A NATURALIST’S TRIP

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 10096, 8 September 1925, Page 6

A NATURALIST’S TRIP

RETURN OF AIR EDGAR STEAD

UNIQUE SHIPACfcNT OF EHODO--1 DENDRONS

RED DEER AIENACE

SALMON ACCLIMATISATION IN

NEW ZEALAND. (SPECIAL TO THE TIMES.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 7. Mr and Airs Edgar Stead returned to New Zealand on Sunday evening in the Ruahine from England, after a very interest and pleasant sojourn there. This morning I was able to track Air. Stead >to the captain’s deck at the top of the ship, where I found him with his head and shoulder's invisible in a great case from which he was shifting rare specimens of rhododendrons, as tenderly almost as of they were delicato babies. As a matter of fact some of them are rather delicate, and there were a few that had ‘.‘died on him” notwithstanding all his solicitude. Everyone in New Zealand knows Air Stead as a keen naturalist. No one has a greater knowledge of our New Zealand birds than he, but not everyone is aware of his keen interest in the flora, not only of his native land, but of other countries as welt. The baby rhododendrons had to he carefully’treated and carefully guarded on the voyage. They hate salt, and the only possible place for them was on the captain’s deck where they had a certain amount of immunity from the effects of the salt spray. For their storage in this spot he expressed his grateful thanks, to Capt. Smith, himself a gardener,’ who allowed them to be placed there. Air Stead also received every assistance from the ship’s company. It is a very interesting fact that such-a unique collection of these treasured plants should have beeii so successfully transplanted - from England to the Antipodes. There are amongst these plants species that are not to be found outside their native habitat except in England. Quite a number of the speciments are new, and have not yet flowered in cultivation. Several are autumn flowering, which will extend tho flowering season of these plants considerably in New Zealand and England. these autumn flowers there are at* present only about four in New Zealand. Keen interest has been evinced in the discovery of a new species of rhododendrons and botanists have been finding new species by tho hundred, till now about a thousand have been described. Mr Stead has brought with himnot only many seedlings, but he has been given also seeds from which he hopes to raise many more plants. Mr Stead spoke in terms of glowing praise of those people in England whose kindness and generosity enabled him to take this wonderful collection across the seas to he transplanted at his home at Ham, Christchurch. Among these fellow enthusiasts he mentioned Lord Headfort, AH Lionel de Rothschild, Sir .John Ramsden. Air Gerald Loder and Lady Loder, Air F. Armitage Moore and Air T. H. Lewinsky and member of the noted Rhododendron Society, the membership of which is limited to 25. In the garden at Ham visitors will eventually be able to see various new species in bloom and included in the number will he some that were brought back from the Tibetian uplands by the heroic explorers of the Everest expedition financed by the Royal Geographical Society, the English Alpine Club and also Ln_a small way by the New Zealand Alpine Club Most- of Air. Stead’s present shipment have been grown from seedlings raised from seed that was obtained by expeditions that were sent on to China, and collected there in the mountainous regions of western China and on the borders of Tibet. They are species, that would not flower in Australia hut will flower in New Zealand. Some he has obtained from the collection made hv Captain Kingdom Ward who at the invitation of Air Lionel de Rothschild he met at dinner and with whom he had a most interesting talk about his experiences in the wilds of Central Asia. It was, perhaps, owing to their finding a brother enthusiast from New Zealand that the most kindly hospitality was shown Afr Stead. These people were also interested in New Zealand flora, and Air Stead hopes later to show his gratitude for all they did for him by sending them in return plants from the rigorous climes at high levels in New Zealand which will no doubt thrive in the harder climate of England. Air Stead spoke enthusiastically about the transplanting of the scarlet manuka to England, derived from a seaside farm found in Canterbury. GROUSE FROM NORTH AMERICA’.

Mr Stead has made arrangements to get from North America two forms of grouse known as the ruffled grouse and the sharp-tailed. Ho hopes that these birds will survive the voyage through the tropics, and that eventually they will he acclimatised in the hill country of Canterbury. He lias also made ariangements which he hopes will result in a shipment- ot -Mhek game and ptiarmigan frtom Scotland and Sweden. These birds will keep to the high country, where there is little or no cultivation and where they can do no harm. All are fine table birds, and excellent game birds and will if the experiment succeeds he an important and a valuable and interesting addition to the fauna of New Zealand. THE WOOD PIGEON.

Recently, there has been some discussion upon the introduction of the wood pig on from England to New Zealand. So far, the importation ot these birds is a mystery. There is no official information as to how they were got into the country beyond that they were shipped by a former New Zealand member of Parliament and liberated in the vicinity of Hawera. Some concern has been expressed lest they should prove a pest in this country. In view of Mr Stead’s extraordinary knowledge of the habits of birds, 1 asked him if there was any danger to be anticipated from the introduction of these birds

Mr Stead said he did not think there would be any fear of their becoming a pest here. The main objection to their introduction would be their danger that they would inter-' fere with the food supply of our native pigeon. One reason why the British pigeon would not be a pest here was that it was a migratory bird, and there w-as no place within reach of New Zealand to which it could migrate. It could not fly as far as Australia, but these birds came to England in winter in tens, and perhaps hundreds of thousands to feed on the acorns, beech, etc. Some of them, no doubt, remained in England, but the great majority left when they were forced to leave, for countries where they could get a better food supply in the summer. In a country si+uated as is New Zealand, from wh'ch thov could not migrate, and to which they could not come in their thousands from other lands, they could easily be dealt with. THE DEER MENACE

This problem with which New Zealand is greatly concerned, was mentioned to Mr Stead, who keen sportsman though he is, is no friend of the red deer. He realises to the full the enormous damage they do to the forest, and the crops of, the country settler. Promiseous shooting. . however , he . adds, will never he the means of.eradicating the pest, or of reducing;;it to 'reasonable*-*limits. At present,-'ho said wo shoot the stags’ and leave, the birds, and it is the binds that should b« shot out if the herds are to bo reduced to re asen-

able limits that policy should have been advocated 20 years ago. ’ The herds, however, owing to a mistaken policy, have now deteriorated while they have increased enormously in numbers. In Air Stead’s opinion the only method of reducing the red deer plague is by poisoning them through the agency of salt licks.

ACCLIAIATISATION OF SALMON

Air Stead spoke interestingly on this subject in which he takes also a very keen interest. He is more convinced than ever that we should obtain the ova of salma salar from the spring run of fish in such rivers as the Wye where the fish run is ’arge. In that way only he thinks will we obtain a big fish worthy of New Zealand waters. He is also an advocate of introducing ova from the spring runs of the quinant in the rivers of North-west America. These are by far the finest fish from the food point of view.

SCALE READING

Air Stead had a very interesting talk on the question of scale reading with a noted scientist, who has devoted much attention to this subject. From all he could gather scale reading is not to be depended upon to the Extent the modern scale readers declare it is in connection with the life history of salmon, and it is quite likely, that before another year or two have passed, that the scientist he referred may make a very important pronouncement on the subject.