HILL PARTRIDGES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 355, 17 October 1932, Page 4

HILL PARTRIDGES

VARIOUS REPORTS INDICAT^ BIRDS SPREADING SATISFACTORILY t Wellington, Saturday. The success of Chukkor (hill part ridge) imported from India, in manj places in the Dominion, was brougK out at the conference of the New Zea: land Acclimatisation Societies. • Mr. F. E.'McKenzie (Auckland) re f erring to the losses sustained by tt Auckland Society in the case of large consignment of chukkor recentl received, said that the disease whio had so depletea the birds that it wa impossible to supply Wellington wit any of the hundred it had ordere was tropical dysentry. Ipecacuant had saved a few of the birds. Tht now had seven, which were layic well. Mr. C. H. Lawrence (North Cante bury) said that they had been ino! f ortunate than Auckland, having savi 198 out of 200, and these birds h done well. - Some in captivity h commenced tp lay. ^ Among the Hills. Mr. T. G. A. Harle (Ashhurto: said that in 1926 they had liberatf 26 brace of chukkor, which had spres over 40 miles to the north and sout and far hack into the hills. It coii now he said that they were definite established. They had crossed ti Rangitata, and had gone into Nof Canteroury. Stoats had been se following the scent of a covey ther even in the high country. The usii weight of the birds had grown t now they exceeded the *weight of clni kor in their own haunts, perhaps 1 cause of the better feed here. * speed with which the birds had spres in six years gave promise that tio would eventually become the game bird in'the country. Coveys in the North. It was stated that they were ^ established in parts of Otago. Mr. J. W. Parkin (Whangarei) sa that five pairs of English partri| from the Auckland Society were m rated some years ago. They did ® do well in captivity, but one pair ® came established near the coast, ac later a covey of ,ten haa bee.i seen/ these birds could be established in ® hack country, where. there: was notil1 much shooting, tli6y would thrive, they. did- not travel much beyond miles or so, and w'ere*' easily niaw down and thus shct. • One bird, b°. ever, reared from. 10 to 15 chi® Californian quail were spreading $ pidly. Six years ago Whangarei no quail, but introduced some, day coveys of £00 to 300 were not| usual. Sportsmen, in view of | pheasant and other shooting, ti leaving quail alone a . good deai 20 years hence, if the other shp° ^ decreased as it appeared likw .. quail would provide the chief in that district.