ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10443, 20 August 1895, Page 4

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

The regular meeting of the Acclimatisation Society's Council was held yesterday, and was attended by Messrs J. P. Maitland (chairman), Stoddart, R. Chisholm, T. Brown, R. Forrest, S. Goldsmith, Sinclair-Thomson,*.A, C. Stronach, R. Campbell, A. C. Begg, and W. j Pillans. j'. ' ' REPOBT. The following report for'"' August from Manager Deans was read :— The Season for collecting ova is now-about closed, and it has been an exceedingly unfavourable one. The number of brown trout ova obtained is about the same as last year.- The entire number of eggs laid 'down this year is I upwaros of 350.C00, made up ; as follows :—Salmon | 14,000, Loch (.even trout 70,000, American brook I trout 28.000, Scotch burn trout 107,000, and brown j trout 134,000.: Two small lots of eyed ova have I be-cn sent away—viz., to Tauranga 8000 American ] brook trout,;and to Opotiki 1000 each of American bro k trout and Scotch burn trout. . The ova of the stock lish are n.w hatching. The young fish appear to be strong and healthy, but as ÜBuala .Considerable number ofthe oya are barren.' With reference to the two stags liberated some month's ago, Mr Hector M'Lean, of Hawea Lnke, writes that after the snow came on he noticed the stag making bi_ way aloog the foot! of the range towards settlement, when he headed him on horseback and brought him back,, when he took shelter in the woolshed, Mr M'Lean making him prisoner "and feeding him there on hay and water for a week during the severest'of the we .ther. Mr M'Lean writesagain on Auguat 6, saying there have been morefalls of ano.w with harl frosts, with heavy show on the mountains, and that his friend the sta? is'still about'the same gully with plenty of shelter, in,;the shape: of. scrub, and thinks that this ooe has got over the worst,of it now, but fears that'unless the one liberated at Morven Hills has been attended to and fed'there is little chance of him surviving such a severe winter. Whileon the Mibje'ctof deer, Tin .y state that in. my last report I neglected to-refer to the assistj ance rendered me by the -Wakatipu SteamI Shipping Company, who carried the .deer gratis | from Kingston to Queenstown, and the captain I kindly went to some 'trouble in i assisting g3 to plsce ths cages on tba conveyances, (without which it would have been a difhcult j undertaking. - The society owes its thanks alsri {to lfe.-srs.M'Pherion and Shennan, of Berwick, | and Ranger Peterson, of Glenomaru, for their | valuable assistance during the ova harvest. -.'

.-.-, - , GEXERAI.. *-... . - ■-' ■■ A-discussion, took pl&ce on-the subject of liberating fallow deer at the Cairn run, behind Catlins bush, and it was agreed that the executive take steps to find out the best methods of catching the deer, so that they might be liberated in the locality n*med. Mr Chisholit mentioned that the ponds in the Botanic Gardens were now destitute of fish of all kinds, and referred to the improvements (he unemployed were .making afc the top of Duke street. Two ponds were to-be formed there, aad he thought it was very desirab'e that steps should be taken in the direction bf turning fish/out, into these and into the ponds, in the Gardeos. Que- of the ponds' referred to was finished and the other would bs made,"aud he suggested that golden carp should be liberated in these and in the ponds iv j the Gardens. He had sent to Mr Johnston, of ) Opawa,- and got a dozen golden carp down for | a small pond for himself. Mr Johnston sup- | plied the.fisb at 10* a dozen, and he (Mr Chisholm) thought a few pounds would "be very well spent in getting some of the fish and turning them into the ponds. He moved—"That a sum not exceeding £5 be expended ia procuring golden carp to be placed in the ponds in the Botanic Gardens and those in the Duke streefc reserve." The Chaieman said the fish required warm water to ensqre their thriving. '■'"' '■•'■■'•'■ Mr Fobrest : Tou will get ifc at Duke sfcreefc. Plenty of warm water comes down from the mill3.—(Laughter.) Mr Chisholm suggested that a dezen of the fish should be sent up to the Opoho ponds.' The motion was eeconded by Mr Brown, and carried. ■:.'■, > A correspondent writing from Canterbury stated that the coming fishing season promised to be a very geod .one. A letter was read from the Government intimating that instructions had. been sent Home to forward a shipment of salmon ova this seasou. '- Mr Begg mentioned Casually that there had been great destruction this y6ar, in the interior, of pukakis and ducks, and the pukakis had pretty well died out. ~ ''•; -. r Mr Sthonach : That's .bad news. '-'*'■' Mr H. M 'Leah, Hawea Flat, wrote, tntei- alia, • that he had'never seen such' snow iv June '•_. before, and that the deer were down in-numbers '. all along the lakeside, and quite tame. The i deer were increasing rapidly. j It was decided to procure a dozen pheasants, ;to be kept; at the avislry at Clinton.'

Accounts amounting to £14- 9s were passed for payment,. . ■ •