416 FISHING CORMORANTS. 



favourite resort of a species of Pelican (Pelicanus fuscus), 

 they may be seen in great numbers spreading their 

 silvery wings, quietly settled on the backs of the buf- 

 faloes, which are plunging into the water, and patiently 

 accommodating themselves to this incumbrance*. We 

 know that cows will allow of Magpies sitting on their 

 backs, and pecking holes in their hides, for which they 

 ought to be grateful, as the Magpie is doing the poor 

 beast an essential service, by ridding it of the grub of 

 the Gad-fly (CEstrus bovis), the sound of even one of 

 which will send a herd off at full gallop, with their tails 

 in the air; but as the Pelican's beak is by no means 

 fitted for boring into the tough coat of a buffalo, we can- 

 not account for the apparent satisfaction expressed by 

 the animal on its making this settlement. 



Of the voracity and capacious stomach of the Pelican, 

 as well as of his pouch, we have spoken before (p. 45). 

 Of this the Chinese take advantage, and train a species 

 of Pelican or Cormorant, called by them, Loo-fou, as 

 fishing birds. Mr. Smith, an intelligent missionary, 

 gives a detailed account of this mode of fishing, which 

 came under his immediate observation when at Nantai, 

 in China. Generally about the time of low water, a 

 boatman might be seen near the arches of the bridge, 

 with four or five Cormorants perched on its gunwale. 

 At a given signal from the owner, one of these birds 

 bounded from the boat into the stream, and after look- 

 ing about for a few moments dived to the bottom, be- 

 coming invisible, sometimes for two minutes, when it 

 generally arose at forty or fifty yards' distance to breathe. 

 After another minute the bird again descended, and 

 repeated the process till it brought a fish to the surface 

 struggling in its beak. This was a signal to the boat- 

 man to paddle his little vessel to the spot, where he cast 

 a net into the river, and hauled both bird and fish into 

 the boat. The bird, conscious of its desert, flapped its 

 wings, and by various odd motions sought the usual 



* MIGNAN'S Travels. 



