are other islands which this fish frequents.

The island was bought by an Englishman named Banning for a sheep ranche,
and has been turned into a summer resort by his two sons; being owned by
Banning Brothers and Co., who claim sovereign rights over the whole
island, and have hitherto upheld them in spite of several legal battles
with the United States. No boat can land without their permission, and
the United States post-office is built below high-water mark. There is
wireless communication with the mainland, and a boat arrives every day.
There is a very good hotel, and the climate is most equable, neither
cold in winter nor hot in summer, being quite free from the sudden
changes so prevalent in other parts of California. Early in April I
noted the thermometer to be 64 deg. at mid-day and 63 deg. at midnight.

I found Catalina to be the pleasantest winter resort in California, much
quieter than the others, while there is always some fishing, even though
the tuna do not arrive till summer. Unfortunately, the tourists and the
tuna arrive about the same time, the latter usually appearing in June
and the former coming in July and August. Arrangements are made by which
the little town of Avalon is turned into a "tent city," in which some
ten thousand people are accommodated in tents. This naturally makes the
island for two months a very different place from what it is for the
rest of the year. Several steamers arrive and depart daily loaded with
excursionists.

The fisherman who intends to try for tuna will have to put up with
inconveniences of this kind, but if he arrives early he can employ
himself while he is waiting for the tuna to arrive, by trying for
yellow-tail, albicore, bonito, and barracouta. The first three are all
species of mackerel. The last named can often be caught in large
quantities, but gives little sport. All are got by trolling a small
herring.

The yellow-tail is well spoken of by the tuna fishermen as being for its
size even stronger than the tuna. It is fished for with a lighter rod
and 12-ply line. I shall give a description of tuna tackle later; the
tackle used for yellow-tail resembles it in general character, but is
much lighter. The fish is a handsome mackerel of a dull silvery colour,
tinged with yellow, which becomes more marked towards the tail. I saw
several landed of about 25lb., but did not get one myself. The largest
on record is 56lb.; from 40lb. to 50lb. is not an uncommon weight.