The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-05-11
FISHING IN CHINA.

The Chinese, among their many
original IDEAS, have some curious ones
on tile subject, and doubtless fish now
as tncy did "a thousand wears ago; ANT
though on the coast they NAV have
aioptud the generally accepted system
of o -lli 2 :, Oh the waite ; III tie
in eripv oI tne country tnev adhere To
~ methods peculiar to tn, ir own na
& ri-luethDd5 qua mt and eur Ous.
Tn lake and rivers Of China and es-
pee ,lIy ofthe nurtii, are SO ai,un a IT.
/, 10 .ked with lis / that in some pla
c.s he MN He'd catch2ro Mike
tIeir living bv ac;u liy scizing aId
drawing them cut with their hands.
The man goes INTO the water, a1d pro-
ceed5. half walking. half swimming,
RAISING his arms above his head. atu
letting them dIop, striking the surface
with his hands. Mcanw lille his feet
are moving on the muddy bottom.
Pres, n.lv he stuOpS with q rapid dive
and brings UP q fish III his hand. The
striking OF the surface was intended to
frighten the fish, which when alarmed
SINK to the hpltom then the naked freo
feel them among the mud, and once
telt. the practiced hand secures them
in moment. Catching fish III this
manner is of course Il trade in ITSELF
and the plehti!ul supply it implies is
somew lat explained Ivy the fact that
even tile little ponds OF northern China
swarm With scalr life. On the great
y ncpJ River the same principle is
used on q more extended scale with
h,tts aud nets The boats are ready
for the flow Of the tide TO take them in
crowds up the river, and when they
halt. The nets are thrown out and the
oars aul sculls beat the water with Il
loud spIasIing noise. Alter resting in
the same place for zen minutes or Il
quarter OF aH hour, they move on
again to another station, and there re-
peat the beating AMI >plushing The
noise on the surface IS meant Tor an
rlarin, aS in the case Of the fish catch
er; anI it is said th this moe Of
fishing soon loads the nets. Another
cIrious method employed hy the Chi
nese is GENERALLY practiced at night,
aud depends upon Il peculiar power
the water seems to- possess over the
fishes, decoyiug them to it and max
ing them leap. \ man. sitting ut the
stern of u long narrow boat, steers her
with pad,I.e to the middle OF river
and there stops Along the right hand
siie OF his boat narrow sheet of " hlte
canvas Is stretched; when lie leans to
that side it dips uuuer the surface,
and it it he Il moOulit night glcaus
through the water. Along the either
side OF the boat q net i fastened 80 us
10 form Il barrier two or three feet
high. The boatmsn keeps perfectly
stIl, Ii anotArr boat pLoseS 10y he
will not speak; he is only impatient
at the slight breaking OF the silence.
NulIe he keeps thus without Il sound
or stir, the fish attracted bv the white
canvas, approach an leap, ami would
% over tno narrow boat and lie tree ia
thar native waters on the other side
but for the screen of netting, which
stops them and throws them dOwn he
fore the mans feet Every one must
htyc heard OF the Fl hing cOrIno IN =,
which Is actually trained iii CH.nt 10
catch fish. \ man cakes out Ten or
twelve OF these web footed birds III Il
boat, and IL soon is the boat stops, at
AMI BERN at once searching for AID
diving after fish They are most dill
gent workers for If one of them il seen
swimming about lilly. the CdiuImun in
the boat stri KS Jhe water near the bird
with the enI OF long btmOJH; and, ,
not touched but recalled to Il spnoe OF
duty. the cUrmUraut ut once turns to
business again As soon rs Il fish is
caught word from the man brings
the birt swimming toward him. lie
draws it into the boat aud it drops its
prey irom its UIli There is ALWAYS a
straw or string t:el around the neck
II prevent the Ii III from being swallow
el. an this string requires the incest
adjustment lest it NAV choke the bid
II result which whuli certainly fol-
low if it slipped lower down Ou the
neck. The sagacity and workman
like method OF the birds are shown
when they get into difficulties. Ii the
f,h caught - too large for one huHil t.
secure. another co:moIunt comes ui
10 the struggle, aud the two with uni
ted efforts bIing the prize u the boat
On the rivers and canals near Ningpo
Shanghai, AMI f0n-c h0w-fuo the EN-
ployment of these oirds is 10y no means
al uncommon sight; but they are
never to be seen fishing III the SunmeI
months, their work being in The Vim
ter, beginning always about Octobe
AMI en'ling in May. The birds hav,
of course To be subjected to Il system
of training which is carried Oh in th,
cormorant breeding AMI fishing estab
lishmrntS, one Of which is at Il distanc'
Of 30 or 10 miles tiom Shanghai -
Chambers journal.