ROD AND GUN.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 18, 21 July 1900, Page 3 (Supplement)

ROD AND GUN.

[Br Field-Sport.]

[Contributions to this column, addressed "Field-Sport," will be welcomed. They mv.st be signed with the writer's full name and address, not for publication, but as a guarantee of theii* authenticity-] Wangamii has produced the champion pigeon shot for the qurrent year. Air. l^eat, of that town, winning the honour at Petone on Tuesday last, with the score of 20 out of 21 birds. Considering the weather the .shooting was good, and most of the crack shots were well up to form. Eccles, who has been shooting so consistently of late, and Chevannes tied for second place with 18 buds each. ! The local men were hardly up to form, M'Vinish being the only one to acquit himself with auy amount of credit. Excellent though the fishing in our streams is there are some who think" it could be improved by introducing new varieties- of game fisn. An old and experienced angler writes to me on the subject as follows: — "I sincerely hope that the Acclimatisation Society will keep in view the question of introducipg tho English grayling, for as these fish spawn in April there ie no lime to 1 spare for obtaining ova from Home. Local .anglers of course are indifferent about tne grayling, but I am siwe that if they knew the excellent sporfc he gives they wouHd all support a trial, at any rate. Personally, 1 think fly-fishing for grayling quite equal, if 1 not superior, to trouting, and much finer tacfile and smaller flies uave to be used, and pulling a good fish out is impossible, as they have such a tender mouth. As to the grayling injuring che trout, it is absurd to say so, for 1 know many streams at Home w^ere the two fish flourish side by side. A separate license would be advisable here, perhaps, but that is only a detail, my object being to get that handsome and sporting fish introduced here, and obviously only thos© anglera acquainted with the grayling can give an opinion on the above." This letter is signeu with the writer's name, but as it is not clear whether it is meant for publication or not, I have omitted it. A feature of the Championship Pigeon Shooting contest; on Tuesday last was the large number of birds who fell just over the inner line of tho plough mark, thus being counted as misses. The new automatic pigeon traps used at the Championship match last Tuesday worked admirably in all respects save one — the birds did not rise as quickly as was expected. This, however, was probably due to the fact that the birds when in the trap have hardly enough light, and when the (.rap is loosed are momentarily dazed by the change from scmidarkpess to light. This defect can easily be remedied. The habits of that very excellent game fish, the Itainbow trout, appear to be still shrouded in a good deal of uncertainty. Writing on the subject recently The Field says : — "The cult of the Rainbow trout seems rapidly spreading all over England, but it is to be feared there will be some disappointments in connection with this fnvh in our northern counties, where the temperature is very low. So far as our present knowledge of the subject goes, the Rainbow trout is believed to be a fish thriving best in watera of rather high temperature, and, requiring a great deal of food, seems hardly suited for rocky or moorland trout streams, where food is scarce and indigenous trout are, in consequence, exceedingly small. Among other rivers in the north of England into which Rainbow trout 'have been placed is the river Hull, where they were introduced by the Hull Angling and Preservation Society ; and, without much doub't^ as the result

of this first stocking with these beautiful J tish, n brace oi Kaiubows in splendid condition were caught below ilcmpholmc recently. Fishery boards are- placed in a considerable difficulty owing to the breeding habits of these- fish. Though in some fish cultural establishments llainbows seem, to be getting acclimatised and spawn in winter and very, early spring. in many cases the fish are gravid, spawning, or in their kelt stage just when trout fishers are most on the river. On the other hand, when the fly-fisher is deburred from plying his craft owing to the fence season for trout generally, the Rainbow is usually m its very beat condition." The proposal of a correspondent to introduce the English Wood Pigeon has produced a vigorous letter from "Maorilander." Unfortunately, it arrived too late in the week to be inserted in full in this issue, but the main burden of his contention can be briefly stated. "We have already," he says, "a wood pigeon good enough for any country, and one which we know flourishes here. Why, then, should we go to England to introduce birds at a heavy cost, when by declaring close seasons for the native woodpigeon at stated and not distant intervals, so much more could be done.' The Acclimatisation Societies would do infinitely more to jusify their existence by taking such steps as this than by tinkering such as proposed by your correspondent." "Maorilander" is quite right in urging tho necessity for the protection of the native pigeon, and for the desirability of declaring a. close season, say every other or every"? two years ; but this is no reason why the English wood pigeon should not be introduced. Perhaps some of the readers of this column can put forward reasons for or against the proposal. The subject is one of interest, and well worthy of consideration. It is not so very long ago since we first learnt from our American, cousins something of the joys of tarpon fishing. Until then, the Mahseer had been regarded as the biggest fish available for sport, but when devotees of the latter began to try tarpon they were- fain to admit that the American fish, though it had the misfortune to b© pelagic, was in no way behind its Indian rival as a fighter, while it was, as a rule, its superior in size and weight. The next step (says the Field) was the introduction, of tuna fishing, but the Americans have now "gone one better," by initiating, or rather reviving, a spoft which, short of whaling, must be characterised as probably the most exciting and risky that the seas afford — the taking' of the great devil-fishes of the" Florida reefs. So long ago as 1845, Mr. Holder tells us in Outing, the planters of th© Carolina coast used to indulge in it, one enthusiast having a record of sixteen' kills in a season, 'the fish towing him from teji to twenty miles, but until lately it seems to have been abandoned. The harpooning anu landing of these gigantic rays — lYfanta brevirostra of ichthyologists — will probably satisfy anyone in search of new sensation, for the capsising of the boat would seem to be an occurrence by no means unusual. The average breadth of the fish is as much as eighteen to twenty feet, measuring from tip to tip of the bat-like wings, and their weight is said to be about three or four tons.