The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-01

dotted with these nest-like bowls filed
with dying fish of one TO three pounds
weight. that writhed and leaped and
futtered as they died.
But the most fun and the truest sport
was enjoyed by the fellows who fished
in the breakers. There were a dozen
of these men and boys, and they wore
rubber boots that reached up to their
thighs, and they carried long-handled
crab nets They stood about yard
apart and watched the swnsh Of water
beyond the breakers, where il shoots
upon the beach and thins out, and then
rushes back again to the sea. The
herring could not be seen on the in
ward rush. The water was too deep
But then the water thinned and began
to return to the surf line the herring
could be family located by the slight
disturbance they made in the soapy
froth on the water. In trying to swim
in too shallow water they exposed their
backs and showed a wriggling break in
the ''soapsuds."
The fishermen have trained their
sight till it is as keen as that of fish
hawk, and at the faiutest sign of a
herring the man nearest to il would
scamper through the water and strike
at it with his net. Perhaps at that
very moment a billow would break
right over the fish, and then the man
with the net would have TO guess
where it had gone, and to keep on
guessing and spooning with his net in
4. ~ l.
the herring or gave it up for lost
With astonishing dextcrity they often
scooped up fish that they could not
see. With even more astonishing fair
ness each man kept TO his section Of
the beach, without attempting to run
in on his neighbor. Scores of times 4
man would see u herring on his neigh
boris bailiwick, and would notify the
neighbor with yells and pointings SO
that the fish should not escape. In one
afternoon the fishermen got a good
wagon load of herring-fst and clean
and fresh as unpluclfed field daisies
The creporter asked what price they
asked for the fish. Fifteen cents
dozen" was the reply.
Fancy it, Fifteen cents for half an
hours active work requiring dexterity.
trained sight, and the muscles ofsan
athlete. But there were more herring
than the demand called for. and il is
question whittier all fetched as high.
In the meantime the ospreys. or fish,
hawks, that live in the dead trees be-
tween a mile and eight miles inland
wore attracted TO the scene. and they
tfshed all the afternoon over the heads
of the men. As hour after hour passed
there was nc time when one of these
heavy, big. business-like birds was not
numbering clumsiiy away from the
land to straighten his wings and f'oat
with the very poetry of graceful mo-
ton around and around over the wa
ter. With body level, but with the
neck twisted SO that the bird com.
mandsd the surface of the sea with one
bright eye, each Of these monarchs
Of the air circled swiftly overhead
Whenever q bird saw a fish the people
could see his body culver. Then be
folded his wings. thrus. down his head
and fell like . plummst into the sea
Under he went "a stone sinks. In
from Eve TO fifteen seconds he reap
peared. thrashing the water with his
wings, and usually. az he rose into
sight, the people saw Hsh in the grasp
of his talops, the fsh's head toward
the birds head nearly always With /
piaintive "tweak-.wsak" the big l
bird lum bered mp and away toward tina .
land and toward wife or husband wait
ing IN the nest Under ne circum-
stances will one of these bros eat or i
even nibble fish, but he carries IL TO 1
the nest, there TO let II be divided and 4
to take bis share with eont<nsneut