ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5051, 1 June 1877, Page 7

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society was held in the office of Mr. Travors, Featherston-street, on May 17th; Dr. Hector in the chair.

Mr. Travers read the report as follows : " The report now presented by your committee extends to their operations for eighteen mouths past, no general meeting having taken place last year. Your committee have to state generally that great success has attended the operations undertaken since the last report; and that they have received, from all quarters, assurances that the birds and fish liberated have increased, and are doing well. Your committee have appointed a ranger, whose duties extend over a district comprising tho Hutt County. They believe that he will be able to check depredations, which your committee had reason to fear were being committed upon the game

birds. Pie is to receive a salary of £3O a year, and your committee have reason to think that ho is carefully attending to his duties, and has secured the co-operation of a large number of the residents in his district. The list of birds and animals liberated during the past two years is shown in the table annexed to this report, and the third column contains some observations respecting them after their liberation. Your committee have to acknowledge with thanks a contribution of pheasants from the Wangauui society, and hope to be able to make them some suitable return. In addition to the trout formerly introduced

by the society, your committee have successfully introduced a considerable number into the Hutt, the Orongo-rongo, and the Otaki Rivers, and are indebted to the employes ! of Mr. Johnston, of Troutdale Farm, near Christchurch, for the great care taken of this fish during their carriage from Lyttelton to Wellington. The losses were very trilling, and the fish, when liberated, were strong and lively. Your committee have been informed from various sources that the fish have grown very much, and they confidently believe that tl ,e rivers above mentioned may be considered as safely stocked. Your committee also placed iu the Hutt liivcr four hundred American salmon, in good and strong condition; and although this number may be considered small, it is more than probabie that ft will be sufficient for the purpose of testing the suitability of that river for the salmon in question. Two or three years will determine this question; but it may be assumed that the success which has attended the introduction of the trout offers a fail-

ground of hope of success in regard to the salmon also. Your committee have in hand a sum of £177 lis. Bd., independently of subscriptions for the current year, and believe that although the funds which they have had at command have been limited, their expenditure of those funds has been attended with good results to the cause of acclimatisation. Your committee are of opinion that the thanks of the society are especially due to your treasurer, Mr. Denton, without whose strong interest in the work of the society the measure of success already attained would have been hopeless." The following is a list of the birds, &c, liberated during the past eighteen months : Skylarks, -10 ; Java doves, 8 ; Indian minas, 74; Australian quail, 1-1; Wonga pigeons, 34; crested bronze-winged pigeons, 4 ; siskins, a ; Maine geese, 3; redpole linnets, 2; Australian firetail finches, 8; Australian diamond sparrows, I'2 ; laughing jackasse-!, 14 ; chaffinches, 30 ; blackbirds, 14 ; Australian minas, 8 ; Australian email, 30 ; pheasants, 4 ; hares, 14; trout, 600; American salmon, 400. The balance-sheet was read, showing a balance ill the bank to the credit of the j society amounting to £177 14s. Bd.

Mr. Tiiaveus delivered some interesting remarks on the proceedings o£ the society since its last meeting, and referred to the report as showing the large amount of progress made in the introduction of valuable birds, all of which had flourished hi their new home. The skylarks were increasing fast, and the Java doves were also increasing, and other kinds of birds were doing very well. He thought they had special grounds to congratulate themselves on the introduction of , the sparrows, as they destroyed 'the cicada, which was a very great nuisance in a garden being destructive to the wore succulent trees. The cicada had noticeably diminished, and he attributed the fact to the introduction of the sparrow. They were, he felt convinced, doing a very great deal of good. The Australian quail were also doing very well. He had seen them frequently; but they appeared ta prefer country in which there was abundance of fern, as they sought cover, and that was a reason for their thriving so well in the country districts of Wellington where they had been liberated. He proceeded to mention other birds which were prospering, and mentioned that the Australian magpies were increasing, and found to be very useful birds indeed. As to the seagulls, he reminded the meeting that he had succeeded in inducing the Government to proclaim them Xew Zealand game —a step which wk found necessary in consequence of their being killed by sportsmen. These birds were essentially scavengers, and cleared away large quantities of dead fish, meat, and refuse, which, being washed in by the tide, collected on the beach and became corrupt. These birds feted as scavengers, and therefore were exceedingly useful. He might mention that the English Government had found it necessary to protect these gulls, as their destruction was found to interfere materially with the herring fisheries, because the only means by which the fishermen could ascertain the direction in which shoals of herring were to be found was by the movements of these birds, which followed up the fish. Mr. Travers then referred to the balance-sheet, and the fact that the society had now a considerable bank balance, which they might confidently expect would be increased by subscriptions during the current year. The fish liberated ' had done very well, the trout particularly having increased in size rapidly. On the whole, he regarded the work done by the society as very important. Dr. HECTOR, in proposing the adoption of the report, said he thought the society had done a great deal of useful work, whilst it had retained a considerable balance of money in hand for future operations. He was particularly pleased to hear a report of the success which had attended the destruction of insect life, especially the cicada, as he believed it to be a pest which would prove more destructive in New Zealand than any other, as it got into the pine trees and prevented their proper growth and development. With regard to the salmon, he had no doubt whatever that the society would be successful in establishing the fish in the rivers here. From his observations in America, he believed that there were no more easily acclimatised fish than those introduced here last year. At the same time, he thought success depended chiefly upon the number introduced. The fish should not, for instance, be scattered about in small quantities in the different rivers through the country. Large numbers should be introduced if success was to be expected. With these remarks he moved the adoption of the report. Seconded by the Ven. Archdeacon Stock, and carried. The officers for the past year were reelected with one exception, Mr. Walter Johnston's name being substituted for that of Mr. Palmer, who has left Wellington. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Denton, the hon. treasurer, Mr. Thaveiis remarking that to the efforts of that gentleman was entirely due the success which had attended the operations of the society. A vote of thanks was also accorded to Mr. Travers.. The meeting then adjourned.