Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-04-15
HOW THEY FISH In ASIA.
A QUEER SPORT AS CARRIED ON
BY THEIR METHODS.
Think OF Fisherm an Diving Into the
Water for His Game-Man- Eat
Ing Crocodiles Looked on
as Brothers In Trade.

piscicultural sharp to writer for the
Washington Star. In winter they
dive for them. A certain species de-
during the cold season under rocks at
a considerable depth. They can not
be got with hook and line. and so the
fishermen go down into the water after
them. pIunging from a boat Three
dives are made each hour. and fire
is kept up on beard the boat for the
purpose of warming those at work be-
tween whites. Not infrequently they
come up bleeding from the lungs. and
rheumatism and skin diseases render
them disabled by the time they are 40
years old.
1t was the Chinese who invented
the wellknown plan of capturing
ducks and other water fowl by wading
toward them with u basket over the
head and dragging them under water
before they knew what had caught
them by the legs. Theirs is the idea
of employing cormorants to aid them
in fishing. You have heard, doubtless.
how the birds used for this purpose
have collars around their necks to
! prevent them from swallowing the
game they capture. At a signal given
by their owner they plunge into the
water after the prey. Whatever they
get is taken from them. and they are
rewarded for every success with bit
of fish small enough for them to eat.
They are forced to work very hard all
day long, but great care is taken of
them and they are nursed most atten-
lively when they are sick. A bird is
usually good for service until it is
10 years old. The cormorant fisher
men are organized into societies. the
birds belonging to each association
having peculiar mark.
''lp India also the natives employ
many methods OF fishing, which seem
odd to us. There is in the district of
Dude a species of so-called walking
fish" with snake-likc heads which are
often seen floating on the water as if
asleep. The people shoot them with
cross-bows. Usually they sink when
they are killed. so that they have to
be dived for afterward. In the Indus,
the Ganges and other streams are nu-
merous fish eating crocodiles which
attain length Of more than twenty
feet. Except when near their nests
and anxious to defend their eggs they
run away from human beings Of
fish they catch an enormous number
and it has been thought very strange
that the fisherman should not destroy
such rivals in their own business.
But they regard the mere suggestion
of such an idea with horror saying
that the crocodiles are brothers in
trade.
The man-eating crocodiles Of those
rivers are regarded as sacred and are
never harmed. Of late years they
have destroyed more lives than for
merly. owing to the prohibition by
law of the ancient practice of consign-
| ing corpses to the streams. 1t was
the good old way to fill the mouth of
the defunct respectfully with mud and
leave the cadaver to be swept away by
the current Upon such supplies of
food the great saurians derended
largely, and. being deprived of them.
they lie in wait to snap up living
people and cattle. Five persons have
been known to be carried off in one
year at single pool. However. the
country is overpopulated but one
would not think it an agreeable death
to die.
Tie Buddists in India have a hor-
ror Of eating the flesh of animals. be-
| 4 h..v IN ha inc OF
man beings souls; but they permit
themselves the luxury Of fish, usually
getting around the difficulty by saying
that the fishermen take away the
fishes lives land are responsible. On
thS walls OF their temples are numer-
Gus frescoes wildly depicting the ter
rible tortures which fishermen will
have to endure in a future state. In
these paintings fires are represented
stirred up by devils. who are dragging
the fishermen into the flames in nets,
hauling them by hooks and lines and
prodding them from behind with fish
spears.
There Is a story OF Buddhist
priest who lodged for some time at
the house of fisherman. The latter
had recently reformed and was pur-
suing another occupation. After
two days the guest asked why no fish
were served upon the table, and,
being informed that his host was with :
held by conscientious scruples from
catching them. he expressed his APP.
prevail in high terms At the end of
the week. however he felt a craving
for fish strong upon him and inquired
how far the tisherman's net stretched
across the neighboring stream. He
was told that il extended one-third of
the way across.
Z" If that is the case said the
priest, the fish have their choice as
to whether they will be caught or not
So. If they choose to be taken nobody
else is responsible. Therefore. you
will do right to try and catch some.
Accordingly the priest was served
! thereafter with fish. of which delicacy
he would have been deprived had it
not been for the wisdom which sacred
books had taught him."