552 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



November to March, inclusive, it was 

 determined that the south island of the 

 Chinchas should not be reopened for a 

 period of years. The following summer, 

 1907, the island was visited, and it was 

 estimated that about 5,000 tons had ac- 

 cumulated. The island was revisited in 

 July, 1908, when the deposit was esti- 

 mated at 12,000 to 15,000 tons. Extrac- 

 tion of guano was resumed in March, 

 1910 (after closure for three and one- 

 third years), and the amount of guano 

 taken amounted to more than 22,000 Eng- 

 lish tons. 



BIRDS WORTH $15 A PAIR 



It is evident that a pair of guanays, 

 with their offspring, produce nearly one 

 dollar and fifty cents' worth of guano per 

 year, besides leaving their progeny to 

 continue the service in future years. 

 Since they produce this income without 

 expense except for protection, the fowl 

 may be conservatively appraised as hav- 

 ing a value of $15 per pair; and though 

 this may seem a fancy value for common 

 cormorants, yet the commercial returns 

 justify such an appraisal. 



It was found that the deposits accumu- 

 lated on the south island at the rate of 

 about <\ l / 2 inches per year, or nearly 300 

 pounds per square yard. A few acres of 

 such rookeries constitute a fortune in- 

 deed. 



Two other species of cormorant are 

 familiar residents of the coast. The black 

 cucrvo dc mar, or "sea crow," is compar- 

 able in habit to our eastern American 

 fish cormorants. They haunt the shores 

 and the piers, whence they make short 

 dives after fish, taking into their expan- 

 sive throats even comparatively large 

 fish. The nests are found on the rougher 

 outlying rocks. 



The patillo, or "little duck," is peculiar 

 among the cormorants of the coast in 

 living in isolated pairs, with homes on 

 the cliffs or in the caverns ; in construct- 

 ing strong and heavy nests of seaweed, 

 straw, or other accessible materials, and 

 in having a high-pitched, cheeping note. 

 It is sometimes known as the "chiquitoy," 

 or "chuita," names probably referring to 

 its voice, which is suggestive of a small 

 song-bird. 



It is a notable illustration of the adapt- 

 ability of nature that three species of 



birds so closely related as these three 

 Peruvian cormorants should m the same 

 general environment manifest such strik- 

 ing contrasts in habit. 



THE GRACEFUL PERUVIAN GANNET IS 

 FOUND ON EVERY ISEAND 



More pleasing to the eye than any 

 cormorant is the common Peruvian gan- 

 net, the "piquero," or "camanay," with- 

 its snow-white head, neck, and breast and 

 variegated back, its clean, elegant form, 

 and swift, graceful flight. Everywhere 

 present on the coast, it undoubtedly is 

 the most abundant of the sea-fowl. 



There is scarcely an island or a high 

 point of shore but its steeper walls are 

 dotted with nests of piqueros. Were it 

 not for this habit of choosing for its 

 nesting place the cliffs and more inacces- 

 sible places, the piquero would, perhaps, 

 take first rank as a commercial bird. 

 Doubtless in time, when the industry 

 is better organized, practicable arrange- 

 ments may be made for conserving a 

 large proportion of the fertilizer which is 

 now wasted from the abrupt cliffs. At 

 the present time the piquero ranks third 

 in commercial importance. 



WHEN THE AIR "RAINED BIRDS" 



It is always a striking sight when a 

 single gannet, after circling over the 

 water until its prey is seen, turns head 

 down and falls precipitately into the sea, 

 to disappear beneath the surface ; but on 

 one occasion the writer had a rare ex- 

 perience while passing from the Chincha 

 Islands to the port of Pisco in a fisher- 

 man's rowboat. 



An actual cloud of thousands of pique- 

 ros was seen flying over a large school 

 of anchobetas. Suddenly, as if at a given 

 signal, they began to fall into the water, 

 hundreds at every moment, until within 

 a few seconds practically the whole cloud 

 had emptied itself into the ocean. 



The air was almost clear of birds be- 

 fore the first had risen from their brief 

 rest after emerging from beneath the 

 surface. These were soon up again, and 

 the repeated plunges then continued with- 

 out interruption. Changing a little the 

 course of our boat, we soon rowed di- 

 rectly through this downpour of birds. 



One can scarcely imagine a more inter- 

 esting or bewildering situation. The at- 



