33 6 Recreations of a Sportsman 



pluck, never once showing the white feather, or 

 ceasing to struggle until the gaff caught it, and 

 ever the harlequin; changing, melting, from one 

 glorious tint to another, it came in the first 

 large dolphin ever taken with rod and reel on 

 the Pacific coast. 



The fish was a typical specimen, nearly four 

 feet long, very thin, its head domed in a mar- 

 vellous manner; altogether a remarkable crea- 

 ture to catch with such light tackle, striking 

 testimony to the modern reformation in sea 

 angling. 



The beauty of the dolphin is a revelation to 

 the fortunate angler who takes it, and it may be 

 considered one of the rarest of fishes to capture 

 with rod and reel. Yet a number were taken 

 at Santa Catalina in the season of 1907, and the 

 beautiful creature has been added to the remark- 

 able list of game fishes of this prolific region, and 

 Mr. Potter's catch now adorns the walls of the 

 Tuna Club of Avalon. 



The fish is often confused with the other dol- 

 phin, also common in these waters, but the latter 

 is allied to the whales, and is not a fish, but an 

 air-breathing, milk-giving creature, generally 

 harpooned when it is taken at all, though I 

 have seen one taken with a hook and line along 

 the hanging kelp gardens of the Californian 

 islands. Little is known of the habits of the 

 dolphin beyond the fact that it is an ocean 



