THE FISH WE HAVE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 417, 28 January 1909, Page 5

THE FISH WE HAVE.

'.' : '"."'.'' -,'.-'".'.'. // ; ■■■ '■'-" H'\ •'•"- —"■'■■ ,j;''jJ' '•..'-I'li/-'-. / -; AND THE BmDSWE MGHT^m/^ ;: : "Fpr: the' snte.bf' : sporto'Cplo'nel/SJr;'Tie'odpre: Francis Urinckrhani : C;Bi,:'.Has; been/making,'_a stay in Now Zeal and, and; now, when his 'sra/'is. almost at an end; he/looks back: upon/bright' memories, of good:; Sport; :, :- r '."'-•,;: ■ Speaking to a DoHrNtON: reportor -yesterday,ha expressed the opinion .that the: Dominionwas 25 years ahead of; Australia/ jn regavd ;to.the facilities afforded ..to: tourists'■: and'.visifor's rto: the country, and thb,: accbmmqdatipnf wW; good. ■ Even at'a small /place J like Makura itwas all feat "could be expectefl.'.iand/thd, fishingy was all that he looked for and more.: ,-.,- "Eeally," he said,, "I think that : New Zealand is one of the , finest countries -in the world, and - I -have travelled overywhoro, :save in^China and Japan. .The scenery,OTas:as. splendid,:'-ar-' ticuLrly/on the Wanganui River, but the beauties'of Scotland might be introduced by the.acolimatisation of tho Scotch heather^..This.'wonld: serve a double' purposo.i.for'-.it.,the::heather throve an attempt might'be made"tb'introduCe r grouse." .There was,no nerßrinckmah,' why leather: should there were hills, and oliihatic conditions irt New Zealand similar to-thoso of the' heather hills "of: ■beyoiid the Tweed—and.if J the,attenipt were/sue-; :Cessf ul. a decided acquisition would -be to' !the'-scanio:wealth of thp : Dominion'. iSPhe.purple of the hills' would be a: sight not known .hitherto in New Zealand.,',-. -Of; coursiv.;even.. if...;the heather were successfully growfl,.-.it. would: hot. necessarily follow that the grouse'would thrive... Colonel: firinckman cited.' an.- instance:'on, the; King's Sandringh'am; estate, where', tfierfi ~were. :the, Scotch grasses' an'd'''se r emingly"'a'll' /natural conditions desirable, and,ye't.'.'-.tliough'./no'pains and expense were spared; the grouie_did _noyn-. crease ueyond a few coveys:-'/"""/J",-..'."', ■■'.'.td " "Xou have, been very successful/with pheas-; ants," said the visitor,,"nn'd.'l/t'hink;.it: .would be wortli while making -/this/; experiment.; /-I intend to make an'•'■'endeavour''./to' :6bili'e:-loiit" in March' of 'next .year : for':'de;ei' : stalkiu'g';'; and I;; may bring.but some heather'fbr/a' l 'tnil'." V; He" was /anxious,, he ■ r s'ay,' ; to 1 secure' • :sbme "heads of deer,/as., he .had;'- been"shown; some very' fine spebimeus"recently.;',,i■';■ :".':'''*'''.,; Do you ,think/.New Zealand- is/'a 'suitable country,': the/'inter-/ 'viewer. :;■:,'';- -■•' : - '.' :,/ -. %'V '"// ; - i / ""-.■'■-■ -:

""■ "Well, i should not liko-jo; say,.lit' is," Iwiis the! reply;.- "for' one tiling -you -hnvo barbedwire fenoes.and such thiiigs would render: the conditions altogether different, apart iftom:; the .nature-.of- the country, from those-required for fox-hunting.:, Then,.'too,jeverything.:j.ntr,o'duoed into New Zealand' eeeiiis v.to ■ prolific' that I. am . become 'rather a pest, unless, it .were confined to : parts of \the country ;where.:huhting people were sufficiently numerous • and enthusiastic to keep it down." W : ;,■ Turning:f roni' hunting to fishing,;the:colonel stated that hq had had some/;hhe. sport at Rotorua,-. which lie took aa a base for fishing in the surrounding streams,, and at - Pahiatua, .where; lie fished in ' the' llakere. .Trout there were in plenty, and theionly..tiling -now--'heed-ful .-was.a little"attentionr;to; : '.-At a small expense: obstructionsisueh 'as branches, fallen logs, etc., could be removed so that the land ; wo uld'.' be clear • for-.' fly-fishing*" "At: present" he said,- "you nre-liable on.sorno streams' to', lose' three, or. found oasts through getting 'them 'entangled" The same thing-was' prevalent- 'in Australia, whichr.was' much' behind New Zealand in the attention paid to such, •matters. ' There, many /of - the best'> trout streams '.were'spoilt, by the .fringe . pf,;shrubs : .which debarred an angler from: using 'the- fly, on all except perhaps a three hundred yards' stretch' in three .miles. Tho quality of tho: trout was good in the stream Colonel; Brinckjnan' : fi3hedrin,' but a little, judloious culling would improvo it. / - Over-stocking:. ; was> really, the trouble, anil if the poor.: fish were,netted but more room would : be given for the good ones. • Moro plentiful food' might also bo provided by.introdueihp a.weed, whioh was, grown on the, lakes in Scotland. With this and a few more rainbow; trout tho sport would bo perfect. ' • :. ': . ' Colonel Briiickman leaves for Auckland this morning, and will sail for ■An'straliti'in the Manuka this week.; He. regrets - that; ho. cannot' stop for the deer-stalking : season,' but, -if possible, he will be out. again: uext,:year,:-: for, to use his own words, "If I ever left England it would bo to settle in this splendid • Do-