THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1690, 31 May 1867, Page 5

THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING. The tliinl annual meeting* of the I Acclimatisation Society was held yester- | day afternoon, at Farley's Hall, Princes street. Mr W. D. 'Mnrison was elected ehurmaii, and he commenced the proceedings by rending tin following lieport :•— Tho Council of the Ota.jp Acclimatisation .Society, in laying, the thml annual .report before th« members, trust that it .will be ! seen that they have cause to congratulate the Society on the progress' made, at the scune time that the foundation has hvjn Laid for more extended operations. The financial position of the Society is most satisfactory, which will Imj scan by reference to the balance' wheet now submitted, the name having been duly amlito;!. The income of the Society from all azures* 'amounts'to'Ll3lS Oa 6d, which, with last '.year's balance, JAI 1b lid, miikea a. total of hV.loii 2s sd. The expenditure lor the year amounts to L550.19s Id, leaving a balauee in hand of LSO7 te 4d. ; The Oouncil feel it ihhiv duty to express their deep sense of gratitude t<>-th<j>-'Provin-cial Council for the liberality with which they subsidised the subscriptions of the Society for flic p&^t year, and trust the I'roviueisd ' Connetl will render them fttrthef; a«sistance, Iho as to enable them to carry on thtj work already begun.1 . \i' : ? i-■'•''■ Tho lal>ors of the Society are known in i some instances to have beea ; attenjled with suocjeiss, as some of the birds liberated have ♦ bred, tiros gving rea«oa to expert a i>enjvv uenfc stock, Noariy all Hhe oth^v sjtock I turned oat liave been, freo^u&itiy seen* aiyl * are Biats«l bt> be in firat rate condition j and alth^iigliitknot known wlMjtlter they have ia^ised, £her<s "'.it^. everyvrejuk>ri; to'believe ; ;"''::-" ■ fr- ;"; 5:;.-" **V:;- ": '-. '\" ~ :<" 8 J fojto^i^^Btoc]t l^ib^cajjtttnied out 8 p^irfef of^^-I^iu^ ;^^3blacJ< © iswau%? 38 plieasaatej gwlaea-fjowl,;; >s i- f Ali^to »n%pi(a, 2 jpM,? fof?!, jj jMacl © bkd^; £ sonjs torcwh<» or mftyi%'4 sky-piarsa

■i Australian waxbilln, 200 medical bache*. Nativebirds, viz. s paradise ducks, ttiis, wood-hens, and k.vkas, li;ive been fonrrtfdet! •for purposes of exchange, t<* JBttgLtud, Victoria and Tasmania. > alive seeds have been sent to various ports of the -world. At the depot—Dorking, and Polish fowls have lx»n bred, and the following stock are on the grounds ;—Emus, black swans, Java doves, black birds, jackdaws, Paradise ducks, I silver-gray and common rabbits. \ jtrious improvements have been m:idc on thf Society's grounds, m as to make them both useful and wiuusnmt'd : and m»m the increased ]K)pu!anty which liris been shown by the numW of visitors, the Council hope to receive increrujeil support, A. large pond f-.'r water-fowl in in coarse of construction, being nwirly completed. It is also uttc?«lo*l to form a second jwml for the rucypti»m of fish. The Council have sent an order to Kngbnd lor <>(>!) instict-watiag sung birds, together with partridge, black gamo, whito .swans, U.-mrs, and dc-r. it is tHwvforo in W honed lhat during th<; prracut yo.ir the .S»ckV» r>{H?ratit.ns will K> grr;ntly cxk-ndt-J. With reference- to tho"salmon, the Society liave irot Iwtn til! lately in a jm,,nit ion to i-nter into any arrangements for it-r introduction, n«iiHi«r m it at presc-iit kmnvu whether any will be obtainable from Tasmania ; but should such la; the case, the Council are prepared Winter into negotiation.* for it,-! iv troduoLjoji. Thy Council arc, however, in communication with the .Southland .Society, and Uavc token &t«ps to introduce the trout into the Province, and trust that the next rcpo.t wd! record iU location in the Colony. Puring the year a branch society 'has been extftttligheri at Wokatip, which the (Jmincil trust will be the means of facilitating acclimatisation in the Province. ° Hk Excellency .Sir (ieorge Grey, whilst in Dunedin, visited the Society's grounds, cx-prc-Hsud himself pleased with tho progress made, mid kindly promised to present the Society with wtock, &c The Council i'm, 'at prcßent, in communication with Nulwm and Auckland, for an additional stuck of Pheasants ; with New South Wales and South Australia, for Alpacas and Angora Goats, and Taumauia fur Dcor. The Council rogrut to have to draw attention to th« wholesale destruction of the Native small birds, tmuiy of which, from their being insect-eaters, it would be most advisable to protect and encourage, a.n Home of them are not to be Hiirpassttd in value to the farmer and gardener by any birds the Hoeiety can introduce. It is, therefore, hoped that the Government will lend th« .Society their aid in introducing a bill f> prevail; tboir ticstnsction. The Council would wi.m to draw the attention of the member* and the public to this very great assistance they win reader the Sudety by donations of Native binh, for yuiyo-.m of «x<:lruigi: with other CVmtrk-.s. Tiiey are induced to mention t'u;; subj'^t, as they believe it cannot be »?:ueraMy known, from the fact that though th*j < Atmn;il have advorti.Kf.-d to that «-tP-.-t, the appeal !r« bc-:u but poorly repond>:d to. Iv conclusion. th<* Council b:g to th:uik t\iw. who ao Hi orally' n,:.%t>on<b;4 to their appeal for hulHcription^ and trust that they will not only cnntimi'S to Huj>p->rt the iSocifty, but will induce their frieii'b to b<fcome sul>x'nbi-r.f, ,-:h it 7)i'i:;t by patent to all that Acclimatisation iv Neiv Zealand is a work of th<* utmoHt vain.?. Tin; (jlnirmun rt'fen-;d to the .Hcvcra] matters «po?-:un of in thu report. All'.tditi !^ tv th.: icr.snt uf the i'ruviueiai Cuuncil, hu xviid tls.tt il»u Hoeicly was now changed, n«.;t in its object, but :vi if) bow it would h:tv.' tt> use th« niouoy, v.inch wuh public niomey, and it dt-vo'ved tbu mow \)\>>>n tlu:m to proceed with nms and «uitiun, They should throw aside ail hobln'oH, nnd endeavor only to iniri>dticc into the country, unimaJK, birtln, Ac. that wmihl ha veaSly luscful. In rufux'encu tothtiintftiductiun <>f salmon, he said that it had been s!i'/g';;tcd that a recommendation to the (Jovornmont nhould bo m;wlo to send over to Tajijuania some one who would aid the Society by obtaiTtiiKj JnfonniiUon, and niakiny it useful hero. Hu iiHndud l<> the many ways in which thu public could ,-i.sii,st the .Society, not only by suhsn'iptiun», lnit by destroyin« thu on».;inio« of indigenous ins«j«t-o:itiu^ birds, )<y r-;fra'ni-in^ from shooting mich birda, and by ])n.-vc'iithi^ their wholesale slaughter, and by «ot»diii_^ in contributions for exchange with othur Hocicties. T}io rfport, together with the audited balance sheut, which wm Wid 6a ilio table, was adopted. On thu motion of Mr Cahhh'jc, sfjcojultid by Mr Lakbman*, thu follo-.viiKj officerl * were app<iinto<l for rho ensuing year : — Pvvmlunt, Mr M, Holuic*; Vicu-PreHi-dunt, Mr W. i>, MitriHoa ; Town Committee, Messrs Vo^ul, \V, V,dl, F. Fulton, T. (J. Skinnur, Jt. S. Cjintrell, J. A. EwAn, T. J3. l.;iph and TM Uo&m ; Connivy Coninritbiv, Mi'.wn F. I), itidi, 0. Mtirrsiy, W. Mttton, F. S. FillanK, J. W. Murdoch and W, Black ; Honoraiy Treasurer, Mr F. D. Moivillc ; lion-mivy Secrutury, Mr A. Cairiok. Mr fiw'H moved, and Mr Wjlkix.so.v seconded, the followiu^resolntioji, v/Jiicit \v;vi xm;mhnouiily cnrriecl.— v That in ordor to prevent the destruction of curtain indigenous inaact-anting birds, thin nioetinfj i« of opinion tliat a cluuw should be introduced into the* Act of the Gunern! Assembly, for the protection of Birds, empowering the Government to proclaim any such Birds to be within the operation of the Wild Birds Protection Act, I860'; also .". da\t«u similar to one now in force in Victoria, prohibitinsf tlip use of filuin/fItais or catapults, and tltat ilia Hon. JVI. Holmes, Hon.. F. S. Pill an b, nnd Mr W. D, Murison be requested to carry out tlu object of the for<jgoitKj l'eHolution m th< General Assembly." f Mr~OAßtticfc stated tltat the Societ-j hadbeea uiiftirtttuato in its recent introduction of pUeasawts*. Of seven birds recently obtained from Auckland ant Kelson, onlyfchroo lived. ArrangemenU had been mado to obtain ofchci* supplies which were expected, ijhortly. H< alludal tut the. c«ti«BiKmdonce betweei himself nnd the Secrqiap" of the Tas numian.-Salmon Acclimatisaticn. Society reapecting the recrupfc of ova from, tliere and ho moved—" That, as ihe Provincia Couucil hs& voted LIOOO for the intro duefcion of salmon und truut. ova, tlii mectiug yecoirunends that L 250 of th above vote should T>d f orw'arcTcd to Tus. mania as a '"■subscriptionto the genca,** fund of tho £bi»ion -Comtntiisioh&XH o tiiat Colony,' and that i\d Honoi-ar Secretary be requested to convey a cop <jf the rwol'rtiou to the Provinci' Government." [ The motion was secondcid by ' Skijuier, and caitied, A conversation en«ncd t inspecting tl i. i position «M proapecti of the Societ \ durit^ whicii it was suggested .that 2 ' jsqni?jb to nude to MfW, 0. Yojmg k '-if& w Home A^on^j fl.\)<l tho prbceedin H. knnip.ated.