FIELD-DAYS IN CALIFORNIA 



goes out of sight, and stays there for a longer or 

 shorter period (I have sometimes held the watch 

 on him) according to the water's depth. 



How often this deep-sea dredging, as we may 

 style it, is rewarded I cannot say, but I have no 

 recollection of ever having seen him bring any- 

 thing to the surface. I suspect that the breaker's 

 edge is by much his most remunerative field. 

 There I have seen him when he seemed in danger 

 of acute indigestion, his luck was so good, and 

 his greediness so uncontrolled. 



While swimming alongside the pier he is some- 

 times absolutely heedless of passers overhead. I 

 have repeatedly seen boys — and men, also — 

 stone him ; and even when the missile strikes the 

 water within a yard, the silly bird disdains either 

 to dive or fly, but paddles slowly away while the 

 boy laughs and continues to pelt him till he gets 

 out of range. 



His manner at such times is the very perfec- 

 tion of stolid indifference. "Oh, go on," he might 

 be saying. "You could n't hit the side of a house." 

 And as a matter of fact I never have seen him 

 actually struck. 



One incident I particularly remember. A young 

 fellow who might have been a professional base- 

 ball player, from the accuracy of his aim and the 

 strength of his arm, threw a large stone, which 

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