296 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIU. No. 1370 



teetion can hardly be worth while. On the other 

 hand, if it is true, as represented by every one 

 who should know, that there has been a great di- 

 minution in numfber of birds, then — • 



3. We may hope that the protection of the Mrds 

 will result in a great increase in their numbers. 

 Before the working for guano on a large scale be- 

 gan and before the nesting grounds began to be 

 plundered for eggs and fowls, the birds must 

 have existed in a condition of abundance depend- 

 ent upon their food supply, their enemies and 

 their natural prolificness. New factors have en- 

 tered in recent years which have caused the birds 

 to decrease materially below this normal condi- 

 tion of abundance. If these unfavorable factors 

 are removed by well-considered and well-executed 

 protective measures, why may we not see an in- 

 crease in number toward the former normal 

 abundance? 



I think it conservative to say that the proper 

 protection of the birds means the saving to Peru 

 of hundreds of thousands of dollars ' worth of 

 guano each year. . . . 



We . . . may well plan for protective measures 

 that are intended to work progressively to the ad- 

 vantage of the industry for the next twenty years 

 or more. We want to see many more birds in 

 1915 than are present in 1908, and more birds in 

 1920 than in 1915; and this will not be accom- 

 plished by routing the birds from their nesting 

 grounds as soon as they are fairly established. 



The general plan of protection comprised 

 the following' essential elements. 



1. The admission of but a sing'le concession- 

 ist to an island or a group of islands in order 

 to eliminate the vigorous competition which 

 was resulting in utter disregard of the needs 

 of the birds, requiring also that the con- 

 cessionist, through a resident representative on 

 each island, should be held responsible for the 

 fullest protection of the birds. 



2. The closing of islands for periods of 

 years. 



3. The continuation of the existing yearly 

 closed season of months. 



4. Placing the extraction of guano for na- 

 tional agriculture in the hands of a single 

 company, which would thus " be induced to 

 plan for the future." 



5. Adjustment with the Peruvian Corpor- 

 ation, Limited, whereby detrimental competi- 



tion between the exporting corporation (to 

 which a considerable portion of the guano 

 was mortgaged) and the national company 

 might be obviated. 



The problem before the government, the national 

 agriculture, and the exporting company, is this: 

 How can the guano industry be saved to the fu- 

 ture? Certainly no legitimate interest can be 

 furthered by a continuance of the present unsatis- 

 factory system, with its sacrifice of the birds. 



I think the solution of the problem will be 

 furthered if we put the question in this way : What 

 system of regulation will result in the greatest 

 annual deposit of guano twenty years hence? 



It was a comparatively easy matter to offer 

 recommendations, but an extremely difficult 

 one to give them effect, because of complica- 

 tions arising from the heavily mortgaged con- 

 dition of the guano deposits, the inadequacy 

 of the current deposits for the use of national 

 agriculture, and the restive internal condi- 

 tions which culminated, shortly after the 

 recommendations were presented, in the most 

 serious revolutionary movements known in 

 many years. The matter of the preservation 

 of the guano industi-y was not, however, lost 

 track of altogether, and it is imderstood that 

 several of the measures proposed were given 

 effect at an early date. A later government 

 took up the matter again in a serious way 

 and enlisted the seiTices of Professor S. O. 

 Forbes of England who made a careful study 

 of the conditions and submitted a compre- 

 hensive report to the Peruvian government. 

 As this report has not been published it can 

 not, unfortunately, be cited in this connection. 

 It is evident that the protective measures now 

 in effect are based upon the essential prin- 

 ciples outlined above. The extraction of 

 g-uano for national agTiculture was placed in 

 the hands of a single organization, the Com- 

 pania Administradora del Guano, directly 

 responsible to and regulated by the govern- 

 ment. Suitable adjustments were made with 

 the Peruvian Corporation Ltd. The closed 

 season was continued, and the closing of 

 islands for periods of years became an estab- 

 lished part of the plan of regulation. Guard- 

 ians were put upon the several islands. 



