Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-17
FISHING FOR SEA BIRDS.
Catching Water Fowl With Hook and Lin
From . Vessels Deck

EAehANG koh Sea Birds.
Catching Water Fowl With Hook and Line
From . Vessels Deck.
Sc A FAvORITE SPORT IN THE WATERS
"A Of the southern hemisphere is fishing
for sea Birds" said Mr.. Frederic A. Lucas to
STAR writer. Birds that will take hook
abound in the vicinity of Cape Horn and the
Cape Of Good Hope. They include q few
species Of albatrosses and petrels. Most inn
portant among them is the great wandering
albatross. whose mighty size and cautious be.
havior make his capture the browning triumph
Of the avian angler.
ut is commonly stated that the albatross
takes bait readily. but. although this may
have formerly been true, it is now a misleading
statement. The bird has undoubtedly learned
wisdom by experience. and. just as the grizzly
bear Is said to have become more timid since
the introduction of improved rifles, 80, year by
year, the albatross has grown more and more
listrustful of anything with line attached to
1t. During four voyages found that only the
younger birds could be caught easily, the
yeariings most readily; those two years old less
80, and 30 on, the difficulty increasing with age
Like other sea birds. albatrosses can be
most easily enticed into biting during stormy
weather, when. having been prevented for days
the pangs OF hunger overcome their natural
distrnst. This bird has a deliberate way that
accords well with his great size and the gravity
OF his courtenance When a bait is spied he
does not hasten to gobble it like greedy little
Cape pigeon. but usually takes a commemorative
swoop around before settling down to inspect
the tempting morsel II the investigation
proves satisfactory he may condescend to bite
HOW THE FISHING is DONE.
'The fishing is done with line made Of three
or more lines fastened end to end. To the hook
morsel Of fat pork is fastened, and the bait
floats stationary on the water, while the cord is
paid out rapidly to keep it so. Presently how
ever, the progress Of the vessel brings the line
to its end and the piece of pork is suddenly
pick 1t up. Then the huge fowl will sit in the
water for five minutes perhaps before rising to
follow the ship, possibly going through the
same performance time and time again.
should the albatross grab the scrap Of pork
before it is jerked away and find himself hooked
he sits upright in the water. with his big
webbed feet thrust forward. and beating the
waves vigorously with his wings, trying to free
himself. Tho strain of such u bird pulling at
the end of a hundred and Fifty feet Of line is
tremendous. but SO long as he pursues these
tactics his capture is pretty we'll assured. For
he is not hooked, in the ordinary sense Of the
word. but is simply held by the hook catching
in the curved bill. So long. therefore, as the
strain on the line is steady the hook will hold:
once siackened it drops by its own weight, and
II, as sometimes happens, the bird flies toward
the vessel he is soon free. Like most sea birds,
the albatross cannot take fight in the air from
a ships deck, but waddles abont as helpless as
II its wings were clipped. 1t sometimes weighs
more than twenty pounds, and have been
told Of specimens which measured fifteen feet
from tip to tip.
FISHING FOR PETRELs.
ut is great sport at times fishing for petrels
of Cape Horn. Most knowing of them all is
the so-called cape hem Birds of this species
will rarely touch bait on the end of a line.
although they will pick up loose pieces of fat
pork that are thrown to them very readily
Other kinds will take the hook. but will inva-
riably escape by reversing the tactics Of the
albatross and flying townrd the ship. Inas-
much as it is impossible to pull in line as fast
as bird can fly, the hook always drops from
the beak. Other varieties, however, are not SO
Intelligent and are readily taken.
1.-The cape pigeons of the Horn are always
hungry, and II Is an easy matter to capture any
number Of them that may be desired. After
parboiling they make very fair potpie. These
birds have very disagreeable habit of vomit-
ing up when seized thick, oily and i'll smell
ing liquid. They particularly delight in gath
ering around the contents Of the cook swiii
pail, even if there be nothing but dish water in
that receptacle.
MOTHER cAnEY's CHICKENS.
Least in size Of all the petrels are the Mother
Carey's chickens, never arrest but rpetually
iuttering over the water. The best way to
catch them Is to fasten to the end OF spool Of
stout black thread a bit of wood. lust largo
enough to make n drag that will keep the
thread taut when towed behind q vessel. To
this attach at intervals Of from four to six feet
threads with small hooks or bent pins at the
ends, graduating the lengths according to the
distance they will be from the drag. These
will hang from the main thread like droppers
from q leader, and the little petrels flying to
and fro in the vessels wake will sooner or later
| strike some Of the threads and become entan-
gled.
''The question has been often raised whether
the birds seen in q ships wake are the same
day after day. while it may be SO, it is doubt
full ii they are. Contrary to what might be
supposed. 1t is during Gains that birds become
detached from the ship they may have been
following, At such times the albatross
Is especially given to resting upon the water,
from which 1t caunot rise without much Tapping
Of wings and splashing, as 1t runs along the
surface until 1t has acquired the necessary
momentum to start upon its customary grace
full flight The smaller birds follow the ex-
ample OF their larger relatives, and, scattered
here and there by twos and threes, alternately
quarrel and preen their plumage until the
breeze springs up. With the coming Of the
wind everything once more starts into renewed
| activity"
A Revenue Raid.
From the Atlanta Constitution.