OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 11666, 28 September 1901, Page 7

OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

.'lie monthly meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society was held yesterday in tho offices in the Exchange Court. Mr R. Chiskolm occupied the chair, and there were also present Messrs J. Edgar, R. Forrest. A.K Farqubar, A. C. Stronach, G. M. Marshall, C. R, D. Richardson, and F. Doms. An apology for absence was received from Mr T, Brown.

Mr F. Deans, reported that he had paid a visit to the Tokomakiro district, and made inquiries about the pheasants. He hoard on good authority of various broods in outlying districts from Bon-Accord to Fortification, which num&ered about fifty, but in his travels ho did not come across any persons who had seen any young broods during the past season. He traversed tiie country to the cast of Milton, behind the Fairfax Cemetery, a district in which tie birds had at one tinio been plentiful. None of tho settlers in the vicinity had seen many of the birds of late, and they had come to the conclusion that they had gone towards the coast, where there i's fine game country. This is tho time the hens lay, and mok likely they will be sitting, so that, thev would not be seen about; and, again, ft had to be observed that broods of young birds are always very hard to see on account of their darting into cover at the least alarm. It was, however, scarcely likclv that, so largo a number of pheasants ;i-> were liberated last year could pass the season without breeding.—Mr Stronach said that ho had heard better reports from the \\aihola district..— Mr Marshall said that in tho present state of uffaira it didn't seem worth their while breeding pheasants.—The Chairman said that undoubtedly stoats and weasels were becoming a great nuisance, and the correctness of their exposition to the introduction of these peste was being amply proved. The suggestion that poisoned r H fc Y a * rcs P onfr:w « for the disappearance of the birds was not altogether reliable, for they had sent some birds up to Goodwood where they got attention, and where thenwas no poison for them, and still the bird, did not improve or flourish. He noticed th:i; there had been a great mortality among thj partridges liberated in the Nelson district, and it was attributed to the habit the birds had contracted of eating a poisonous black beetle. Anyhow, the cause of the disappearance of tho pheasants was inexplicable.—Tho report was eventually received. Mr Deans sent' in Ins report for the months of August and September. He said that the ova harvest was nearly over, there being a few rainbow trout left to spawn. Tho ova obtained to data were as follow : Loch Leven trout, 37,000; Scotch burn trout, 57,000; brook trout, 30,000; salmon, 18,000; Ra-inbow trout, 108,500; and brown trout, 112,000. Salmon spawned badly this year, and many of the eggs proved sterile. Tho three-year-old salmon had been attacked by a sort of paralysis, and specimens had been forwarded to Dr Benham and Mr (iilruth for examination. Twenty thousand Loch Leven and 34,000 rainbow trout had been forwarded to Geelong, and there was every prospect that thev. would reach there safely. Arrangements had been made with the S.G.A.S. for transferring a lot of young trout from the Temuka to some of our northern rivers. The S.C.A.S. wished to obtain about 100 rainbow trout to place in a pond, but it was recommended that as there were no yearlings that 100 of tho two-year-old fish be presented to them.

Commenting on the report, the Chairman said that the cause of the disease at present a puzzle to the experts. Drßenhani suggested | hat the fish were overfed. On the doctor's suggestion they had placed some rock-salt in the ponds, and secured a temporary improvement in the state of the fish, but ktely-it had cropped up again.—

Mr Deans said that the djeeate'wte'JaiHH fined to one shipment of the faWiMtimllKl bered about 300.—Mr MatttaUtaggMmfßm they should be destroyed for fear of Wffijßßlfl lating the other fish! Ho also thrwlliiSH the suggestion that the fish shonM"MamM into a river near the sea, and b»M>li»BM they could not expect the fish to rOtaOttffllEsMl fectly healthy so long as they in an unnatural state.—lt was r«lftMlfllßM receive the report, and instruct tbft '"ffiffjjH to bring in another report at the ttesP§|o|9 mg on the subject. tlls§§H A letter was- received from th«'-SHuH taki and Wahnota ciety (Wahaki branch) suggesting n, <fl9 ence,of three members from each of tJtJUiSffl societies to deal with the matter A f l 'immfl changeable deer licenses.—lt WW StimnH that the secretary- write to ih* WpMßm branch acquainting them that the HfcMmiiflJ would bo pleased to meet a deput»tJ6JslsS discuss the matter. \ ; '"''liiffl It was resolved to send a quantity JMJfjIM to Mr M'Conochie to be placed in we Im|