414 Big Game Fishes 
on account of over-fishing, that it is an expen- 
sive bait. At the islands, for trolling, the 
principal baits for yellowtail are the California 
herring, Clupea pallasié, and the California 
smelt, Adtherinopsis californiensis,— the latter 
preferred on account of its firmness. The Cali- 
fornia flying-fish, Exocetus californiensts, is the 
only bait in vogue for the tuna. It is caught 
in gill-nets, and numbers are frequently found in 
early morning in the fleet of fishing-boats and 
upon the beaches where they have “sailed” to 
escape the midnight raids of tuna and white sea- 
bass. The flying-fish is migratory, arriving at 
Santa Catalina in April,— sometimes earlier, 
sometimes later,—spawning in Avalon Bay in 
May and June. In July I have found the young 
half an inch long. They resemble grasshoppers 
in their attempts to “fly,” hopping from the water 
six or eight inches with fins extended, and remain- 
ing on the surface like the gar. All reports to 
the contrary, the flying-fish does not fly. When 
alarmed it whirls its tail about like a screw, which 
drives it from the water with great force. The 
convulsive motion of the tail extends up the body 
toward the head, imparting to it a wriggling 
‘motion, which in turn imparts to the “wings,” 
