SUNSET PLAYGROUNDS.t
"SUNSET Playgrounds" should be about equivalent to "Wild Sports of the West." Sport, however, occupies less space than might be expected. Mr. Aflalo hopes that it will not tell against him with his readers that he says less than usual about fishing and more about matters with which the ordinary traveller concerns himself. We do not wish to be ungracious, but there is a good maxim, Cuique a ma axle credendum, and there can be no one to whom it is more applicable than Mr. Aflalo. He is an expert, and fisherman though he be, he is to be believed. The best thing in the hook of the sporting kind is chap. 3 of Part II., where we have described for us the "Finest Sea Fishing in the World." The place is the island of Catalina, off the coast of California. It is not, indeed, what it was. The special. glory of the fishing-ground, the tuna, which is the same as the most historically famous of all fishes, the tunny, has departed, driven away, it is said, by the disturbance caused by the oil- launches. But much rema•ins ; sundry kinsfolk of the tuna, " Ton Per8onal Studies. By Wilfrid Ward. London Longman:a and Co. [loe. Sc. net.]
t Sunset Playgroands. By F. G. ifialo. London Witherby and Co. Dr. Id. net.]
and bass, white and black, are the chief kind. Mr. Aflalo's great triumph was the capture of two black bass which weighed -together nearly three hundred pounds. The two took under the heur to catch. This looks as if they were, in Catalina Phrase, a little " logey." Still, it was a magnificent success, and it was achieved with light tackle. Mr. Maio is very decided on this point. We are glad to know that the practice is making its way. Even the tarpon is now fished for in this fashion. A tarpon on a light salmon-rod ought to give the est of sport. Mr. Aflalo has something interesting to say about British Columbian salmon, which, however, not rising to the fly, show but poor sport,—an English official was for giving up the whole region to the States for this reason I We hear also about the trout lake in the Long Lake Forest Reserve, where you cannot ,help catching fish, however you may throw a fly. We may read, not without pleasure, about many other subjects, horn the negro problem onwards, but the fishing is the best part.
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