The way in which this bird is of service to man is in its being tamed and trained to catch fish for him. This used to be done in England and is still done in China. How it is done may be told in a few words.
The bird is easily tamed by the Chinese fishermen and is trained by them for its new duty. While being trained a string is tied to its leg so as to control its movements. Then small fish are thrown out and it springs after them. In time it learns to go into the water when a whistle is given and to come back when it hears a different whistle. After three or four weeks of this training the bird is ready for duty and no longer needs a string to hold it.
The birds become in time as docile as dogs and obey every order of their masters. When put regularly to work a small ring of hemp is tied around their throats, so that they cannot swallow large fish. When the fisherman rows out into the water the birds sit quietly on the side of the boat until they get his orders. Then into the water they dash and usually come up with a fish, which they bring to him.
If one comes up with a fish too large to handle, another bird, sometimes several birds, will come to his aid and help him to land the prize. Sometimes one of them takes a lazy fit and swims about the water, paying no heed to business. Then the fisherman shouts at the idle bird and strikes the water with his oar, keeping this up till it dives for prey.
At the end of the day's work the ring on the bird's neck is loosened or taken off and some of the fish are given it or it is allowed to fish for itself. Like the stork, the cormorant is very fond of eels, and when one of them comes up with an eel there is often a fight between two or three of them for the prize.
There is another bird on our list, the Albatross. It has never been tamed and cannot be said to be of service to man. At least I can name only one instance. In this case the bird is said to have been used to carry a message from shipwrecked sailors, telling where they could be found and asking for help. I cannot say whether this story is true or not, but it leads us to say something about this famous bird of the waves.
The Albatross swooping over the ocean waves
The albatross is a wonderful flyer. It is the largest of the web-footed birds, being four feet long and with a wing spread of from ten to seventeen feet. It seems to float or glide on the air rather than fly, hardly moving its long wings except when rising from the water.