194 SHOOTING IN CHINA 



geese would come in from the sea late in 

 the afternoon to roost in the lakes, 

 but for the past season or so there 

 have been scarcely any geese seen in 

 the lakes, and this may be owing to 

 the increased number of fishermen who 

 have recently been visiting there for the 

 purpose of cormorant fishing. I have seen 

 as many as a dozen small boats, each boat 

 with lo or 15 cormorants, moving over the 

 lakes from sunrise to sunset. I have also 

 seen large flocks of ducks and geese 

 hovering in the air above its waters, and 

 finally flying away from the noise made by 

 these cormorant fishers. It is impossible to 

 feel in good humour when such things are 

 going on in full view of the shooter. 



I have been on the lakes when flight 

 shooting was very good, but it only lasted 

 for a short time when the ducks were 

 flying in from the seacoast to roost, or 

 early in the morning when they were 

 leaving to feed on the shores of the seas 

 which are not far from the lakes. If the 

 shooter knows the favorite roosting places 

 he has only to conceal his boat in the tall 

 grass about an hour before sunset and 

 cover the bottom with grass and wear a 



