132 Thirty-Third Annual Meeting 
and each cormorant may have filled its pouch fifteen to twenty 
times. 
A spirit of intense enthusiasm fills men and birds alike; and 
the shouts of the fishermen, the croaking of the birds, the rush 
of the mountain stream, the splashing and creaking of the pad- 
dles, the hissing of the embers as they fall into the water, the 
weird lights and shadows, combine to make a performance which 
a westerner is not likely soon to forget. 
Spectators usually go to the fishing grounds in a kind of 

CORMORANT FISHERMEN BOUND FOR THE FISHING GROUNDS. 
barge, illuminated by the soft hght of lanterns and well stocked 
with eatablés, which are daintily served by dainty maids. On 
the mght when I had this unique experience, the boats averaged 
800 fish ‘apiece, and the seven boats in whose operations I was 

particularly interested caught fish worth $150—a very large sum 
to Japanese fishermen. ‘he catch was largely ayu, four to eight 
inches long, some of which I had for breakfast next day. The 
highest praise for these fish which I feel safe in proclaiming is 
that they were as delicious as brook trout. 
