Abilene Weekly Reflector

HOW THE CHINAMAN FISHES.
He Trains Cormorants and Makes Suckers Do It For Him.

"Speaking of the natural instinct and extent to which the faculties of birds may be developed," said an old bird trainer to the writer recently, "perhaps one of the most interesting examples of this is the way the cormorant is trained by the Chinaman to catch fish. The cormorant is a very intelligent bird and is easily domesticated. They readily lay when captured, and their eggs are hatched out by chickens. When a Chinese fisherman has half a dozen or more of these birds he begins while they are still young to teach them to obey his commands, and to come to him when they are called. He next allows them their freedom in the water, where they soon develop their natural inclination to dive in search of fish. But as the birds invariably bolt the fish which they catch, a metal ring is fastened snugly around their necks, and this prevents them swallowing.

"The fisherman takes his birds out on a raft to some favorable fishing ground and puts them overboard. They begin diving in turns for fish. As soon as a fish is secured the cormorant comes to the surface to swallow it, but is prevented from doing so by the ring around its neck. The bird is then called to the float by the fisherman, who robs it of its prey, and then loosens the ring and rewards the bird with a small piece of fish. The fisherman refastens the ring about the neck of the cormorant and the whole operation is repeated again and again, until the bird becomes tired of diving, when another cormorant is put overboard. Some of these cormorants are so perfectly trained that they will catch and deliver fish without being restrained by the ring, and I have seen one bird bring to the surface as many as twenty fish, all of which weighed from a quarter to 1 1/2 pounds.

"The Chinese, who have successfully trained the cormorant and the otter to fish for them, have also taken the remora in hand, with the happiest results.

"Most voyagers in tropical seas are acquainted with this peculiar fish, which is known generally by the trivial name of the sucker. The distinguishing characteristic of this fish is laziness. Unwilling to exert itself overmuch in the pursuit of food, it has developed an arrangement on the back of its head exactly like the corrugated sole of a tennis shoe, and as artificial in appearance as if made and fitted by the hand of man.

"When the sucker finds itself in the vicinity of any large floating body, such as a ship, a shark, or a piece of flotsam, whose neighborhood seems to promise an abundance of food it attaches itself firmly thereto by means of this curious contrivance, which permits it to eat, breathe and perform all necessary functions while being carried about without any exertion on its part. It can attach and detach itself instantaneously, and holds so firmly that a direct backward pull can not dislodge it without injury to the fish.

"Several good-sized specimens of the fish having been caught the Chinese fisherman fits small iron rings to their tails, to which he attaches long, slender, but very stout lines. Thus equipped the fisherman sets out, and when a basking turtle is seen two or three of the suckers are put overboard. Should they turn and stick to the bottom of the fishing raft they are carefully detached by being pushed forward with the inevitable bamboo, and started on the search again. At last they attach themselves to the supine turtle. Then the fisherman hauls in the lines, against which gentle suasion the hapless chelon struggles in vain. Once on board the raft the useful remora is detached, and is at once ready for use again,"-Washington Star.