308 SHOOTING IN CHINA. 



ones, appears distended to a great extent, — in fact a large 

 fish only partially disappears ; he is swallowed head 

 first, but leaves half his body and tail outside, which 

 waggles about in the most uncomfortable-looking 

 manner. These birds were under the most perfect 

 control ; they seemed to understand their duties most 

 thoroughly, and to expect no reward. I never saw any 

 given them, and in fact they seemed to work away as a 

 matter of business. I don't know, but imagine that 

 very small fish would pass through the ring, and that 

 in this manner they received an occasional relish 

 and fillip to proceed with their work. The water, 

 unfortunately, is by no means clear in these creeks, 

 and the birds' movements when at work could not be 

 followed ; but it was a most interesting sight, which 

 I would willingly have come all the distance to see 

 without the consideration of the shooting. I had 

 once before seen a couple of these birds belonging 

 to a gentleman in Yorkshire, trained, and fishing in a 

 clear stream in Scotland, but he had not the complete 

 command over them that these Chinese professional 

 fishermen had; his birds, I remember, occasionally 

 came out on the bank, and the wrong bank, and there 

 disgorged their fish, or getting on a stone in mid-stream, 

 would do the same, and the lucky trout would swim 

 away, and no doubt have a venturous story to tell his 



