CHAP, xii.] THE CHINESE SPECIES. 415 



capable of being trained to aid in the capture of fish. 

 The Chinese Cormorant, which is specifically different 

 both from our own and from the common Shag, is emi- 

 nently teachable. The importation of a few couple, and 

 the exhibition of their performances, would surely be 

 an exciting event among the lovers of Natural History, 

 after the public were cloyed with the Hippopotamus 

 and the Snake charmers. And a recent clever traveller 

 gives such a wonderful account of the manner in which 

 they are kept and used, that I take the liberty of ex- 

 tracting it from the "Wanderings in China," for the 

 sake of, perhaps, drawing more attention to the employ- 

 ment of these feathered fishermen. A swim of Cormo- 

 rants, attached to a gentleman's establishment, would, 

 in these days, afford more likely and practicable sport 

 than a flight of Hawks and Falcons. 



"The most singular of all the methods of catching fish 

 in China," writes Mr. Fortune, " is that of training and 

 employing a large species of Cormorant for this purpose, 

 generally called the Fishing Cormorant. These are cer- 

 tainly wonderful birds. I have frequently met with 

 them on the canals and lakes in the interior, and, had 

 I not seen with my own eyes their extraordinary docility, 

 I should have had great difficulty in bringing my mind 

 to believe what authors have said about them. The 

 first time I saw them was on a canal a few miles from 

 Ning-po. I was then on my way to a celebrated tem- 

 ple in that quarter, where I intended to remain for 

 some time, in order to make collections of objects of 

 natural history in the neighbourhood. When the birds 

 came in sight, I immediately made my boatmen take in 

 our sail, and we remained stationary for some time to 

 observe their proceedings. There were two small boats, 



