352 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
The ‘‘rayas” (rays) are handled in an interesting way. ‘The fish is laid 
on the back and two circular cuts are made. The first cuts away the lower 
wall of the mouth and gill cavity, leaving this wall hanging as a flap on the 
left side anteriorly; the second cuts away the lower wall of the abdominal 
cavity, leaving this as a flap on the left side posteriorly; the entrails are then 
removed; a vertical cut from above is made through the backbone from the 
head to the base of the tail and one or two short cuts may be made on each 
side of the thick base of the tail; a series of cuts are then made across the disk 
of the raya, which now looks like a circular gridiron. These crosscuts extend 
to the skin below. 
When all the rayas are prepared, sand is rubbed well into the cuts of each, 
and the fish is laid in a hole in the ground. ‘The hole is covered with boards 
or mats or by filling with sand, and the fish are thus left in the sand on the 
beach for a day to let the moist sand absorb the blood. They are then taken 
out, washed and salted, after which they are laid across poles or logs to dry in 
the sun. Three or four days are required for the drying. 
With regard to the use of salt, the fishermen state that salt is never used 
on guitarras, but is always used on rayas; angelotas and tollos are prepared 
with or without the use of salt, according to preference or to the quantity of 
salt available. Salitre is used to some extent, but salt is considered much 
better. 
The waste products in the preparation of the fishes are simply thrown on 
the beach and the “gaviotas,” or gulls, gather in great numbers to eat them. 
The eggs of the guitarra are supposed to have a certain medicinal value, and 
are sometimes saved for this purpose. 
On the mainland the dried fish bring from 10 to 60 centavos apiece, 
according to the demand. Practically all of the ordinary fish taken here are 
salted, but at the time of my visit few fish, other than the selachians mentioned 
and flounders and mackerel, were being taken. 
Oils.—In the illustration (fig. 7, pl. xv), there is seen, below the drying fish, a 
turtle shell, into which has been thrown a quantity of turtle fat. Placed, as it 
is, in the sun, the shell is tilted so that the oil flows out into a can placed below 
the point of the shell, which serves as a spout. The oil is used medicinally, 
especially for dressing wounds of man or domestic animals, and also to take 
internally for troubles of the liver. Turtles were seen abundantly in this region. 
On one occasion I saw 10 heads of turtles thrust out of the water to breathe at 
one moment and within the space of a few yards. They were feeding on the 
abundant seaweed of these shores. In this part of Peru, however, the turtles 
are rarely used, as the meat is not valued. The only place where a turtle fishery 
was observed was in the south, at Pisco. The meat is there sold locally at 25 
