348 Big Game Fishes 



venturing beyond these lines, but rarely if ever 

 seen inshore. There is a single genus and but 

 two species, the one described, C. hippurus, a 

 large, powerful fish, attaining the length of six 

 feet, and C. equisetis, from two to three feet. 

 The name dolphin is an unfortunate misnomer; 

 the fish might better be called harlequin, as the 

 name dolphin is applied to the mammalian dol- 

 phins small, whalelike animals, equally common 

 and referred to in mythology. Doubtless few 

 anglers have seen the real dolphin (Delphinus) 

 landed. I once saw a bottle-nose dolphin, weigh- 

 ing about fifty pounds, which was taken with 

 hook and line and sardine bait at Santa Catalina. 

 The angler supposed he had a seal, and landed 

 the animal only after a hard and consistent 

 struggle ; and knowing all the details of the cap- 

 ture, I am enabled to place this interesting crea- 

 ture on record as a very gamy catch. 



While the fish dolphin is a gorgeous creature, 

 it has been my good fortune to see at the Califor- 

 nia islands another fish, a cousin germane, whose 

 glories cannot be adequately described. This 

 is the butterfly-fish, the opah, Lampris luna, 

 known as cravo, poisson luna, soho, and other 

 names in all parts of the world. It attains a 



