ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 268, 21 April 1875, Page 2

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

A special meeting of the council of the Acclimatisation Society, was held yesterday afternoon, at the Public Library.—Present—- [ Sir Cracroft Wilson (in the chair), Dr Campi bell, and Messrs H. J. Tancred, Johnstone, Wallace, Marshman, Wood (hon treasurer), i and Farr (hon sec.) The minutes of previous meetings were ! read and confirmed. 1 The secretary stated that he had delayed ; advertising the reward offered by the society ' for the destruction of black shags and hawks, until the return of the curator from J Otago. The chairman said that a number of persons had already been sending in hawks ' and shags to the gardens, and he believed 1 they had been paid for by the man there. Of himself, he had sent in over a dozen hawks and a shag since their last meeting, which | he intended to present to the society; and it was somewhat strange that, until very lately, his grounds had not been visited by any of these pests. He had the curiosity to go to | the gardens to see what was being done with these birds, and he learned that they had been found exceedingly useful for the breeding of maggots. In reply to a member, the chairman said he believed the ship Tintern Abbey was now . out 114 days. Mr Johnstone said that he with others of the deputation appointed waited upon hia Honor the Superintendent and a full Execui tive. They were received very courteously by the Government, and were told that a sum of money would be placed upon the estimates ; but the Government would not say what that sum would be. As there had been a change of Government since he did not know whether the present Executive would place a sum on the estimates, or whether it would be necessary for a deputation to wait upon them. The late Government had told them that they would consider what sum should be placed on the estimates, and though the amount was not stated, the deputation were given to understand that it would be something considerable. He ought to mention that the Government considered they had a grievance through a letter which had been read at a meeting of the society, referring to their refusal to pay over £3OO which had been placed on the estimates for the introduction of the salmon ova. The deputation were given to understand that if the council of the society could show how the money had been expended, the Government would still be prepared to pay it. A report had appeared in the papers that the Otago Government had refused to give Johnson (curator) any of the salmon ova to arrive. His Honor the Superintendent at once telegraphed to Mr Macandrew, Superintendent of Otago,. who replied ihat if the council of the society would write that Johnson was authorised by them to receive the ova, they would be delivered to him upon arrival. This was done, and a telegram had since been received from Otago stating that 20,0C0 salmon ova had been allotted to Canterbury, and they would be delivered to the curator immediately on arrival of the Timaru. Dr Campbell asked whether any steps had been taken to show the Government how the £2OOO would be spent if the Provincial Council voted that sum. The Superintendent had snggested something of this kind to the deputation. The Chairman said that the Government were no doubt already aware of the necessities of the society. He would certainly let the Government know how the society intended spending the money, but he thought that this subject could be better and more fully discussed at another meeting, which could be held before the Provincial Council met. The Secretary said that there were three members short in the council of the society —one through the death of Mr Watts Russell, another through the resignation of Mr L. Harper, and the third through the absence from the colony of Mr J. Anderson. The latter gentleman had not sent in a formal resignation before he left; but as he would be away for some time, he thought it would be as well to fill the vacancy. Mr Johnstone proposed the Hon George Buckley, a gentleman who had done a great deal of good in the cause of acclimatisation by introducing birds at his own expense.

Mr Wallace seconded the nomination, which was unanimously agreed to. On the motion of Dr Campbell, seconded by Mr Farr, Mr A. Duncan was also elected a member of the council. The Secretary said that he had not beard fr®m the curator since he left for Otago, though he had promised to write on arrival. He must say, however, that Johnson had been very careful in perfecting all the arrangements for the reception of the ova before he left. Dr Campbell said that the frosty nights were now coming on, when the trout would be ripe for their work, and he was anxious to see those now in the ponds turned into the river, where they could mature their eggs naturally, and could at the proper time be secured by nets, the eggs healthfully impregnated, and artificial means of hatching then resorted to. The artificial hatching last year had been not only disappointiug to subscribers, but to the public generally. If the Council would place the trout now in the gardens at the disposal of the garden committee he would be satisfied, but if this could not be done by the present meeting, he would give a notice of motion for its being carried out. After his late experience in the South he would like the fish to be placed in the river where not only the females but the males might be netted as desired. Last year the eggs in the gardens, though fully matured, had not turned out quite as healthy as expected. The fish had been fed on liver and other stuff, and a sedimenl could be observed under the ova. The trout should be taken out of the ponds and the river turned into them, and they could then be kept for perch and tench, or other fish that like to revel in dirt. Mr Young at Palmerston had arranged a net near his place at the bottom of the river, and by turning on his mill-race the fish were forced into the net, and that gentleman had last season taken a female trout from which he obtained 15,000 eggs, 14,000 of which he hatched out successfully and turned into the ponds. In his (Dr Campbell's) opinion they ought first to try to mature the eggs in a natural manner by turning the fish out where there were good natural spawning beds (and he knew of several beautiful spawning beds in the upper portion of the river, where there were few eels) and by afterwards taking these fish they could complete the process of hatching by artificial means, and those fish that were not taken would without doubt spawn in the spots he had indicated, and the eggu would be hatched naturally. By so doing the public would give them credit for paying the attention to pisciculture that it merited, and he wis certain they would succeed, as they all desired, in materially increasing the number of trout throughout the province if they acted upon his suggestion. He would like to know whether it was necessary to give notice of motion, or whether that meeting was competent to deal with the matter. The chairman ruled that there was no necessity to give notice. Dr Campbell then moved—" That all arrangements in connection with fish culture for the coming season be left to the garden committee." Mr Tancred seconded the motion, which was carried. It was resolved that Mr Edmund Amyes, Broadlands, and Mr John Cuningham, Brookside, be recommended to bis Honor the Superintendent for the appointment of rangers for their respective districts. The secretary stated that a great deal of good was now being done by the rangers, and he was happy to inform the council that through the action of Mr De Troy he would in a few days be enabled to hand to the treasurer fines from the Resident Magistrate's Court, amounting to £ll. [Hear, hear.J Some accounts were passed for payment, and the Council then adjourned.