ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20522, 25 September 1928, Page 7

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the council of the Otago Acclimatisation Society was held last night in the board room of the secretary, Mr R. Hanning. ihe chair was occupied by Mr C Baker, and there were also present Messrs R. Rutheitoid, A. Cowie, H G. Williams, fe. 1. Aburn, J. S. Stewart, S. Cousins, T. Long, H. M’Dowell Smith, G. Howes, A. J. White, W. G. Reid, G. Turner, H. Dodgshun, J. R. Wilson and C. A. Wilson. ANGLING COMMITTEE’S REPORT. The manager in his report recommended that the Gray motor truck at Clinton should be brought to Dunedin and put into a garage to be fixed, if worth repairing —The matter was loft to the secretary to get a price. Ranger Pellett recommended that the Marine Department should he asked to erect a notice defining the netting limits on the Waikouaiti River. The secretary of the Marine Department wrote asking the society to obtain samples of elvers for Dr Schmidt.—The letter was received, and Rangers Pellett and Campbell were instructed to procure the elvers The secretary of the Marine Department wrote granting permission to shoot shags on the Tomahawk Lagoon. —Received. The secretary of the Ballarat Society forwarded a report regarding the brown trout eyed ova sent by the Manuka.—Received. The secretary of the Otago Anglers' Association wrote asking that the hut at Tomahawk Lagoon should be repaired. Received. A letter was received from Messrs Brasch and Thomson, solicitors, regarding the escape of sawdust into the stream at Tahakopa from Hogg and Co.’s mill.— Received. The secretary of the Bruce Angling Club forwarded a request for a medal for an angling competition.—Recommended that the society donate a medal. Mr Long promised a medal for the boys’ competition. Mr F. Pennell, Waitahuna Gully, wrote regarding the closing of the road running from the old Waipori township to the top end of Lake Mahinerangi. —The, manager was instructed to see the city electrical engineer. The report was adopted. GAME COMMITTEE’S REPORT.

The manager’s report recommended that the chikkor should be inspected on arrival, and that the birds that were all right should be liberated immediately. Ranger Campbell recommended that the president and manager should draw up a means of enabling him to furnish a daily record of work done. The Department of Internal Affairs wrote: (1) Asking that arrangements should be made to send on monthly for a period, the stomachs of a few pukeko to enable an examination to be made of the food contents. —It was recommended that Mr R. R. Stewart, of Waihola, and Constable Bandy, of Ranfurly, should be asked to procure two birds each month for 12 months from each of two areas. (2) Asking the society to obtain specimens of pukeko from the Maniototo County.— Received.—-(3) Asking for reports as to the effect of opossums on bird life. —it was decided to supply the reports. C. D. Stronach, Miller’s Flat, wrote asking for some more chikkor. —Received. The secretary of the Zoological Gardens, Calcutta, forwarded advice of a shipment of 46 chikkor by the Sussex. — Received.

An application from Mr A. M'Kegg for red deer stalking on block No. 19 was granted. The ballot for the red deer stalking block No. 33 was won by Mr J. Black. Regarding the culling of red deer, the committee recommended that the blocks not already taken in the Hunter Valley should be offered to cullers to cull out old and malformed stags and hinds during the rutting season, and that the remaining blocks should be offered to stalkers to cull under the same conditions without license, the understanding being that when the forest is opened next year, they should be given a block each without ballot.

The committee recommended: (I) That the question of advertising the Clinton property for sale should do considered by the council, and also the matter of a survey of the Waitati property; (2) that the mallard duck (imported game) should be included in the society’s 10s native game license. A lengthy discussion on what should be done with regard to the Clinton property ensued, and finally, on the motion of Mr Aburn, it was decided that the chairman and the manager should go into the matter fully, and that they should discuss it at th next meeting. With regard to the recommendation of the committee that mallard duck should be included in the 10s license, Mr Rutherford moved as an amendment that no alteration to the existing state of affairs should be made. —The amendment was lost. OPOSSUMS AND BIRD LIFE.

Following on the introduction of the matter by the letter from the Department of Internal Affairs asking for information on the effect of opossums on native bird life, some valuable information was supplied by Mr J. R. Wilson. At the annual meeting of the society the matter had received a great deal of attention, and the society had resolved to have opossums dist"ibuted in Otago and Southland. A bird-protecting society in Wellington had been endeavouring to prove that the animals had a very destructive effect on the birds, but, the speaker declared, no aclimatisation society in New Zealand had been found to agree that opossums were destroying birds or their eggs. When this had been definitely shown, the Wellington authority had changed its line of attack, and deposed that the animals were destroying the berries and other foods of the birds. Mr Wilson said that all rangers and others who had made a study of the subject knew that this was not so. Opossums were going to form a great industry in New Zealand, and Dunedin was going to be the centre of that industry. The Department of Internal Affairs would have to look to the Otago Society for such information as would help to put the industry on a safe basis. He went on to give a short summary of the habits of the opossum, and stated that weasels and stoats were the cause of most of the trouble as far as the birds were concerned. The other society, he said, was confusing the American opossum, which was a carnivorous animal, with that found in Australia and New Zealand. He instanced the well-known reserve of Mr Telford at Otanomomo. where opossums abounded, and yet bird life was flourishing. He concluded by recommending that the society should advise the distribution of opossums. Mr Wilson was thanked for the valuable and interesting information he had supplied. FINANCE. Accounts amounting to £49 19s Id were passed for payment.