American Fisheries Society 251 



It is interesting to find the selachians valued as food fish, — 

 sharks, rays, angelotas (angel-fish), guitarras (guitar-fish). 

 The guitarras and sometimes angelotas are dried by a process 

 accomplished without the use of salt or other preservative ma- 

 terial. 



The only important shell-fish marketed is the scollop — crabs 

 are almost unused ; the spiny lol)ster is fished l)ut on a small 

 scale. The comparatively abundant green turtle is quite un- 

 appreciated, being scarcely used except for oil for medicinal pur- 

 poses and for miners' lamps. 



Guano. While the ancient deposits of giiano are almost ex- 

 hausted, the industry of the extraction of g-uano is not to be re- 

 garded as a matter of the past. Competent persons estimate 

 the present annual deposit at 25,000 tons or more. I cannot 

 now venture an estimate, but may say that the above estimate 

 gives a fair idea of the present commercial importance to Peru 

 of the guano birds, and I feel assured in stating from observa- 

 tions, that with proper regulation — ofi'ective protection of birds 

 and eggs from destruction, observance of closed season, and 

 probably alternate closing of islands, the present available an- 

 nual deposit may be considerably increased. 



By measurements, weights and computation, I have esti- 

 mated the deposit on the chief breeding ground of this island as 

 over 250 tons of pure guano. Guano extractors here now com- 

 pute that upwards of 500 tons of new guano will be shipped 

 from this island this season — and this is the least important of 

 the three larger islands of this. one group. 



The important giiano birds as so far observed, are in order 

 cornioranta (3 species, one imjiortant), pelicans, gannets (2 

 species). Other interesting bird inhal)itants of the island are 

 Larus g-ulls (two species, one of possible injury to the industry), 

 penguins, the "potiyunki" (a bird I have not taken yet) — the 

 turkey l)uzzard (injurious in the destruction of eggs and young), 

 and some shore birds. The only mammals I have observed are 

 the lobos, and, in the caves, small bats. 



