192 



NATURAL HISTOnr OF BIRDS. 



"iMany aretlic ways usi-.l in this province for catching fish of all kinds in the 

 rivoi-8, lal<os, an.l canals; but none of then are more curious than tiie cormorant- 

 fishin-, whuh .nay be seen everywhere about Xingpo. Certain ,,laees are noted for 

 the excellence of the birds which are bred and trained there ; amongst these we may 

 name I-eiighan and Sliaohsin^. 



"The most celebrated place, however, is a small town called Tan.-hsiehen fifty li 

 northwest of Hangchow, the people of which are currentlv believed to'possess 'a secret 

 in corinorant-rcann!,' which gives them special success. 



"The cormorant's book name is L„ Uu, and the common name is i'u yiug ('fish- 

 hawk'), or YU ija ('fish-crow'j. 

 " The females lay early from 

 three to nine eggs, in the first 

 and eighth moons. The color 

 of the eggs is green, but it is 

 much covered with white 

 chalk; their size is that of 

 ducks' eggs. The white inside 

 is slightly green, ami the eggs 

 arc never eaten on account of 

 their strong flavor. 



" 'J'he eggs of the first sea- 

 son (first moon) are the only 

 ones retained for hatching. 

 Towards the beginning of the 

 second moon they are given 

 to the hens to hatch, as the 

 female cormorant is a careless 

 mother. The young break 

 their shell after a month's 

 incubation. When new-born 

 they cannot stand on their 

 legs, and are very sensitive to 

 cold. They are therefore taken 

 away from the hen, ]>laccd in 

 baskets filled with cottonwool, 

 and ke])t in a warm place. 

 The eggs of the second season 

 , , , •■"■L' not used, the weather be- 



ing too cold ; they are given away to children and be-r.r.irs 



"The young bir.ls are at first fed with a mixture,^ln equal parts, of beancurd and 

 raw eel s flesh cut fine. If eels are not procurable, the flesh of the Ilei yii (Ophio- 

 cepladu. n,j,cr) ,s used instead, in the form of s.nall pills. At the end ^f .-; n'onth 

 the down begins to be covered by the larger feathe.-s, and the quantity of fish-flesh 

 g.ve„ to them ,s mcrensed, while that of beancurd is reduced. A second month 

 elapses, and the young lurds, having grown to double their original size, are fit for the 

 market; a male fetches «:1 or *2, and a female half as much. 



"The birds are now fe.l with young fish thrown to them. When they have 

 attamed their full size, a siring is tied to one leg, the other end of it bein- fastened to 



Fio. ic. _ l-halacrocoroj: pcrapicMalM, I'alla*' cormorant. 



