But although the islands of Peru yield an abundance of fish, it is as the centre of the guano industry that they are chiefly known. The history of the Chincha Islands, of Lobos de Afuera and Lobos de Tierra is especially interesting as it relates to the pelican’s haunts and the wealth stored on their desert rocks by millions of these birds.
NATURAL ARCH OF STONE AT HUANCANE, NEAR LAKE TITICACA.
CHAPTER XIX
THE WEALTH OF THE GUANO ISLANDS
PREPARING GUANO FOR SHIPMENT.
Whoever has made a voyage along the coast of Peru must have noticed the thousands of birds that flock in the neighborhood of the Chincha islands, near Pisco, on the Guañape banks, off the coast of Trujillo, and around the two island groups, Lobos de Tierra and Lobos de Afuera, west of the Department of Lambayeque. Sometimes, when disturbed by the steamer’s whistle or other unaccustomed noises, they rise in a black cloud and soar away out of sight, to return later, one by one, in an apparently endless procession. These are the pelicans of this region, the producers of its famous guano, which was, at one time, Peru’s most valuable source of revenue, and which is likely again to become a mine of wealth to the country. When one reads that “a hundred thousand tons of guano were exported from Peru to the United Kingdom last year,” it seems to indicate that the trade is of no small importance, even at the beginning of its revival. Not only on the islands named, but all along the coast, these birds have their haunts. From a distance, the islands appear sometimes to be covered with a huge black mantle, which, on closer examination, proves to be the plumage of the birds that have congregated on its shores, huddling together in an immense company.
THE HOUR OF SIESTA FOR THE GUANO BIRDS.
The return of the pelicans and the revival of this trade are of particular interest to those who have followed the history of guano in Peru. For several years past the birds have been coming back to their long-abandoned haunts in greater numbers than ever. The trade is reviving under the most favorable conditions, and the government has undertaken measures by which to protect the welcome visitors, and ensure their remaining permanently. It is believed that, by taking due precautions in the extracting of guano, so that the birds may not be frightened away or forced to leave their nestlings, the danger of their again abandoning the islands may be avoided, and their number may be greatly increased. It has been especially recommended that the exploitation of the islands should be made by turns; that a few of them should be closed to the trade for a number of years, leaving the birds in undisturbed possession, while others are worked, this plan to be followed in rotation; and the advisability of granting exclusive concessions for each island has been recommended. Under the authority of the government, investigations have been made as to the existing conditions, and the reports of those who visited the pelicans’ haunts show that the problem of prime importance is how to keep the greatest number of birds on the islands and increase their number without prejudicing the best interests of the government, the national agriculture, or the exporters. It is urged that the birds should be treated with the greatest consideration and care, so that they may be perfectly secure in their chosen homes, migrating only from one to another island at long intervals, and so remaining almost undisturbed in their habits from year to year.