his little white village against a background of hilly country, taking
on lovely lavender and grey tints at sunset, is not unlike some of the
towns on the picturesque coast of Cornwall. Santa Catalina is a paradise
for deep-sea fishermen, a lotus eaters' island where one may walk over
the hills into the quiet interior or take a boat and dream along the
rocks, gazing down for hours at the beauties of the gardens of the sea.
I would advise all tourists to take time to visit these swaying groves
of kelp and other sea plants in a row boat. One sees them in this way
far more intimately and satisfactorily than by a more hurried
inspection. In the late afternoon everyone at Catalina gathers at the
pier to see the fishermen come in with their spoils. Boat after boat is
seen approaching. They round the pier and the big fish are lifted up for
all to admire. Then come the weighing and the cleaning of the fish. The
seagulls hover near, ready for their share of the spoils, as the
entrails of the fish are thrown into the sea. A tame seal swims around
from his home on the rocks several miles away in order to have his
portion of the feast. At the time of our visit he was in a fit of sulks,
as a fisherman had struck him on the head with an oar because he had
tried to clamber into a boat in his zeal for his supper. A unique
experience at Catalina is an evening ride in a swift motor boat equipped
with a powerful searchlight. Faster and faster goes the boat in the
darkness, the searchlight swinging from side to side over the wide
waters. The flying fish, startled by the sweep of the light upon the
water, leap wildly into the air. The air is full of them, and of the
sound of their rushing wings. Plump! Here comes one into the boat! and
here's another, and another! We shield our faces with our hands,
shouting with laughter as the fish fall with a thump into the boat,
sometimes on the laps of the passengers. More than one passenger has
been struck by a flying fish, and our landlady tells us of a tourist who
went out for an evening ride in the motor boat to return with a black
eye from the blow of a frightened flying fish. Flying fish is delicious
eating, and our catch is divided up among the passengers. We were
attracted to this excursion when we first landed at Catalina by a
startling advertisement describing the experience as "Thousands of
flying fish tangoing through the air."

Catalina Island is a quiet spot, outside its little rim of hous