Sea-side Study on the Coast of California. 41 
dredging is good. The neighboring town, Soquel, when there are 
many fishermen, presents many facilities for the naturalist. 
Collecting on the piles of the wharf is not as good as at Santa 
Barbara. There is no belt of kelp forming a thick zone shutting 
out the floating genera from the shore. The phosphorescence is 
at times superb, but surface collecting in the afternoon was found 
to be next to impossible. The beach is more sheltered than that of 
Santa Barbara, but it rarely happens that the surf does not break 
on the shore. Sheltered caves or natural pockets in which floating 
life are caught are rare. 
Taken all in all, Monterey ! is one of the best places on the coast 
of California for a naturalist to station himself for a study of the 
marine life of the Pacific. It may not be the best, but experience 
has taught me that it is one of the best, and a visit there by a natur- 
alist will be amply repaid by novelties if his object be research. 
The surface fauna is rich and there is good dredging. There are 
boats of all sizes and many fishermen. ‘The city lies near the shore 
and one is not forced to waste time in reaching the wharf from the 
hotel. The means of communication with the outside world are 
easy. I find, on reference to my note book, that many of my choic- 
est specimens came from this locality. 
Stimpson found the bay of San Francisco nearly barren of a varied 
marine life except at its entrance. This condition he ascribed to the 
admixture with its water of the turbid flood of two large rivers and 
the small size of the gate which admits the clear waters of the ocean. 
A short and somewhat superficial examination of the resources of 
the bay lead me to a somewhat similar conclusion, yet I find the 
entrance to the bay one of the best places for floating animal life. 
From the wharf several very interesting floating animals were 
taken, and there is evidence that the marine zoölogist will find plenty 
to occupy his attention within a short distance from the city. A 
great advantage of San Francisco as the site for zodlogical work is 
the vicinity to scientific libraries and the number of fishermen a 
fishing boats which the city has. 
Climatic conditions on the coast of California render certain times 
of the year most advantageous for work with dredge and net. In 
most parts the morning is the best time for surface collecting. A 
*Camelo Bay is believed to be one of the most advantageous places for 
pra sires of marine zodlogy between Point Conception and San Fran- 
