NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1762, 29 August 1885, Page 17

NOTES AND QUERIES.

"What Is It?'' Answered. — Mr Samuel H. Moreton, Invercargill, writes : — In several issues of late your paper has contained correspondence of such a character as to call forth a few remarks from me thereanent. "J. C. M." has assumed, in my estimation, the position of a person wishing only to give a narrative, for my reading of the article led me to the conclusion that the writer certainly had never visited the ground himself. On the othei hand, my friend Mr peverill, in unmistakable language, says it was fireside gossip. And now. Sir, with your permission, I will, I think, olemup«the mystery. In the first place, Mr Deverill is mistaken when he says that Sutherland has huts in different situations, in order to make the acquaintance of the posejdon. The huts are all together, and five chains would more than cover the distance they stand apart from each other. Firstly, the huts are as follow : — No. 1 was occupied by James Malcolm, his young brother, and John M'Kay ; No. 2 was a store, built so roughly with fern trees that a person could put his hand through without difficulty, and was the receptacle for sans, oars, blacksmithing apparatus, &o. &o. ; No. 3 was a hut recently built, in which during my vißits Sutherland and myself took up our quarters. This settlement was on the eastern • «hore of Freshwater Basin ,'betweeij the Bowen Falls and the River Cleddau. The several tentpoles that are to be seen about the Sound simply denote where temporary camps were pitched, in orderto ascertain 'how the wind prevailed before the sites for the permanent huts were decided upon ;' so I trust this will clear up the meaning of the different camps. Now, in reference to the poseidon, there have' been no tracks ever seen about the Sound proper. There has been a great straining of effect to establish something like roundish depressions on certain muddy gravel spits up Deepwater Basin ; these I have seen, and hold a reserved opinion. Now, Sir, not a trace has been seen up the Cleddau River ; I have travelled up both branches simply for my own professional purposes, and also to satisfy myself os to whether this customer was a seal or not. And now we come to Lake Ada.. Here we have special ground for the tracks (?). In travelling up the entire eastern side no marks are visible ; but on coming over to the western side, and carefully tracing the margin all along, we find certain favoured. places, and they are as follow. About midway up, or a little more, from the mountain Bpurs is a stretch of muddy shingle above summer level, covered with young yegetation. All along these spits are thousands of marks or depressions, varying from the size of a saucer to a large meat ' dish. •■ These depressions in many instances are very recent, and they are found eight and ten feet. from the water's e^ge on the land, and sometimes as much as twenty feet from the edge under water, but in no case do the tracks trail from the water into the grans (raupo), nor do they, when occasion offers, form the connection that'a biped

or quadruped would leave in. moving in any direct way, but, they.wjll P& found sometimes two, three,

four, or even ten feet apart, and so irregular that no animal ambulating could, under any circumstances, leave such marks. Leaving this ground, and following up the poseidon's tracks, the next place we see them is on two or three muddy gravelly spits on the river side. And now, having reached this fur, I beg to offer a few remarks. In all parts, without exception, where the muddy deposits rest no marks arc visible ; then we find punctures where rough stones occur or shingle, but no marks. Where line shingle and mud appear together there are abundance of tracks (?). Nowhere about the saltwater beaches are the tr.icks visible— not that the rise and iall of the tide would wash them away, for the annual inundation of the fresh (snow) water, rivers, .and lakes is very great, so that the chances of obliteration aro/much the same. The animal that leaves those singular marks is the duck. When seeking its food the fine gravel is riddled by the mandibles, and the mud is evolved with the water, and. with the constant agitation is deposited again. Generally the pebbles, on close examination, will be fund to have undergone a considerable washing, and are left clean at the bottom of the depression, thus clearly showing it is food that is sought after, and that where the flock is at work the depressions are thickest, and where the marks are scattered the outsiders are at work singly. And now might be advanced the question— How do you account in your theory for the marks on the dry part of the spit ? The answer is that during the early spring the waters are all swollen, and in evidence of this the trees immediately contiguous to the lake have flotsam deposited to'a height of ten feet ; then as the lake steadily retires so the marks commence, showing clearly that the animal works steadily on the retirement of the water. As to the marks under the water extending to a distance I have already named, these are caused by the birds diving after their food. It will therefore explain the reason why the animal does not carry his tracks on to the dry laud that they are caused by the family of ducks that abound on this beautiful lake, and should satisfactorily account for the animal travelling trackless about the Sound. The reason why these tracks are not visible about the Cleddau is because it is a rapid running stream, with morainic boulder shores, and consequently not suitable feeding-ground for teal atid grey duck, its only inhabitants being an occasional pair of bine diiek. I have no doubt somewhat trespassed upon your space, but I trust I have laid at rest an imaginary animal quite unknown to science. _ I am not alone in this opinion, for my companion on one occasion over the very ground I have just mentioned was Mr W. P. Haft, who agreed with me in every particular. I hope therefore that no one will be simple enough to give credence to the groundless and imaginary existence of any such animal or animals frequenting these solitudes ; it is not so. Sutherland's recluse life is only repeating itself, and I am much pleased to hear he has turned his attention to something more practical —viz., that he is engaged with others gold-work-ing further north than -Milford, where I trust he will enrich himself and make the country no poorer, and where shortly no doubt there will be more ground for others. Hybkid Larks. — " Amateur Naturalist," in the Manuscript Journal of the Mosgiel Mutual Improvement Society, writes as follows on this subject :— The song of the skylark hns become one of the most familiar sounds in the Taieri Plain, and the once common sight of the groundlark running along the roads lias become quite rare. I question whether one might not travel over any road in the Plain without once seeing a native lark. The acclimatised lark, being the stronger and larger bird, seems to have driven the aboriginal inland. To a certain extent, the two kinds of lark have paired, and the presence of a half-bred bird may be observed by those careful to note peculiarities of flight and song and colour. The offspring of the union of sky and ground lark is distinctly a skylark, but it does not soar so high as the imported bird, nor is its song so continuous. It has a body larger than that of the groundlark, which is rather thickset, but shorter than that of the genuine skylark, and it is decidedly smaller than the acclimatised bird ; in this particular it resembles more closely its native parent. It appears on further observation that the half-breed is not a mule, but a bird that will pair with the skylark. Whether it will seek a mate from amongst groundlands o4 other half-breeds is not certain ; I should be tflad of information oft this point. At any rate, it is clear that the native' bird is a true lark, or else the issue of a mixed pairing would not pair at all. .J. W. 8., Lmnfeden.— We believe the steamship Great Britain was never cut and shortened ; indeed from the peculiarity of her construction it would have been an impossibility to cut her for that purpose. Her hull having been built on the trausverse principle,' cutting it would have been fatal. Constant Reaper.— (l) Courts of Appeal are invariably held after the levying of a rate. Due notice of the date is advertised after the rate has been struck. (2) Clause 48 of " The Land Act 1877 Amendment Act 1882" with reference to perpetual lease defaulters provides that " If any lessee hereunder" shall make default in the payment of rent or in the observance or performance of any of the conditions herein contained, or which may be expressed in his lease, and shall allow such default to continue for six months . . . his lease shall be capable of being absolutely determined on an order being made to that effect by a judge of the Supreme Court . . . and the lands included in the same, with all improvements thereon, shall absolutely revert to her Majesty, without any payment whatsoever to the lessee." E. M., Waikouaiti.— Yes, in the form or duty, in the following ratio:— Not exceeding £100, no duty. Upon any amount above that but not exceeding £1000, £2 per cent. ; £5000, £2 per cent, for the nrst £2000, and £3 per cent, for the remainder ; upon every additional £5000 or any part thereof up to £20.000. On the first additional £5000, £-1 per cent ; second £5000. £5 per cent. ; third £5000. £6 per cent. Upon every additional £10,000 or part thereof up so £50,000' as follows: On the first additional £10,000, £7 percent. ; second £lo,ooo, £B per cent.; third £10,000, £9 per cent. Upon any excess over £50,000, £10 per cent. Inquirer.—" The Night Side of New York Life," by Talma»e. 25.; and the " Maid of Athens, by Judt'm M'Carthy. 3s, both including postage, at Braitliwaite's Bf'ok Arcade, Princes street. F. 11. W. 11.— -Mai y thinks tor your kind offer. We have, however, already a correspondent in your district. Colonial— There are so many demands uptfn our space at present that we cannot possibly find room for such a lengthy letter as the one you forward us. Faemer.— The measure for the protection of females up to the age of 16 years was brought up in the House of Commons in consequence of its having been shown that the traffic in young girls of tender ages for immoral purposes in London and Continental citieswas extensively engaged in. You will obtain further particulars elsewhere in this issue. J. B. writes:— l recently caught a white rat with pink eyes.< Is it of any value ?— We have made inquiries at the Museum, but Professor Parker informs us that he has already two or three specimens. Possibly Mr Bills, of George street, might purchase it from you. J. W., Dunedin.— Consult the Official Assignee; before you can file you have to pay at least £5 in tees to the Court. Order.— Shall reply to your letter per post. As wt have reason to believe that the matter will form the subject of a Court case, wo do not think wo would be justified in publishing it at the present juncture. Pukrua.— We have to thank you for your report. As our correspondent has dealt with the entertainment, however, it is not necessary for us to use it. H. S. II. — Many thanks for your kindness. You will, however, notice that our correspondent sends a report. WAitEPA. — We are not aware of any impediment, but will let you know definitely next week.

The proceeds of the concert given by the railway employes recently in aid of the funds of the Benevolent Institution Committee, amounting to £22 lla 2d, was handed over to the committee on the 20th, with a request that Mr A. Grant be nominated a life governor. The secretary was instructed to acknowledge receipt, and Mr A. Grant- was elected a life governor. It was stated that the Lyceum Hall had been granted for the concert free of charge.