ACCLIMATISATION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 391, 16 September 1874, Page 5

ACCLIMATISATION.

The Acclimatisation Society met to receive the report of proceedings at the City Council Chambers on the 7th instant. In consequence of the last annual meeting having lapsed, the details extended over a period of two years. There were present Mr W. D. Murison (in the chair), Capt. Boyd, Messrs A. C. Begg, Deans, W. Hepburn, E. M'Glashan, Tewsley, and J. T. Thomson. The ninth report was read, of which the following is the substance :— The revenue of the Society for the two years 1872-3 was L5Ol 7a. The expenditure for that financial year was Ll4B Iss 6d. For the past year the revenue was L2BO 3*, and the etpenditure L 305 16s Bd. On the 3 1st March last, the balance to the credit of the Society was L 379 9s 44, which had since increased. The Society, althonsth possessed of sufficient funds to distribute fish through the streams of the Province, and valuable seeds and trees amongsc the members, had been unable to attempt the introduction of stock from Great Britain on the scale and c»f the character which marked their efforts in 1868, 1870, and 1871. During those three years, the Proviucial Council voted annually LSOO in aid of the Society s operations ; but since that time only L2OO had been voted each for 1871-2 and 1872-3, and 1.100 for laat year. Une shipment s roilar to those received by the Warrior Queen on three occasions would cost the Society LSOO. It is evident, therefore, that, considering the 'imited pub ie support given, it has been possible only to introduce stock on a small s^ale Last year an effort was made to procure black game from Great Britain, and Mr J. A. Ewen, of London, received an offer from Captain Horatio Ross to rear some birds for the purpose on his estate in the Highlands. The failure of the season for black game prevented its being done. Mr Bweu also made inquiry whether it was probable that English crabs and lobster* could be successfully fsrwarded to New Zealanri, but arrived at tbe conclusion that to attempt it would only incur waste of the Society's funds. Their auuutl gathering seevned to afford opportunity for placing on record tao sense the Society entertained of the anxiety and valuable efforts ol Mr Ewea in endeavoring to forward its interests. Thfi Society had obtained and distributed seeds of the Conifers from California. Trees, chiefly P. Insignia and C. Macrocarpa, had been raised from seed en the Society's grounds, most of which had been distributed among the members. Tbe retiring council urge upon their successors the advisability of an annual distri&wtion of this character.

Bkown Tkqitt —The funds of the Society and the time of tbe manager had been mainly devoted to the breeding and distribution ot fish, and as no suitable stream existed near Dunedin available for fiah ponds, arrangements were made with Mr W. A. Young, of Falmerston, who had offered to give a valuable site on his property, and in May, 18l>9, a few brown troat were liberated in his mill race, on the .^hag JRiver. In November of that year a pond was laid out there, and seventy-five young trout brought by Mr Clifford from Tasmania, were placed in it From this depot the many thousands of t«-out now in the ;Shasj River, as well as tkose distributed elsewhere, have proceeded. The Council are of opinion that during next summer a short season of two or three months during whici trout may be fished for, should be proclaimed. The distribution of trout since 1872, has been as follows :— >hag River, 9.50H ; ITpper Pleasant River, 400; M»g Swamp Urcek, 2JO ; Trotter's Creek and Hampdcn streams, 1000 ; Kaka« nui and tributaries, 750 ; at Mr Menlove's, Mr Reid's, Lower Moeraki and Kakanui

Mills, 1,200; Upper Shag Valley, 150; iSwinburn, Upper Taieri, 250 ; Beck's Creek, Manuherikia, 75 ; Lauder, 605 ; above the Falls, Manuherikia, 242 ; Upper Waitati, 100; Mr J. Reid's, JElderslie, 200; Lo veil's Creek, 42 ; Kaihiku, 150 ; Clifton, 50 ; Waiwera, 150 ; Kuriwao, 150 ; Waipahi, 77 ; Pomahaka, 125 ; Floihlen, Tapanui, 40 ; Teviot, 157 ; Renger Burn, 75 ; Peninsula, 150; Lee's Canal, Maungatua, 100; M'Pherson's C'wek, Waibol ■, 50 ; Boundary Creek, Waihola, 50 ; Washpool Creek, Waihola, 50 ; Puerua, 100 ; Boat Harbor Creek, 50; Silver Stre : am, 100; Akatore, 75; North-east Valley branch of Water of Leith, 50. In the case of the streams mentioned in the above list which lie north 6f Dunedin, it is right to add that they were stocked through the instrumentality of Mr W. A. "Young. The Council are iuformed a fund has been raised in the northern part of the Province for a ' testimonial to be presented to Mr young, and recommend a sum to be vo.ted by £he' r % »oQteiy'in"aid of the movement, and a vote of "thank's recorded f or'j his" valuable services. Salmon Tkqct.— ln December, l§7o, 134 young sea or salmon trout were liberated in one ,6'f Mr Young's pond§ at Palmerston, and Jiowardg the end of t^e following year tbey were allowed to visit the $ea. Since then fish having the appearance of salmon trout hayp been seen jn tfre Sfeag SJvpr by Mr Young and ptheya. Sipge that £in^e evidence kas been affarded that fche efforts ef tbe Society to acclimatise salmon trou£ had been successful. One of those fish was captured a few months ago in a net near Otago Meads, about a week afterwards one W»f taken in Otago Harbor, and last week a fernals salmon trout, weighing about 31b and filled with toe. wa§ tajjteu in a net at Peliohet Bay, As. the nunibgr p.f trout liberated was small, the Council think steps should be taken to prevent nefcting-ne^r tflie mouths of creeks, in Otago Harbor, and along the northern seaboard during the spawning season.

Perch.— ln September, 1868, Mr Clifford obtained twenty-one perch for the Society from the Tasmanian Salmon Commissioners, which were at once liberated in the Dunedin Waterworks reservoir. They are now in great numbers in the reservoir, and some of fb«m weigh upwards of 21b. The Company very liberally agreed to reserve the right of fishing in the reservoir to holders of tickets issued by the Company, charging a small sum for each ticket, ,to be handed to the Society. The* Cbmpajjy to the arrangement, which is likely 1 to bo^on^inued by the Corporation. Mistakes regarding tjje Value of the perch have been made at Home through fishing for it during summer, while in reality it is a winter fish, much resembling a haddock in firmness and fleshy texture, bat of movu. delip&te flavor. <v JraEASANTs'have spread rapidly, and are to be found in numbers along the coast from Oamaru to Catlin's River They have leen seen inland afc iStrath Taieri. ' At the request of the settlers in b'hag Valley, shooting of cock-pheasants was permitted to licensefolders jn f une, 1873,' and no doubt a season wjill he proclaimed /Bach year >yhen the birds begome plentiful. P-Artrltdoes haying fc«en turned out in large lots of not less than seven b.race in 1870 aad 1871, it was expected their acclimatisation would have buen soon accomplished, but these anticipations have not been fully realized. The Council deems the fact that Otago is the only district south of the ljne where the English partriJge has, beyond ajil doubt, beeu acclimatised, to be one upon which the Society may well be congratulated. Partridges are chiefly to be seen j. a the tyreen Island, Taieri, Waihola, Tokeniairiro, Ctatfea, and Tuangka districts. It it a matter worthy of mention in connection with, the habits of the partridge in thin

considerable distance from cultivation, on the open ranges, where, it i& to be presumed, it finds an abundant supply of suit ible food in the seeds of the native grasses, and the numerous insects and grubs that frequent the pasture lands. •

Hares.— Turned out at Waihola, these have spread over a large area, haviug been seen at Green Island on one side, an 1 at Popotunoa on the other. From the two hares liberated at Mr Rich' , Shag Valley, in 1870, a very largo number have been bied. Mr liich recommends that th re should be a season opened next autumn during which hares may be shob or coursed for in the Lower Shag Valley district by the holders of licenses entitling them to do so Several harea procured hy Mr W. J. M. Larnach, from Victoria, were turned out last year by that gentleman on his property at the Peninsula, and owing to the suitability of tbe district for all kinds of game, there can be no doubt that hares will soou become plentiful there.

DfER. — There is now a large herd of Axis deer at Bushy Park ; and the red deer which »vere sent to Mr Rich in the early part of IS7I have bred twico, and are thriving exceedingly well. At Morven Hills, where another lot of red deer were placed, the increase has been equally great. At Mr John M'Kellar's, Tapanui, there is now a very large herd of fallow deer, which are chiefly the progeny of a lot of twelve which were brought from Tasmania ia 1869. Insectiverous Birds. — The birds of this class which were introduced from Great Britain by fehe Society, chufly in the years 1870 and 187!, have without exception, the Council believes, become acclimatised in the Province. In the neighbo: hood of Dunedin, blackbirds are becoming very numerous, colonies of these birds having been established in the valley of the Water of Leith in the bush on the Pert Chalmers road, aud in the bush beyond ' »poho. The thrushes, although apparently not so numerous as the blackbirds, have been observed at a greater distance from Dunedin. Yellowhammera are in great numbers in the Caversbaro district, and larks, although rarely heard in the immediate neighborhood of Dunedin, are very plentiful at Green Island and Tokoniairiro. Goldfinches do not seem to have spread over a large area, but in the localities wkere they have settled, they are to be se-n in great numbers. Starlings, hedge-sparrows, and chaffiuch.es are in some places — such as the northern end of Dunedin— more frequently met with tban any kind of native birds ; while linnets may be seen in flocks anywhere about the suburbs of the City. Calikornian Quail.. — la the neighborhood of Inch Clutha and Kaitangata t -ese birds have become very plentiful. The settlers in those districts ieport that the quail keep near the bush, in which they roost at night, and that they seek for food in the fields during :he day On being disturbed they at once, however, make for cover. It is questionable, therefore, wheilier these quail will afford genuine sport, unless whe-.i they frequent low scrub. In the Wakatip district they are to be fouud in spots so covered, and there are many similar places in the Province where it is believed Californian quail could with advantage be introduced.

The Council deems it right, for the guidance of its successors, and for the inform ition of the public, to indicate some things to which the Society may with advantage turn its attention :-- 1. The distribution of forett tree seeds and of young trees. 2 The stocking of streams, chiefly in the southern part of the Province, with trout. 3. The stocking of the inland lakes with some suitable kind of fish. 4. The introduction trom America of hardy game l»ir<ls suited for the rough hill country in the interior of the Provine.:. 5. The introduction of silmon trout from Tasmania, with a view of eatabliahing a Btock of these fish for artificial breeding. The Chairman reviewed the operations of the Society at great length, and commented on the attention given to pisciculture. He suggested that care should be taken in at tempting to stock the lakes with tish, that they should be of the finest breeds suitable for the purpose. The report and balance sheet were adopted. Capt. Boyd moved, and Mr M'Glashan seconded — "That a vote of thanks be conveyed to Mr J. A. Ewen, of London, for the valuable aid which he has rendered .to the Society in attending to its interests at Home, and for his expressions of willingness to act for it so loßg as he remains in London." The motion was agreed to. Mr Thomson proposed — "That inrecogni]bion of the'valnable services rendered by Mr W. A. Young, of Palmerston, to the cause of acclimatisation in Otago, a vote of thanks to that gentleman be passed by this meeting; and that the sum of LlO be contributed by the Soeiejby towards tbe 'fund which is now being raised in tb.e northern part of the Province for purchasing a tcstimo*ial for Mr Young." Mr A. C. Begg seconded the motion, which was unanimously agreed to. Mr Begg moved — "That this meeting recommends that there should be an open season for fyrown trout rod-fishing^ during the ensuing summer \xx those streams within the Province ia which fish of that description were iujjroducpd b,y fche Society in I^6§ and the e.a'rly parfc of I§<sl" Agfccd to. The following mqt^on, proposed by Mr Hepburn and seconded by Captain Bori., waa agreed to :—": — " That, with a" view tq the preservation of the salmon trout which have been introduced by the Society, it is desirable that the Provincial Government should be requested to prqhibit netting at the mouths of the creeks in Otago Harbor and along the nprthern seaboard during the spawning season of these fish, 1 ' The following office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year i-^Chftirman. Mr W. D. Hudson; Vice-Chairman, MrJS, M^Glaahan ; Secretary, Mr A. C. Begg j Treasurer, Mr Tewsley. Committee : Capt. Boyd, J. T. Thomson, J. Reid, R. Oliver, W. J. M. Larnacb, G. K. Turton, W. Mason, ,W. Hepburn, F. C. Fulton, Bishop Nevill, and ft. L. Sise. Country Committee : Rev. W. Wili, J. Fulton, A. Grigor, J. W. Murdoch, F. D. Rich, J. F. Kitching, H Den h, F. Roberts, J. Shand, W. .Shennan, W. A. Young, P. F. Stoddarfc, R. Campbell, A. Jones, J. W. Robertson. The meeting then adjourned.