msnbos*.] SOLUBLE GUANO. 119 
also on account of the large flocks of sea birds which inhabit the isl- 
ands along the coast and feed on the vast schools of fish swarming in 
the surrounding seas. 
The first beds that were mined were on the Chincha Islands, off the 
coast of Peru. The guano of this locality was the richest of all the 
deposits on the South American coast. The islands are small, rarely 
more than three miles in circumference, and the beds were practically 
exhausted as early as 1872. Among the other islands which have been 
worked and stripped of their valuable deposits are those of Macabi and 
Guanape, north of the Chincha Islands, as well as those of Ballestas, 
Lobos, Foca, Pabellon de Pica, Tortuga, Huanillos, and many other 
islands on the same coast. As will be seen from the analyses, the com- 
position of the guano from these localities varies considerably. It de. 
pends on the circumstances under which the deposit was formed, such 
as the amouut of rain, the exposure to the spray of the sea water, and 
other conditions. 
Though the Peruvian coast is the most important locality for guano, 
yet it has been obtained in considerable quantities in other places also. 
It is found near the Cape of Good Hope and northwest of it, at Sal- 
danha Bay. It is also found on the island of Ichaboe, as well as at 
Algoa Bay, which is on the southern coast of Africa. The guano from 
these African localities has often been leached by the action of rain and 
sea water, but it is also found containing large quantities of soluble 
salts of ammonia and phosphorus. The island of Ichaboe contained 
200,000 tons of guano, all of which was removed in fifteen months after 
its discovery in 1844. 
Soluble guano has been found on the Kuria Muria Islands, on the 
coast of Arabia; at Shark's Bay, Australia, and at many other places 
in small quantities. The variety known as "bat guano" is generally 
found in caves, and consists of the dung of bats, mixed with the bodies 
of their dead, as well as with the remains of rats, mice, etc. Such de- 
posits are of very limited extent. They are found in many places in 
America and Europe. In the United States bat guano is found in In- 
diana, Kentucky, Alabama, and many other States. Near San Antonio, 
Tex., there are several caves containing large quantities of it. It is 
also found in many places along the coast of the Mediterranean, and 
especially in Italy. 
Analyses of soluble guano. 
(X Mean of 21 analyses of Macabi Island guano, by Barral.] 
Nitrogen 10.90 
Phosphates 27.60 
Potash 2 to 3 
[II. Analysis of Macabi guano, by Bobierre.J 
Water 30.80 
Bone phosphate 35. 50 
Nitrogen 8.22 
(593) 
