The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-12-04
ihE YOUNG CORMORANT.
He Tells What He Expects to Do In the
Way of Fishing-A Great Colony of His
Kind on the Danube River.

He Tells "hat lie Expects to DO In rue
Way of Fishins-A Great Colony of His
Kind on the Danube River.
Here | sit in my nest of sea-weed.
waiting for my dinner. You may call
me Tom All-alone, if you like; but in an
. other fortnight you won't see me on this
rock, for then ] shall he able to fly off
and provide for myself. You want to
know my real name? Well, I'm a cor
morant, and Am given to understand
that that word means a sea-cow |
d~aresay that is quite right, though can
not be said to bear any resemblance to
your old friend Jim.
l am fond Of eating. People say
that cormorants are great and greedy
eaters, and they are not far wrong.
We Kill q tremendous quantity of
fishes. and for that reason
are not popular in many To-
calities-inland places especially, That
is why, as a rule. We prefer to live by
the ocean, where our fnny prey are
plentiful. and shere is no n to COM
plain of our taking just as many Of them
as We please: but a case is recorded of
Of some of our folk settling in the mid
die OF town. and choosing the church
tower for their headquarters.
think that the cormorants may be
proud OF the way in which they sustain
the good name of the BIRD for INTEL
ligence. Though You would no ey-
pect us TO be skilfal at fishing for others.
see nc that We are SO fond of eating all
that we catch, | understand that our
Chinese brothers are regularly tanned
and trained TO fish for man. Tbs train
ino begins from their infancy. They
have hardly left the shell before they
are taken to the water and taught to do
what their master tells them. and to
bring to him the fishes which they
CAPTURE.
The Chinaman gons out on the water
on a bamboo raft. which he drives about
with a paddle, and each raft carries
three or four cormorants. The only IN
timat'on that the bird gets when it is
wanted to angle is 4 rough push off the
raft. Should it be unwilling or too
lazy to fish. the man str kes the water
with his paddle, or else gives the cormo-
rant a tap with it, whereupon it divcst to
escape the blows. As soon as it secures
& FISH it rises TO the surface, and. natu-
rally enough. tries to swallow Is VIC
tim. But, of course. John Chinaman
has no intention TO allow it TO enjoy the
fruits of its labor. How does he pre-.
vent this? Wise as we are. man S wiser:
and so the cunning raftsman ties a
string. or tastens a metal ring, round
the birds neck, which prevents it from
swallowing any but the smallest
fishes, The cormorant either brings its
prey 10 the raft, or else the raft is
swiftly padded towards il lest the fish
for the bird has often a tough
struggle before it catches q large fish.
a net is cleyerly thrown over the bird,
and it is hauled on the raft. The fish is
then forced from its grasp and pitched
into a biz basket, while the cormorant
rewarded with a mouthful of food. of
which it is enable to par,ake by the ring ,
being raised.
Sometm mes a bird will make an ut.
tempt to escape. In this case the China.
paddles after it and soon overtakes
1t. But in order to crush these efforts ,
after freedom. it is often the custom Ia i,
the cormorant to the raft. | have
that two of the birds viii QUAR-. Z
rel for the fish that one o, ,
them has caught. and that the unsuc- :
angler will at tines chase the [
more fortunate bird and try to deprive
of its VICTIM. This proves they are i.
of rivalry, and ever of JEALOUSY. !
These fishing exploits generally attract !,
OF human spectators, who shout u
put loudly at the smart pieces of angling. !.
nave no ambition to be q trained fish. y
r, for, after all. it is slavery as com. !
with the life Of the wild cormo- :.
'ah's. who can fish in the sea the whole :
Joy II they choose, and only for them
and her children. g