110 FISHING CORMORANTS: [Cuar. VII. 
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 au- 
thors 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 temple 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, containing one man and about 
ten or twelve birds in each. The birds were 
standing perched on the sides of the little boat, and 
apparently had just arrived at the fishing ground, 
and were about to commence operations. They | 
were now ordered out of the boats by their masters ; 
and so well trained were they, that they went on 
the water immediately, scattered themselves over 
the canal, and began to look for fish. They have a 
beautiful sea-green eye, and, quick as lightning, they 
see and dive upon the finny tribe, which, once 
caught in the sharp-notched bill of the bird, never 
by any possibility can escape. The cormorant now 
rises to the surface with the fish in its bill, and the 
moment he is seen by the Chinaman he is called 
back to the boat. As docile as a dog, he swims 
after his master, and allows himself to be pulled 
into the San-pan, where he disgorges his prey, and 
