The Leaping Tuna 59 
rarely seen near the mainland of California; the 
island mentioned is about twenty miles out to sea, 
and a natural feeding-ground of the fish in 
summer, the alert tuna using the open bays into 
which to drive its victims, the California flying- 
fishes. The tuna boats of Catalina Island are 
designed for the purpose, and are mainly stiff, 
broad-beamed launches, built for three persons: 
two anglers, who sit side by side in chairs facing 
the stern, and the boatman, who is helmsman,: 
gaffer, and engineer of the three or more horse- 
power gasolene engine. Overhead is an awning, 
which is raised by the gaffer when the strike 
comes, and each boat has a flag bearing the 
figure of a tuna, which is thrown to the breeze 
the moment a fish is hooked, so that interested 
spectators ashore can tell several miles away 
whether good luck is in the wind. 
' There are two essentials in tuna fishing, a 
cool, intelligent, and practised gaffer, and per- 
fect tackle; with these the novice can be assured 
that the responsibility for the loss of the fish 
rests on his own shoulders. As to tackle, I 
recall one angler who made a practice of never 
using the same line twice; at the end of the day 
‘he presented it to the boatman. This is unnec- 
