The Red Cloud chief., 1886-08-27
HOW CIUNAMEM- FISH.
Intelligent Birds Trained to Do
the Anglers Work.
An Aged M"n.Olian and His ~Cormorants
-Punishncnt for the Di>obe.ii-nt-The
Temper shown by RivaIs-I.ewards
for Making Good Catches.

1.-The Chinese fisherman NAV not get
quite as much exercise ont Of his sport
As you do, but he a give you big odds
and beat you ont of sight rs 10 results"
said a wcll-knOwn and much-traycicI
New Yorker, who is one of Il camping
party quartcrcd in the Pike County.
Pennsylvania wilderness, u few miles
from WcstbrOOk's. He had been
watching for a quarter of an hour the
wcll-intcndcd and Industrious. but en-
tircIy frniiless. efforts of the writer to
induce 4 pickcrcl or two to take a
fancy to his snowy ifnot magnetic troll.
1.-The Chimes. fisherman" continued
the speaker. sis probably the LATEST
mortal that lives. but for all that he
pond without a mess of fish biz enough
for a small army of eaters. More than
that, he never bats 4 hook. casts u
line, or drags 4 net. He simply sits
down in the shade. turns loose his
flock Of trained cOrmOrants. and takes
the fish from them AS they swim in with
them and place them in their masters
hand. 1t is one of the most inter
csting and amusing sights imaginable
to see the fishing cOrmorants at work.
l spent yer a year in China. and the
first time | cvcr saw i Chinese fishery
at work was on the Min river. This
was one day soon after my arrival in
that country. ] was stroiling along the
banks of the river and came to 4 bam-
boo raft or float mooicd to the pier Of
a bridge. noticed Il native Squatting
on the raft. and saw what ut first
sight thought was n number of ducks
grouped ut one end of it. They were
all faced toward the Chinaman. and he
was gazing steadily ut them. bending
over with his hands resting on his
knees. The sight was a curious one to
me. and l stopped to see what WAS 60
ing on. The man was an old fellow
with a hooked nose. long. crooked
fingers, and thin. sun burned shanks,
and he looked not y little like the birds
he was looking at. Presently he held
out his right land. palm upward. to-
ward one of the birds. 1t waddlcd up
20 the Chinaman and hoped in his
open palm. then saw that the birds
were nOt ducks. and it came TO me
that they were fishing cormOrants. and
that the Chinaman was about to set
the birds to their tasks. The old native
fondly strokcd the feathers of the bird
on his hand. rubbed his wrinkled check
along its neck. which he kissed now
and then. and talked to it in Chinese.
evidently in cndearing terms. The
bird showed much delight at the At
ien,ions of its master. 1t laiI its head
ON the Chinaman's arm. and rubbed
its bill against his face.
These mutual caressings lasted a
minute or more. and then the master
of the bird stepped 10 the side of the
float and placed the cormoran. on the
edge of it. The native then sat down
in an easy bamboo chair in the shade
of the bridge pier and laziiy lish,,d
his pipe. The bird on the edge Of the
raft dipped its bill in the water. snap
ped its jaws together. looked in a
scrntinizing mi up and down tho
side of the float. and then turned its
head and fixed its g!istening black eyes
ON lis master. At a sign from hin-A
slight wave of his hand-thc bird
quickly slid from the raft into the water
and disappeared beneath the surface
without n sound. and scarcely left a
ripple to mark where it had gone down.
The other birds remained motionlcss
81. the end of the float. with their eyes
fixed on their master i'm his chair. He
pulled away at his pipe. and took no
apparent further interest in the pro-
cecdings. The ccrmorsnt that had
made tho dive remained under the
water for at lea>, a quarter Of minute:
then it reappeared. popping almost
clear of the water As it came up. 1t
ieid a .ooi-Sizci fish in its bill. a fish