ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2604, 22 June 1871, Page 2

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

The Annual meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society was hell at the City Council Chambers this afternoon, Mr. V. Munson, the president, 'in the chair. The hon secretary, Mr G. K. Turton, read the report, as follows : “The Council of the Acclimatisation Society has much pleasure in presenting to the subscribers the seventh annual report of the society’s proceedings, as during no previous year has its effort to introduce stock met with greater success. “ Shortly after fie last annual meeting had taken p ace, an order for stock was forwarded to Mr J, A. Ewen, who had attended assiduously to the society’s interests in London for the last few years, and that gentlemen was fortunate in again securing the services of Mr R. Bills in connection with the prop seel shipment. He was also successful in arranging whh Messrs Shaw, S-vill, and Co. that the “ Warrior Queen” should convey the stock to New Zealand, that vessel left London on the 28th .November last, and arrived at Port Chal. mers on 25th February. The following stock were alive on her arrival :—66 chaffinches, 31 goldfinches, 5;5 skylarks, 31 yellowhammers, 70 blackbirds, 42 thrushes, 80 hedge-sparrow.’, 38 twites, 71 redpdes, 2 robins, 7 serle-buntings, 4 reed sparrors, 130 partridges, 0 waterfowl (presented to the society by the Zoological Society of Loudon), and 9 red deer. Eight brace of grouse were shipped, but the council regrets to state that all those birds died about a week after the ves. el loft London. In connection with the shipment of stock of the “ Warrior Queen” the Council has much pleasure in reporting that on no former occasion have birds arrived from England in such excellent condition, a circumstance which may be fairly attributed to the great care bestowed upon them byMrßdis dining the voyage. Ihe greater number of the small birds were liberated within a few days after their arrival at the Society’s grounds and in the neighborhood of Dunod'u. Mr Bills strongly recommended that this course should be taken, as by turning out the birds in one place he urged that the object which the Society had in view—viz., stocking the country as soon as possible with valuable nscctiverous birds will have a greater chance of success. Although several sub--oribers in the country were anxious that small lots of birds should be - liberated within the districts whore they reside, the Council has every reason to be satisfied with the conrso which it took. The birds have already bred, young chaffinches and hedgesparrows having been frequently seen in the neighborhood of the Society’s grounds during the past two months. The partridges were divided into four lots, which were liberated at Oamarn, Shag Valley, Green Island, and Inch Clutha. s Frora all chose districts reports have since been received to the effect that the birds are frequently seen. Fifteen bead of red deer were received during February, as in addition to those brought out by the “ Warrior Queen,” six head had arrived by the “ City of Dunedin” a few weeks before. A portion of this herd was forwarded to Morven hills, while the remainder were sent to Bushy park, the property of Mr F. D. Rich, at Palmerston, One Axis deer, presented by the Zoologies! society of London, was also forwarded to Mr Rich to join the herd, now numbering nearly thirty head belonging to the society, which has been depasturing on that gentleman’s estate for some years. The Council is glad to be able to report that pheasants are increasing rapidly in different parts of the Province, For this reason but few of these birds were introduced from the North Island during the past season. Six brace of liuglish pheasants were presented by the Canterbury Society recently, and were forwarded to the Shag Valle} district for libera-, tion. Two lots of...Californian quail, qqir[ : beriug 50 or GO in each lot, were received from San Francisco ; one half of the first lot were liberated at the Pleasant Valley, Wai« kouaiti; the remainder being forwarded to Popotunoa. The second lot wore conveyed to the Wakatip district, under the charge of Mr A. Garrick, and there turned out At Inch Clutha, where some of these birds were liberated by the Society a few years ago, the Council is happy to report they have . now become plentiful. During the lasn month it has been ascertained that the fal-v low deer which were forwarded to MmTCR ’ Hills a few years agq, qnd which have not been heard of since, have been seen ftnd have increased. ‘ ‘ The hares which were turned out in the Waihola district four years ago have increased very rapidly. Reports have been received recently from reliable sources that they have extended over a large/ area of

country, ami that their number at the present time must be very considerable. “ In July last the Council despatched the Society’s late manager, Mr G. P. Clifford, to Tasmania for a supply of trout ova. The Council was led to take this step because it was hoped that sonw of the ova of the salmon trout which had bred in that Colony might be procured. The result of the trip was most satisfactory, as Mr Clifford succeeded in obtaining from the Salmon Commissioner.-. 140 ova of the latter fish, as w--ll as upwardof a thousand ova of the brown trout. Mr Clifford was successful in bringing his charge over from Tasmania without any ing the subsequent process of hatching, M r Clifford, as usual, gave continuous and unremitting attention—the result being thaevery ovum under his care was batched out It is with pleasure that the Council directs attention to this fact, as not only is it creditable to Mr Clifford, but because there is every reason to believe that such success is altogether unprecedented in the annals of pisciculture. . “ The brown trout have been distributed throughout different parts of the Province The sea trout wore forwarded to the ponds at Palmerston, which were prepared, and which are now under the supervision of Mr W. A. Voung. one of the moat energetic members of the Society. It is believed that the brown trout under Mr Young’s care will deposit. ova during the present winter The sea trout will lie retained in the ponds until they have bred. _ r rf “Towards the end of last year Mr G. P. Clifford resigned the position which he had bo ably filled during the five or six years previously as the Society s Manager. Them mhers of the Society will no doubt agree that an acknowledgment of the valuable services which Mr Clifford has given to the Province in the cause of acclimatisation should be recorded in the Society’s proceedings. “Another valuable assortment of forest tree * seeds (the names of which are given below), was obtained by the Society during the past year from California. A number of tlio.ie seeds have already been distributed amongst the members —Finns insip nis, P. Subminna, P. Lambertiana, P. Mnrieaia, P. Blex'dis, P. Benthamlana, Cupressirs Macrocarpu t 0. Mornabinmi, ('. Lcnmmiiana, Torre’i/a Crucifera, Lihoccdnis Decnrrens, Thuja rjlqantca (ijiant nrhorrike), Mnzanita, Abies bonglnsu, Sequoia Sempervirens, Sequoia i/lpanlen. , (t A s members Are doubtless <wn.re, tne Society received during the past yen- the third and last instalment (L 500) of the amount promised by the Provincial Covernment iu exchange for the transference by the Society to the Government of its rights to a portion of the Society’s grounds, as there appears to bo little pro-pcct of the Society s income for the current year being supplemented by a vote of the Provincial Council, the Society’s operations must necessarily be exceedingly limited as compared with the past, un' il such timers the Province can be declared open for the destruction of game. Ihe licenses required by law for shooting game will then accrue to the Society, and enable it once more to extend its operations. In the meantime the work performed by the Society is becoming day by day more apparent throughout the Province, ami is being in consequence more appreciated by the public. ~ , . . . “By the balance sheet, which is duly audited and now submitted, it will he seen that the income of the Society from all s uirce-amounted to LUGO 8s lid, and the expenditure to L 1032 Os lOd, leaving a balance of LI2B 8s Id, less a small sum due to the honorary treasurer.” Mr J. T. Thomson moved the adoption of then port and balance sheet as read. The Hon; Dr Buchamian seconded the motion. Before putting it, the Chairman remarked that the Society must be satisfied with the report of what had been done, and it was advisable to place it fully on record. He suggested for tins purpose that a compiled account of the fawns imported should he presented to the New Zealand Institute. The Societv had heard reports of birds having been destroyed, hut on inquiry were glad to find that the public had worked with them,, and been on the whole careful not to destroy imported birds, He noticed Mr Clifford s retirement from the Society, and expressed the sense the Society entertained of that gent’eman’s valuable services. The report was adopted, and on the motion of Mr F, C. Fulton, seconded by Dr Buchanan, the following gentlemen were elected a committee for the ensuing year : Town—Me srs A. Bums, Buchanan, Boyd, Ful'on, Sise, Matthews, Cantrell, Kenyon, Weldon, Hepburn, Ulph. and Mason. Country—Messrs Fulton, Murdoch Youu:, Shave, Shonnan, Rich, Crigor, and Roberts. Captain Boyd and Mr W. A, Young were chosen life members. A vote of thanks was passed to the City Council for the use of their rooms for meeting.