The San Francisco call., 1910-08-07
SPORT TO BE HAD OFF THE
COAST OF CALIFORNIA

you would recall the .eeling that
possessed you when. as a child, you
read Grimms Fairy Tales. or
Hans Christian Andersen, or when.
no longer a child. you saw for the first
time Maude Adams play Peter PAN"
or heard the Thomas orchestra play
-Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel"
dream music. then read THE Channel
Islands of California" by Charles Fred
erick Holder, just issued by the Nc
Clurg company. Or, IL you happen to
be lover OF the out of doors, with
special weakness for trout streams and
-Rtsl pools, and your days of deliver
7snce are delayed or limited, reading II
viii prove the best possible substitute
Tor goin' hshin. Or, If you love your
California, his stories OF the discovery
OF this chain Of islands 400 years ago,
and his way all through the book of
referring TO localities by the names
given them by early explorers. or
names commemorating men or their
achievements which Mr.. Holder thinks
ought TO be theirs, will more than de-
light you. The gulf OF California is
often referred to as the sea OF Cabrillo,
and the chapter devoted TO THE Log
OF Cabrillo" makes one feel that there
is less of difference between the then"
sno the now" than we usually think
is the case or, perhaps, il is only that
men who accomplish things worth
while are much alike in all ages
Besides the ordinary big game fish as
known 10 most OF US at least by repu-
tation-the tuna. the black sea bass,
white sea bass and sheepshead-he tells
OF fish that fly, that fight. that sing,
even one that bushes. the glamour of
the last being somewhat dimmed, how
ever, by an explanation of the phenom-
enon. Besides devilhsh there is a ghost
fish. Some he describes of such splen-
did colqring as to merit being called
humming birds of the sea, yet pos
*sessed OF lighting qualities command
Ing the respect Of all anglers, and be-
sides star fish and sun fish there are
ribbon FISH and jelly fish with gleam-
Ing, silky trains Is 10 % feet long. of
opaline coloring. and all these most
perfectly pictured in their native sur
roundings by photographs which repre-
sent an almost infinite patience and de-
votion. There must be a couple OF
hundred Of these illustra tions, attract
ively grouped. I fancy that many,
many trips in the glass bottomed boat
would be required of the most earnest
and observant TO see all that these
pictures present. not to mention that
one may thus escape the (almosD
w ct fr1 al
become.
:: The record condenses the observa-
q tions of "a years explorations, and all
through one reads between the lines a
love for the open which brings to mind
g thing Oliver Wendell Holmes says in
the "Autocrat," I think that to appre-
ciste the wonder and glory of the
mountains or the sea one must have
mountains or a capacity for the sea in
his soul Nature plays at dominoes
." with you; you must match her piece or
she viii never give it up TO you" he
says
One chapter at least is devoted to
each island of the chain-quite an ag-
gregation OF saints, by the way-Santa
Catalina, San Clemente, San Nicolas,
Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa The story Of
San Clemente, which is a government
possession, covers visits to caves and
ranches, up cliffs and down gorges, can
yons and riffs. through caves and over
sandy reaches where old sea terraces
rise one above another. The riffs seem
deep gashes cut into the lava by storms.
and most of them have no outlet, and
when the winter rains fill them the
overflow escapes "in countless falls and
cascades, at once an extraordinary and
beautiful spectacle" This island is a
vast sheep ranch, supporting from TO-
600 to $4,000 sheep, which are shorn
twice a year, sbearing time being in the
nature OF festival Numerous ranches