The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-31
FISH HUNTING.
How the Chinese Employ the cormorant
In Eiahing.

In Fishing.
In this case it is not first catch 70 ur
fish," but first catch your hunter-who
is clothed in suit of feathers, and OBJ
jects very much to being caught The
Chinese, among their many ingenious
arts, originated the idea of fishing, or
rather hunting fish, with cormorants;
| and the queer fishermen, dressed in
changeable and emerald-green, troop
forth after their master, as matter Of
course, to the stream where his boat is
moored The edge of the cormorant's
bill is like a saw, so that, once seized,
the fish cannot drop out, and an India
rubber band around the birds neck
prevents it from dropping in and being
swallowed
they were made on purpose to fish for
their masters, and they seldom waste
their time or attempt to feast on their
prey. Having plunged into the water
and seized a fish, the successful bird
utters peculiar cry and returns to the
boat with his prize If the fish is too
| large for him to manage it alone, his
companions will hasten to his assist
ance, and help him to 'land' it at their
masters feet 1t is comfort to know
that on returning from days toll
these faithful birds are relieved from
their neckbands and rewarded with
generous supper.
From China this novel method of fish.
ing was introduced into England for
the amusement of King James l., who
set up very expensive establishment
for his cormorants, which was SO rigid
~ guarded that no one was allowed
even to look at them except at the
keepers most EXTREMIST peril" But
catching the British cormorant is much
harder than catching the fish. as these
birds invariably set up housekeeping
on the shelving prec;pices OF the most
out-of-the-way islands They evident
ly know nothing of ''home decoration"
for their nests of moss. seaweed and
sticks are all huddled together, and the
unpleasant-looking infants that occupy
them are Unsuitable in their cries for
food. In one day they will devour more
than their own weight, and "a perfect
cormorant' has come to signify a greedy
absorber of any kind.
In spite of this falling. however, hunt
ers will take both trouble and risk to
secure the young birds, who scramble
out of their nests on the first alarm,
and make their way quite rapidly on
their huge legs and feet. aided
by holding on with their beaks to
every rocky projection, until they are
huddled in pile in, some hospitable
crevice, where the most desirable posi-
ton is the lowest layer of all But moth
ing avails against their determined cap
tor, who can climb almost anywhere
with the help of a long rope of sailed
cow-hide, and who has only to signal
his companions above to pull him up
when his errand is accomplished.
This fishing cormorant is not SO hand
some as the Chinese species, having
dusky and ash-colored plumage with a
not very clear white underneath, and it
weighs seven or eight pounds. If al
lowed to enter house, the cormorant
makes himself perfectly at home, and
evidently acts under the impression
that his presence must be welcome
everywhere. He never appears to the
same advantage as when engaged in
his natural calling, and it is very inter-
esting to watch his motions in some
clear streamlet, where his first
prize will probably be a crimson
spotted trout Here every move
ment can be seen as he swims
about and dives for his prey. the fright
ened fish doubling continually and try
ing to hide behind anything that offers.
But there is no escape from that dread
full bill with it's saw attachment, and
after few turns the victim is secured
in the pouch beneath it.
From three to six cormorants will &C
ccomplish lively mornings work, and
their performances afford great enter
tainment TO the visitors who may be
staying with their owner. Not the
least interesting part is to see the
readiness to give up the fish, when it is
caught, for the slighter reward of
minnow or a small eel from box of
similar refreshments that have been
brought for this purpose.
But when these experienced hunters,
instead of bringing up fish would much
prefer being let alone. after diving once
or twice and looking about them, begin
to beat the water with their wings and
wash themselves, the spectators reluct-
family conclude that there are no FISH
in the pond or stream -Harper's Young