ECHENEIS. 225 



both near the surface. He then carefully reached 

 his hands under the water, and thrust a ringer un- 

 der the edge of the disk, which at once broke 

 the connexion. When he had secured the game 

 he then permitted the remora to run again, and in 

 that simple, though ingenious manner, it was the 

 most successful mode of fishing of which there is 

 any account, unless it be the cormorant fishing of 

 China, alluded to in another part of this volume.* 

 Interesting remarks on the remora will be found 

 in Capt. Couthuoy's letter to the author, under the 

 article mackerel. 



* Sir George Staunton, when the embassy was pro- 

 ceeding on the great southern branch of the canal in China, 

 saw the Chinese fishing on a large scale, on a lake, with the 

 cormorant. There were thousands of small boats and rafts 

 built expressly for this species of fishing. On board of each 

 were ten or a dozen of those birds, which, at a given signal 

 from the owner, plunged into the water, and it much aston- 

 ished Sir George to see the enormous size of the fish which 

 they returned with in their bill. At that place, they were 

 so well trained, that it did not appear necessary to place a ring 

 on the neck to keep them from swallowing the prey. The 

 master occasionally gave them a portion, by way of encour- 

 agement. 



15 



