362 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
cloud-fed vegetation of the hilltops. The guano produced here must be of sig- 
nificant quantity, and it is reputed to be of high quality. It is remarkable to 
note that this little bird was given first rank by Raimondi. 
The penguin and the potoyunco from their habits are the most helpless 
against ruthless destruction, and they seem undoubtedly to have been reduced 
from a condition when they possessed a much greater economic value than 
now. ‘The exterminating process still continues, as both birds are frequently 
killed by the fishermen and the guano laborers. The potoyuncos especially are 
regularly sought by the fishermen. They can easily be captured at night in 
their underground nests, and quantities of them are taken to be salted and 
sold on the mainland. If adequate protection is extended to these two birds 
it seems reasonable to hope that they would increase in numbers toward the 
former condition of abundance and again take rank as important economic 
assets. 
It is not within our province at present to speak of the other cormorants, 
another gannet, the gulls and terns, and the shore birds which are found on the 
island and coast. None of these species, individually, has a commercial impor- 
tance, yet it must be remarked that, collectively, they may add materially to 
the total quantity of guano which may be swept from the ground. 
EXTRACTION OF GUANO AND PROTECTION OF THE BIRDS. 
Under the existing arrangement, all of the guano that is exported from 
the country is taken by a single corporation, which has offices in Lima, as well 
as in London, New York, and other cities. The corporation does not usually 
work the islands, but has the guano extracted by contract, paying to the con- 
tractor so much per ton delivered to the vessel. Often these contracts, involv- 
ing only a few thousand tons, are given to native contractors. A large part of 
the export guano, however, is extracted by a single commercial company, which 
works now upon the northern islands. From this guano the government 
derives no present revenue, but the amount extracted is reported to the gov- 
ernment and credited against the amount of guano which has been mortgaged 
to the corporation for obligations of the government previously taken over by 
the corporation. 
The guano for the Peruvian agriculturists is extracted by a similar contract 
system, with the following method of procedure: The farmer who desires guano 
applies to one of the many individual contractors. A typical contract may be 
instanced. The contractor agrees to sell and the farmer to buy 600 metric 
tons of guano at 14 soles (about $7) the ton, the guano to give an analysis of 9 
per cent of nitrogen. The contract further provides that if the average analysis 
is higher or lower the farmer will pay an additional price of 1 sol per ton for 
each unit of nitrogen above 9, while 2 soles the ton will be deducted from the 
