1 86 Big Game Fishes 



" surf " of these localities is particularly interest- 

 ing from the fact that the young are born alive. 

 I have kept the parents of the species known as 

 shiners, Abeona minima, in a tank, where the 

 young were born. The latter immediately 

 "schooled," and formed interesting pets. They 

 fed from my hand with avidity, displaying no 

 fear, the entire school following me as I moved 

 around the tank, watching every movement with 

 lively interest. The young were an inch and a 

 quarter in length at birth, and were at once able 

 to care for themselves, the parents paying no 

 attention to them. As their name suggests, they 

 are found in the surf, feeding upon the various 

 crustaceans which burrow in the sand. 



A gamy fish, for a black-bass rod and the 

 lightest line, is the rock-bass and its many species 

 of California waters. I have taken them up to 

 ten pounds and found them gamy; but light 

 tackle is a desideratum, as while they are modelled 

 after the shape of the black bass they have not 

 the staying qualities of this fish. There are many 

 species, all found at rocky points, lying in the 

 weed simulating more or less the general tone of 

 the bottom. 



