Tombstone epitaph., 1892-12-07
FISHING CORMORANTS.
How the Chinese Utilize the Bird
 Getting a String.
| Pleasant and Profitable Psstime in Which the Disciples of CoDfueius Are Always Willing to En-
 

The Americans love to go fishing for sport. said an educated Chinaman to a New York Commercial Advertiser reporter. Fl wonder that some of the sports Of Long Island and its waters have not thought of adopting the Chi nese idea. which is not sport hut thrifty industry in the great rivers and canals of China. IL is valued at nail lions a year
 The Chinese fishermen who live iu hOuseboats in the harbor of Hong Kong and along the great canals utilize ;hc cormorant and train him inst as a >sttcr dog is trained to stand game birds. The corlnoraut is voracious fisher man. and the gullet of the bird i~ of a character that permits it to swallow fish of considerable size headforcmoS, He pursues his prey beneath the water like the ottCr.and the addrr-s with which he dives ard the pcrtiuacity with which he hunts his quarry i~ only cQualed by the rapidity of his evolutiouS under the surface.
 In his wild state when he catohe~ fish transverscly he rises to the surface. and jerks thc fish into the air. catching it in the right position for swallowing when it desccnds. R7veu0u~ a. the cOrmorant is. it is easily tanned, and be comes as attached and familiar with its friends as a chicken who scratches in the bread-trav. Col Selnr. au Enri sh of tioer who captured n ".'"--,'r and reared him in hi huugal,y. writes isa private letter that his oird, which ,.as a handsome cock. had got trouble somely tame" 1t would waddlc after him with its uncouth. inturned feet and sometimes would surprise him by alighting at his heels after flight of a mile and paddle after him to a meeting of the officers association of the regi- ment with the most absolute assur- ance that he had a right to go wherever his master went He cared nothing for the dogs and cats around the bungalow, and would walk in and out along the passages. a monarch of all he surveyed.
 The Chinese train and order the cor morant as the falcon was trained in medieval ages, not for sport. but for profit. They are kept in dark room on the junk, and are started to work be- fore sunrise. A small leather thong is tied around the neck so that they can not swallow the fish that they catch. The birds are then thrown into the river and presently dive after their prev. Soon a bIrd will come to the surface struggling with 8 big fellow probs bly, twice his weight Al n" crll of his master he yyill cnna '" tG. i'I''. bringing his booty, and is as eager to go after another as is a retriever co fetch chip.
 The use of the cormorant as fisher man dates back almost to Cnnfucius' empire. They were imported by the Hollanders in the sixteenth century for use in the dikes, where they made noble sport for the royal hunters of those days. William of Orange carried them with him to England and furnished great sport at Hampton court. Even before they had been known in Eng land, Wbitelock says he had a cast of them manned like hawks which would come to hand. These were presented | to him by Master Wood. who was the trainer of cormorants to Charles l. At the present day the bird i> bred and trained to fish and bring its prey CFCh "iIiicut d ie" h'NH>- The boats and rafts built for this especial kind of fishery have in coOps ten or dozen trained birds, and it is astonishing to see the size of the fish which they bring back in their bciks. Mark you,'' said the Chinaman. these birds may be thoroughly ac- climated in America. They are very common in the waters south of the Chesapeake bay. l should think the swells who go trolling for bluefsh or casting swivel chains for Staten island sharks would have lots of fun if they would only import a cage or two of Chinese cormorants. and dropping down on their yachts into the watcrS where the weakfish and the shecpshcad abound, take their fish in this way.
 Pigeon flying is nothing to it."