GUANACO 



2631 



GUARDIAN 



it is considered a table delicacy, much as is the 

 partridge in more northern latitudes. 



GUANACO, gwahnah'ko, one of the four 

 species of the wool-bearing animals of South 

 American that belong to the family of camels, 

 the other three being the llama, the vicuna 

 and the alpaca. The guanaco and vicuna run 

 wild, while the alpaca and the llama are domes- 

 ticated. The guanaco is a large and heavily- 

 built animal, with red, woolly hair, but is sure- 

 footed and swift and looks much like a camel 

 without a hump. The range of the guanaco 

 extends from Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego 

 to Peru and Ecuador, but it is chiefly found 

 in Southern Peru. It supplies the natives of 

 these countries with food and clothing, and the 

 skins are used to make tents. See LLAMA; 

 ALPACA; CAMEL. 



GUANAJUATO, gwah nah hwah' toh, or 

 SANTA FE DE GUANAJUATO, the capital of 

 the Mexican province of the same name, noted 

 for its silver mines, at one time the richest in 

 Mexico. It is beautifully situated in a valley 

 6.200 feet above sea level, 165 miles northwest 

 of Mexico City. The city was founded in 

 1554, and for many years was the center of 

 terrific struggles between the natives of the 

 province and the Spaniards. From a city of 

 100,000 inhabitants it has gradually declined, 

 many of its silver mines, the chief source of 

 revenue, having been abandoned as they were 

 too deep to pay for working. Modern machin- 

 ery and electricity are now putting new life 

 into the mining industry, and silver is once 

 again the most important local product. There 

 are also woolen, cotton and flour mills, and 

 manufactures of chemicals and silverware. 

 Population in 1910. 35,682. 



GUANO, gwah' no, a Spanish word applied 

 to deposits of the excrement of sea birds, such 

 as pelicans, penguins, petrels, cormorants and 

 gannets, which live in large colonies. When 

 thoroughly decomposed, these deposits form a 

 valuable fertilizer, possessing large proportions 

 of nitrate and phosphate compounds. Its use 

 as such has been on the decline for a number 

 of years, owing to the growing popularity of 

 other fertilizers. The islands off the coast of 

 Peru are the chief sources of the supply, but 

 the deposits are becoming exhausted, and 

 guano is being supplanted by cheaper fertil- 

 izers. The deposits found on the Chincha 

 Islands at one time covered the -surface to a 

 depth of more than 100 feet, In 1840 thr 

 Peruvian government beg:m exporting guano, 

 und the supply there continued plentiful for 



thirty years. Guano has been found in many 

 parts of the world, but it seldom occurs in 

 quantities sufficient to pay for collection at a 

 distance of more than twenty degrees north or 

 south of the equator. 



No definite rule can be laid down as to what 

 kind of soil is most benefited by the use of 

 guano. If careful analysis shows that the soil 

 is weak in nitrates and phosphates, guano may 

 be used to supply the need. It should always 

 be thoroughly mixed with four or five times 

 its bulk of fine soil before being applied. 



GUARANTEE, gairantee', an obligation 

 created by warrant or contract to pay the 

 debt of another in case the latter defaults in 

 payment. The guarantor is the person mak- 

 ing the promise; the person in whose interest 

 the promise is made is the principal, and the 

 guarantee's the person to whom the promise- 

 is made. A provision is made in the statute 

 of frauds that no person shall be liable for the 

 debt, default or failure of another un!< a 

 written agreement is signed by the guarantor, 

 or his authorized agent, for this purpose. In 

 the event of the guarantor being called on to 

 pay the debt an indemnity or reimbursement 

 against loss is usually provided for by bond. 

 If there are a number of guarantors, and they 

 are obliged to pay the debt, each must pay his 

 agreed proportion. 



GUARDIAN, gahr'dian, in law, the legal 

 representative and custodian of infants that 

 is, persons under the age of twenty-one. 

 Parents themselves are called guardians />// 

 nature or for nurture. The courts appoint 

 guardians when necessary. A guardian is not 

 permitted to reap any benefit fpom his ward - 

 estate, but must account for all profits. He 

 can invest the money of his ward in real estate 

 only by order of the court, and he can convert 

 real estate into personal property only by a 

 similar order. If he spends more than the 

 interest and profits of the estate in the mainte- 

 nance and education of the ward, without per- 

 mission of the court, he may be held liable 

 for the principal thus consumed. 



A ward owes obedience to his guardian, 

 which a court will aid the guardian in enforc- 

 ing. A ward cannot marry without the con- 

 sent of his guardian. He could not bring an 

 action at law against his guardian, but might 

 file a bill in court calling him to account. At 

 the age of fourteen, the ward is usually entitled 

 to choose a guardian, his choice bring subject 

 to the rejection of the court, for good rea-nn. 

 when he is entitled to choose again. 



