ACCLIMATIZATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2497, 4 January 1869, Page 1 (Supplement)

ACCLIMATIZATION.

The English birds brought out by Dr Macdonald of the Blue Jacket, having increased their strength in the well-adapted aviaries of the Society, have been liberated in the gardens, with fair prospect of their increasing this summer. The further efforts of the Society will be devoted to the introduction of rooks, goldfinches, and chaffinches, for which the sum of £lOO has been appropriated. The greater portion of the English trout have now been turned out in their respective localities. The excellent arrangements made for the transport of this fish have proved very successful, not a single loss having as yet occurred during the many removals. The fish retained to the number of 100 in the Society’s ponds, although now grown shy, still continue to increase in size rapidly—a fact to be accounted for by the abundant supply of natural food for them, the most important of which is the young of a little native fish, superior in some respects to the English minnow. Steps have been taken to ascertain upon what terms a few boxes of the salmon ova, shortly expected from England, could be obtained from the 1 >tago Government. The pheasants turned out last year, ami those in the aviaries, are multiplying satisfactorily. Several contributions have been received, the most valuable for excliange with other Jcountries being a native blue mountain duck from Mr W. H. Homewood.