Fishing in the Air 71 



organ with which these fishes shove themselves along the 

 surface of the sea. 



I have in vain attempted to hook the large California flying 

 fish. As these lines are written, I have just returned from 

 the island of San Clemente, where, as the guest of Commo- 

 dore Sinclair of the South Coast Yacht Club, on the " Lur- 

 line," I was fortunate in witnessing with others a remark- 

 able aerial flight of these fishes. We were running slowly 

 down the coast of the island, fishing for the fine yellowtail 

 of these waters, a fish which averages seventeen pounds, and 

 occasionally reaches seventy. The fish were biting fast and 

 furiously, and the reels were constantly singing a brazen 

 barcarole, as the fishes rushed away in the impetuous man- 

 ner which has miade them famous. Suddenly between our 

 yacht and the sea, anywhere from fifty to one hundred flying 

 fishes went into the air like grasshoppers in a Kansas pas- 

 ture. The school had been charged by the yellowtails, and 

 the flying fish rose so suddenly, and came on with such im- 

 petuosity that we were for a moment amazed. I was pos- 

 itive that the big leaping tunas had arrived, and having had 

 previous experiences with flying fishes, shouted to my com- 

 panions to look out for their heads ; as I held my rod before 

 my glasses as a barricade, I saw the most remarkable flight 

 of these fishes I had ever witnessed. Imagine scores of sil- 

 very blue-backed arrows, weighing about a pound and a 

 half, eighteen inches long, with four wings spread as aero- 

 planes, the front pair with a square surface of nearly 

 sixty inches, the smaller ones or ventral fins, of about ten 

 inches. Imagine these animated projectiles fleeing from 

 their enemies coming at the boat two or three feet 

 above the surface, and some idea of the situation can be 

 realized. 



The air seemed to be filled with gigantic big-eyed dragon- 

 flies. One of them to save itself deliberately turned a som- 

 ersault, dropping within a foot or so of the launch. One 

 passed over it, another struck it and others again went 



