Morning journal and courier., 1889-09-04

CT fisher, of the second grade, who handles four birds only. Between them is the fourth man, called kako, from the bamboo striking instrument of that name, with which he makes the chatter necessary for keeping the birds up to their work; he also encourages them by shouts and cries, looks after spare apparatus, SSc., and is ready to give aid if required. Each oormorant wears at the base of it's neck metal ring, drawn tight enough to prevent marketable fish from passing be- low 1t, but at the same time loose enough for it is never removed-to admit the smsll- CT prey, which serves as food. Round the body is Q cord, having attached to 1t at the middle of the back short strip of stifRsh whalebone, by which the great awkward bird may be conveniently lowered into the water or lifted out when at work; and 10 this whalebone is looped thin rein of spruce fibre twelve feet long, and so far wanting In pliancy as to minimize the chances of entan- element.
 When the fishing ground is reached the master lowers his twelve birds one by one into the stream, and gathers their reins into his left hand, manipulating the latter there after with his right as occasion requires; No. 9 does the same with his four birds; the kako starts in with his vollsys of noise; and forthwith the cormorants set to at their work In the heartiest and jolliest way, diving and ducking with wonderful swiftness as the as-
 
 of light. The master is now the busiest of men. He must handle his twelve strings so deftly that, let the birds dash hither and
 thither as they will, there shall be no imped-
 iment or fouling. He must have his eyes
 everywhere and his hands following his eyes. Specially must he watch for the moment when any of his flock is gorged-a fact gen.
 orally made known by the bird itself, which then swims about in foolish, helpless way, with it's head and swollen neck erect. There- upon the master, shortening in on that bird, lifts it's aboard, forces it's bill open with his left hand, which still holds the rest of the
 lines, squeezes out the fish with his right, and starts the creature off on @ fresh foray- all this with such admirable dexterity and quickness that the eleven birds still bustling
 about have scarce time to get things into 8 tangle, and in another moment the team is
 again perfectly in hand.
 As for the cormorants, they are trained when quite young, being caught in winter
 with bird-lime on the coasts of the neigh
 boring Dwarf Gulf, at their first emigration southward from the summer haunts of the species on the northern seaboard of Japan.
 Once trained they work we'll up to fifteen,
 often up to nineteen or twenty years of age;
 and, though their keep in winter bears hard
 ly on the masters, they are very precious and
 profitable hunters during the five months
 season and we'll deserve the great care that
 is lavished upon them. From four to eight good sized fish, for example, is the fair re- suit of single excursion for one bird, which
 corresponds with an average of about one
 hundred and fifty fish per cormorant per
 hour, or four hundred and fifty for the three
 hours occupied in drifting down the whole
 course. Every bird in flock has and knows it's number; and one of the funniest things
 about them is the quick witted jealousy with
 which they invariably insist, by all that cor
 morant language and pantomimic protest can do, on due observance of the recognized rights belonging to their individual numbers. No. 1, or stIchi," ]" is the doyen of the corps, the senior in years as well as rank. His col-
 leagues, according to their age, come after him in numerical order. 1ehi is the last to be put into the water and the first to be taken cut the first to be fed and the last to enter the baskets in which, when work is over, the birds are carried from the boats to their domicile. Ichi, when abroad, has the post of honor at the eyes of the boat. He is solemn, grizzled old fellow, with pom pous noti me tangere air that Is almost worthy of Lord Mayor The rest have place after him, in succession of rank, alter nately on either side of the gunwsle. If, haply, the lawful order of precedence be at any time violated-if, for instance, No. 5 | be put into the water before No. 6, or No. be placed above No. 2-the rumpus that I forthwith arises in that family is sight I to see and sound to hear.
 I But all this while we have becn drifting l down, with the boats about us to the low
 CT end of the course, and are again abreast | of Gifu, where the whole squadron is 1 beached. As each cormorant is now taken l out of the water the master can tell by its | weight whether it has secured enough sup per while engaged in the hunt; failing l which, he makes the deficiency good by feeding 1t with the inferior fish of the catch. At length all are ranged in their
 due order, facing outward, on the gunwale of each boat And the sight of that array of great ungainly sea birds-shaking them selves, Tapping their wings, gaw gawing, making their toilets, clearing their throats. looking about them with stare of stupid solemnity and now and then indulging in old maidfsh tiffs with their neighbors-is quite the strangest of it's little class have ever seen, except perhaps the wonderful penguinry of the Falkland Islands, whereat certain French philosopher Is said to have even wept. Finally the cormorants are sent to bed and we follow suit.