A Sportsman 311 



more squid than anything else. It is a repulsive- 

 looking object, yet is accounted by many of the Portu- 

 guese and Italian fishermen as a great delicacy, and 

 is served up fried in some of the San Francisco res- 

 taurants. By the Chinese it is considered very good, 

 and until late years, when the fish commissioners have 

 forbid it being taken with nets, was hauled in and 

 dried by the hundreds of tons and shipped to China, 

 where it was accounted a leading luxury. 



The objections of the fish commissioners were not 

 founded upon a fear of diminishing the supply, but 

 more from the general protests of residents about the 

 Chinese coast fishing grounds, as the odor from acres 

 of sun-dried squid was particularly offensive. 



The method of securing the squid followed by the 

 Chinese was by netting at night. The squid was 

 attracted by displaying lights from boats, about which 

 the squid would cluster, whereupon other boats would 

 circulate around with large purse nets, and secure 

 immense hauls. 



I have seen these squid stretched out on the surface 

 of the sea for over half a mile in length, and over- 

 cast by such clouds of muirs, shags and various fish- 

 eating birds as to be uncountable, and I have often 

 estimated as many as ten thousand birds of this 

 character on and hovering about a single field of squid. 

 Some of these birds will gorge so thoroughly as to be 

 incapable of flight, and if pursued in a boat can be 

 knocked over with an oar, and when pursued will 

 often disgorge as followed until they are able to rise 

 from the water. 



On my first excursion out, from an early hour until 

 10 o'clock I was very fortunate in taking in eleven 



