SOUTHLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1894, 9 March 1888, Page 28

SOUTHLAND.

A Beauty.— Mr Donald McKay, of Dipton, while angling this week in the Oreti, at Ben* more, in company with Professor Rbutoul, Rev. S. Robinson, and Mr A. Mackenzie, of Victoria, hooked and landed a vory beautiful fish which, when scaled, weighed 81b. Mr McKay and others declare this to be the prettiest fish they have ever seen in New Zealand, Connoisseurs who have seen it have expressed the opinioii that it is not a trout but a California!] salmon. Messrs Rentoul, Robinson, and Mackenzie have had this fish and other large trout caught during their tonr t frozen at the Bluff, andinttnd taking tb,<;m to Melbourne as a specimen of what is afforded to anglers in the Now Zealand rivers. I,'ho people of. Southland will no doubt be thankful to these grntlemen for the very effective manner in they propose to bring angling in this district under the notice ot our friends across the water. Wo hope that such » practical demonstration of the merits or' our river fishing will Lead to an influx of lovers of the gentle ar,t. Mr Williiin Affleck can ' shove a table for February that surpasses many. On Saturday, the 19th inst., he lauded a trout weighing lOjll" , and on the 25th another weighing 14Jlb. ''^c smallest he brought ashore was i^lb'. "tie average being about 'flb 9oz. I never s»- /more beautiful specimens of salmon trout ' tt k au the above. People in Otautau can co* ov a good day's sport at very little expense, J

Some llomarkablt JJelly' e lly Fish. In the Gulf of Mexico thf re are cotnmU nities of jelly nsh so organised >> jat th seem to constatute one animal. TV whd j^ been give n the name of Portugv c men . of . war . T h« community consists of •» beaufciful i y crested n ir >ac, only a few moiw, iv i eng th, floating on the water, from f> iCh sfcrean f a number of long appendages. x - he different partg aru s o many different ih> ds of m( , mberß of this an j m »l community, a ' i filling diffennt functions. W v f ch eat food, otlv.-is produce bucih,^ other* are t jj C locomotive or fawioiming members, Qavr ag tentacles in some cases 1 30 ft loug.

The Salmon of the Season.— Some fis^ er " men on the coasfc of Berwickshire, on drawing » net -which had been set illegally, obtained » monster salmon, 711b in weight. This, we believe, is one of the largest fish of the kiud tW* has ever been caught. The salmon was sold in one of the principal Scottish markets.