, drain the trade wind« blowing across the 

 continent from the Atlantic of all their moisture, the coast- 

 lands of Peru and the northern part of Chile are almost 

 entirely rainless ; the result is that the guano deposited on 

 the islands off the coasts by the innumerable sea-birds 

 accumulates in great quantities, and has been a source of 

 wealth to Peru for the last hundred years or so. 



In past times the guano deposits have been worked in a 

 most reckless manner and were rapidly becoming exhausted, 

 while no efforts were made to conserve the bird-life to which 

 this valuable manuring agent owed its origin. 



Of recent years, however, a new regime has been in- 

 augurated, and the whole industry is under the control of 

 the government and of a company, the " Corapania Ad- 

 ministradore del Guano/' and very careful steps are taken 

 to work the deposits without unduly disturbing the birds. 



