FISHERIES AND GUANO INDUSTRY OF PERU. 339 
To mention the most esteemed and important fishes:* The “peje-rey”’ or 
silverside (an atherinid), the most delicate of all fishes, is most easily taken in 
early or mid winter when it is depositing its eggs upon the alge near the 
shores; the “‘corbina’”’ attains a size of 30 or 40 pounds, and from its abundance 
and fine quality is the fish of first rank in importance; the ‘‘liza,”’ or mullet, 
and the ‘“‘lenguados,” or flounders, are also of the first class. Yet perhaps 
none of these is superior to the congrio (representative of the Ophidiide), 
which is not commonly taken except in the southern part of Peru. Nearly a 
hundred food species could be mentioned, but only two or three more of these 
deserve mention for special reasons. 
The bonito, though poor in quality, is, from its abundance and cheapness, 
the fish most available to the poorer people. The anchobetas (Engraulis) 
are favored by the indigenous Peruvians. Large quantities are preserved in the 
crudest way by mixing with salt and spreading on the ground to dry in the sun. 
They are then sacked to be sold at a small price ($1 the sack, more or less). 
This little fish of manifold uses is all the more significant because of the rare oppor- 
tunity it offers for the preparation of an excellent preserved product—an oppor- 
tunity that is not now utilized. 
The selachians (sharks, rays, guitar-fishes, and angel-fishes) are not in most 
countries accounted important food fishes. But they occur in remarkable abund- 
ance in the northern region of Peru, where they are freely used and esteemed 
by the indigenous population. Just northward of the Peruvian waters our 
steamer passed for hours through an enormous aggregation of various kinds of 
selachians, the great giant rays, and sharks of all sizes, hammer-head and sharp- 
nose. On one occasion, in December, 1907, the beaches of the island of Lobos 
de Tierra seemed literally fringed by the protruding fins of sharks basking in the 
shallow waters. 
The preparation of such fishes by drying them in the sun constitutes an 
important industry for the fishermen who frequent the island of Lobos de Tierra 
during the season when it is not closed for the protection of the guano birds. 
This island, unlike the others of the coast, is surrounded by sand bottoms favor- 
able for net fishing. It is only 10 miles from the coast, but about 70 miles from 
the nearest fishing ports (Eten, Sechura). The fishermen form a camp here, 
coming out with their families in balsas (Sechura) or balandras (Eten, Paita). 
All kinds of fishing are pursued, but the most characteristic is the use of large- 
meshed nets of strong material for the capture of selachians and large flounders. 
The skillful manipulation of these fishes for preservation with or without the 
use of salt merits special description in a later connection. 
@Peje-rey, Basiliehthys jordani, etc.; corbina,Sciena gilberti Abbott; liza, Mugil cephalus; congrio, 
Genypterus blacodes; bonito, Sarda chilensis. 
