BIRDS IN TRAINING 27 



it to the raft where their master stands. It 

 is true that they are prevented from swallow- 

 ing what they catch by having a cord tied 

 round their neck so that nothing large will 

 pass down, and so the fish would be of no 

 use to them, but still it is wonderful enough 

 that they should be taught to " retrieve " 

 in this way ; two birds will even unite to 

 land a fish which is too large for one. When 

 the bird comes to hand the Chinaman makes 

 him disgorge the fish, and when the fishing 

 is over, the collars are taken off the necks 

 of the cormorants and they have some of the 

 fish given to them to swallow for good ; these 

 are, of course, small and valueless ones, the 

 best fish being kept for sale. 



Naturally, the wild cormorant, greedy 

 though he is, soon catches enough fish to 

 satisfy himself, and then roosts on a rock 

 or tree till he feels hungry again ; but John 

 Chinaman makes him work overtime, and, 

 I fear, wears him out in the end, for it is said 

 that the birds show signs of old age at about 

 ten years, while cormorants kept in captivity 

 at St. James's Park in London, but living as 

 they liked, lived for twenty years. 



