“The very best, the very best,” agreed Antoine. “The gannet is a relative of the cormorant, and you know the Chinese train the cormorants to go and fish for them.”
“And bring back the fish?”
“Yes, yes.”
“I should think the cormorant would eat the fish himself.”
“No, no, he cannot. The Chinese put a ring around the bottom of his neck so that he cannot swallow.”
“That’s a great scheme,” the boy commented. “But why doesn’t the cormorant fly away?”
“He is trained. Why doesn’t your dog run away?”
“Training, I guess,” agreed Perry after a moment’s pause. “But a big bird seems different, somehow. How do they train them, Antoine?”
“This way. They take the eggs of the cormorant, and set them to hatch under a hen.”
“The ordinary hen—” interrupted the boy.