The Progress., 1892-04-30
HOW THEY FISH IN ASIA,
Queer Fishormen who Dive Into the
Water After Their Crime.

Washington Star In winter they
dive for them. A certain species de-
manded ia the market seeks shelter
during the cold season under rocks at
u considerable depth. They can not
be got with hook and line and so the
fishermen 60 down into the water after
them. pluuging from a boat Three
dives are made each hour, and "A fire
is kept up on board the boat for the
purpose Of warming those at work be
tween whiles Not iufrequently they
come up bloeding from the lungs and
rheumatism and skin diseases render
thom disabled by the time they are 10
years old
1t was the Chinese who invonted
the wCll-knOwn plan Of capturing
ducks and o5hor water fowl by wading
toward them with basket over tho
head and dragging them under water
before thoy knew what had caught
them by the legs Theirs is the idea
OF employing CormOrants 10 aid thom
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. Al signal given
by.their owner they plunge into the
water after the prey Whatever they
get is taken from them. and they arc
rewarded for every success with bit
OF FISH small enough for them 10 eat
They are forced 10 work very hard all
day long but great care is taken Of
thom, and they are nursGd most alteu-
tively when they are sick. a bird is
usually good for service until it is
/ IL years Old The cOrmoraut fisher
| men are organized into societies. the
| birds belonging to each association
/ having a peculiar mark.
In 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 wator 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 tho Indus.
the Gangos and other streams are nu-
morOus fish eating crOcodiles which
attain length Of more than twenty
feet Except when near their nests
and anxious to defond their eggs they
run away from human beings. OF
fish they catch an enormous number
aud II has been thought very strange
that tho 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-eGtiug crocodles of those
rivers are regarded as sacred and are
never harmed. or late years they
have destroyed more lives than for
merly, owing TO tho prohibition by
law Of the ancient practice OF cOnsign'
ing corpses to the streams II was
the good old way to I'll the mouth oI
the defunct respectfully with mud and
leave the cadaver to be swept away by
tho current Upon such supplies o
food the great saurisns deDeuded
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
wear at a single pool However the
country is overpopulated, but one
would not think it an agreeable death
TO die.
The Buddists in India have a hOr
ror OF eating the flesh of animals be-
lieving them to be incarnatiOns of hui
man beings souls; but they permi
themselves the luxury of fish. usually
getting around the difficulty by sayinI
that the fishermen take away th'
fishes lives land are responsible. Oh
the walls OF their temples are numer
! GUS frcscoes vividly depicting the ter
rible tortures which fishermen viii
have to endure in future state. II
these paintings fires are represented
stirred up by devils who arc draggin!
the fishermen into the flames in nets
hauling them by hooks and lines anC
prodding them from behind with tisl
spears.
There is a story Of n Buddhis
priest who lodged for some time n
the house OF a fisherman. The latte
| naQ recently IolOIuiCN duu "oo pN'
suing another occupation. Afte
two days the guest asked why no tisI
we're served upon the table, and
!, being informed that his host was with
held by conscientious scruPles fror
catching them, he expressed his az
proval in high terms At the end
:, the week. however, he felt cravini
for fish strong upon him and inquire
how far the fisherman's net stretches
across the neighboring stream. H
was told that it extended one-third G
s the way across.
r - "If that is the case, said tn
: priest. the fish have their choice a
{ to whether they will be caught or not
9 So If they choose to be takon nobod
/ else is responsible. Therefore yo
v will do right to try and catch some
d Accordingly the priest was serve
4 thereafter with fish. OF which delicac
a he would have been deprived had