46 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



Reyes, and Mr. Baker are on hand, and the "tender- 

 foot" is photographed standing by his catch, as no 

 one in the Middle West, away from the ocean, will 

 believe such a stor}^ without evidence. While the 

 fish are being landed, Ben, the big seal, gives an exhibi- 

 tion of stealing them. On the opposite side of the dock 

 the big glass-bottomed boats, the Empress and Lady 

 Lou, are landing delighted passengers. Up the beach 

 is a large and finely equipped bath-house, where hun- 

 dreds bathe daily ; and in the centre of the curved beach 

 is the aquarium, where the anglers can study their 

 game before they go out, and see the fishes and marine 

 animals of the Channel Islands alive and in the environ- 

 ment of their choice. They constitute a unique assem- 

 blage as many are peculiar to this locality. This 

 zoological station has a much larger variety of marine 

 animals than the Naples Aquarium, where American 

 students go. The Banning Company, who built this 

 aquarium, permit accredited students to use it free; 

 various schools have sent their teachers and students 

 here, and the aquarium has provided schools with 

 specimens for study. 



Avalon possesses a charm that sooner or later in- 

 volves the visitor who has a love of nature in his make- 

 up. In the summer there are three boats a day from 

 Los Angeles, and the httle bay is filled with gay craft. 

 Now we see a feature of the life. The finest band in 

 the West gives an outdoor concert at the Greek theatre 

 every evening; and at nine o'clock the appreciative 

 listeners follow it to a large dancing-pavilion, where 

 perfect order and courtesy are the most remarkable 

 features. This dancing-pavilion is one of the institu- 

 tions of the Channel Islands, and it is doubtful if it 



