Four-footed Fishers.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 75

Four-footed Fishers.

When the cat's well-known aversion to water is taken into account, it is surprising to find that, in a. few instances, this <k>mie£>tio feline has allowed its acquired love for fish flesh toi overpower its repugnance to getting wet. The best-known instance, says Mr J. N. Cobb, writing in the New Yoi'k Tribune,- is that reported by Buckland, the English naturalist. A fisherman of Portsmouth had a cat ■wJiich bore the name of Puddles, and this animal used to accompany him on hie nightly fishing trips. As they neared the fishing grounds the cat would perch itself in the bow of the boat and keep a close watoh for the schools. As soon aa bhe boat would get into a school, overboard would go Puddles, to return in a minute with a fish in its mouth, and it would keep on until fishing was over for the night, apparently greatly enjoyed every minute of the time. A Lake George, New York, fisherman a few y-saiis ago owned a large black cat which used to assist him in fishing for trout. As ita master sat on the shore waiting 1 patiently for a bite, pussy would lie quietly by his side, apparently fast atsleep. Let him get a bite, however, and. lo! what a change. Pus*y was then wide awake, and rush-ad up and down the shore in excitement. When, after e-ome struggling, the fisherman managed to work the trout into the shallow water near bhore, in would jump pussy up to the shoulders, and, fixing its olav.s firmly in the fish, bring it to the bank and lay it at its master's feet. It would thsn resume its place beside its master, and dream away the time until enother trout was on the line, when the sport was repeated. The Rev. F. O. Morris, in his an-pedotes of "Natural History," miention3 the case of a cat at Aberford Mills, England, which might ba stsn at noon, wh-cn the wk-els of the mill were stopped, swimming and diving about in pursuit of its finny prey. A friend informs me, continues the writer, that while en a trip to Newfoundland pome years arro, he u:~ed to spor.d a great deal of his tirnc around th 3 £»h wharves and oui'ing stag-es. (hie day, while idling away time at ona of the piers, on which some men were dwssing fu»!i, he Kapp-sncd to look over the &iu-e, and noticed a black dog sitting on a rock that Tose several inches above the water. On observing closely, he noticed that th-a dog was looking intently into the water. The watpr was 1 6ft or Bft deep, very clear, ar.d as a piece of offal would be thrown ov-c-rbcard, every inch of itv? program to.vaiv.l the bottom could be distinctly follow td with the eye In anticipation of Ih-ct-c choice morsels, a number of seulpins had gathered, and as soon as the splash ani.cunood tliat a pi<ve was on the way, half a dozen of the fish would start for it. The dog would in-tently watch them, aiwi the moment one turned its broadside to him, he darted down like a fish-hawk, and id. a moment came up with one- oi the fish ■in his mouth, and, swin?\nsng to the shore, a few feet away, deposited the dead prize on the beach, returning thence to the rook. My friend watched for over an hour, and in that time sa-w the dog catoh 15 fish. The fish-cleaners said that the animal had b&en engaged in this occupation for several months, and on some days would catoh 60 or 70 fish. The dog never attempted to eat any of his prizes, but &eemed to be fishing purely for his own amusement.

.One of lbs fish-cleaners told of a- little terrier belonging (o an acquaintance who o.vne-d a, snooting lodge in Ross-shire. This co.g took the greatest deiig-ht ' in all lield sports, but ' particularly fishing, especially vvii-sn ha was tha fisherman. Largo cod used constantly to come to the shore of the loch, altra-c-ted by the 'offal there thrown into the water. Early in tne evening the terrier would take his stand on one of the rocks, used as stepping-stones for th-s purpose of embarkation, or tTie look-out for • ocd. Althougu. he gen-jrallj' saw them when th-ey were some little distance fro:n the shore yet, if tliey s&sm-ed to be coming pretty straight towards him, he rarely inad-3 any d&monstraticr until thej w-are well witnin rcarh, and ho had a fair chance at th-e-m. Th«n he went with a rush. There would be a tussle, a ' diving, a gripping, and a blowing, aud then gradually he- would emorgs, struggling with and dragging after him the unwieldy and reluo.-ant^fish. Sometimes the fish were rescued and thrown back into tti-o wai-er, to the apparent great disgust of tha terrier.