BANK NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 972, 5 September 1889, Page 26

BANK NOTES.

The Shag Pest in Cantebbuet. — A remarkable instance of the voracity of the black shag is to be seen at Mr M'Williams' shop in Colombo street (says the Lyttelton Times) in the shape of two of the common herring or mullet taken from tbe throat of a black shag shot by Mr Charles Lewis. The two fish are lljin and llin in length, and in addition to these there were two others about equal in size in the creature's gullet. The Acclimatisation Society and the Angling Society are wisely offering a reward of 6d per head for black shags' heads, and the present time is, of all others, the most suitable for destroying them, as during the breeding season they are more easily approached, and the killing of one now will probably destroy a brood of three or four." " Allow me to suggest to the Canterbury Society that they offer the same royalty as the Otago, Society — viz., Is per head. Experience of this matter is that anglers and others will not take the trouble to watch for and destroy these poachers for less. Otago Aoolimaiisation Society. — Mr W. M'Oonnochie, of St. Batbans, is to be congratulated on the success that has attended his efforts in collecting subscriptions for the Otago Acclimatisation Sooiety. Up to date, the secretary informs me, he has received £21 lls, with a ' promise of yet more to follow, lists sent to the Naseby district not having been returned up to date (August 28). Mr Elliott, of Lauder station, rendered valuab'e assistance, he having collected £3 15s Od. Messrs Ross and Glendining very liberally sent, a donation of £2 2s Od. It is really quite refreshing to see the inhabitants of such an outlying district take so substantial an interest in the society's work. If they had been liberating thousands of all kinds of trout fry in the streams and ponds of the district for years past as they have in other districts, I could understand their ;liberality, but from a district that has been almost — I may say entirely — ' neglected for years past, it is indeed a very handsome and nice way of reminding the seoiety .that it was quite time they turned their attentions to their part of Otago. Appended is a further list of subsoribera to the fund:— F. G-. Pogson (Blaekstone Hill), £1 Is j W. D. Hunt (Maniototo station), 53 ; Butterworth Bros. (Dunedin), 10a; George Tomes (Dunedio), 10a; Simon Inder (Hill's Greek); 2a 6d; Robert Gilkison (Clyde), ss; Mills, Dick, end Co. (Dunedin), ss ; William Gregg, and do. (Dunedin), ss ; Inspector Hiokson (Clyde), 2s 6d ; John Edmond (Dunsdin), 63 ; Thomson, Bridget aad^Co. (Dnnedin), 10s ; Ernest Hayea (Hill's Greek), 2s 6d; Ross and Giendining (Dunedin), £2 2a ; James Elliott

(Lauder station), 10a-; Alexander B. Armour (Lauder station), ss; Thomas Hughes (Cambrians); 2s 6d ; Ormond Hughes (Cambrians), 2a 6d ; John Owens (Cambrians), 2s 6d ; John Black (Cambrians), 63 5 Douglas M'Gregor (Cambrians), 2* 6d j George Page (Cambrians;, 2s 6d: Alexander Allen (Lauder station), 2s 6d.

The Sbabon.— The very dry weather we are experiencing has put our rivers down to a very low level. I notice the Leith is particularly low for this time of the season. Small fish,however, are fairly numerous. Taking a stroll along its banks the other day, I noticed over a dozen -fish, averaging l^lb, spawning on the redds. There must have been at least a dozen Bmalier ones round the spawning fish all eager to get a mouthful of eggs. It was quite laughable to observe the male fish chaeiieg them away when they got, as bethought, too close to his mate. I watched them for fully an hour, and I think he must have been pretty tired at tbe finish, for if the small fry gave him cause to chase them off once, they did bo 50 times while I was there.

Sbodbing Ova. — Mr Deans secured over 11,000 eggs from two or, three fish that he captured in the old mill dam last week. To prevent accidents, after stripping the fish he removed them\ to the pool below Eorth street.

Hayes Cbeek.— 'The following items are from the Lake County Presa :— Trout poaching has been very rife, we'are sorry to say, during the close season. Hayes creek was unmercifully poached. We could put our fingers on several individuals who do poach, and the public would bo rather surprised if their names were disoldsed. We ourselves were v cry much surprised to learn that the list included certain names. Men have been caught on the creek at night with gaffs, and could not give any satisfactory account of themselves. One man, on being caught, gaff in hand, on the edge of the creek, said he was " looking for a cow !" One or two poachers have been given so severe a fright that, we venture to think, they will not trouble the fish again.— Notwithstanding the poaching that has gone on at Hayes creek, it is satisfactory to learn' that 25 good-sized trout have Bpawned in the creek. Mr George White has given us some interesting information on this subject. Ho says an 81b female trout contains some 8000 ova, one of bis sons having at one time been industrious enough to make a count. The ova of a 151b trout ready to spawn weighs 2£lb. Allowing that the 25 trout that spawned in the creek were 81b each (and Mr White thinks they were), 120,000 ova have been deposited. The loss is generally very heavy, so putting it down at half, we may still count 60,000 fry— a number quite sufficient to stock the lake. Mr White is of opinion that the lake will bo very poor this coming season, inasmuch as that, while in previous years be has been able to count a great many fish in the northeast corner (last year 200), this year he only saw three. He therefore concludes there are but few trout in the lake unless the fish have changed their habits and remained at the bottom of tbe lake.

Bobdkb Anglirs' Assooiation.— A meeting of this society was held at Gore last week, when the question of endorsing licenses came up for discussion. It was suggested that a letter be written to the Otago Society asking if Southland licenses would be endorsed upon the holder forwarding the sum of 10s with his license, but it was shown that there would be difficulties in the way of sanctioning this arrangement. In the first place the Otago Society has always stood out against the reduction of the fee to 10s— and the endorsing of a Southland license for 10s would be almost equivalent to giving a right to -fish Otago waters for that sum — and also it would be almost necessary to obtain the col seat' of the Southland Society to endorse Otago licenses for nothing. There was a long conversational discussion upon this subject, which was looked at from all aspects. — Mr T. King suggested that the beet solution of the whole difficulty would be to get all the acclimatisation sooieties in the colony to agree that the holder of a £1 license, taken out from any society, should be entitled to fish wherever he chose within the colony. He was sure that if such an arrangement could be come to, far more licenses would be taken out than there were at present, and all endorsing or non-endorsing difficulties would be at au end.— Mr King's suggestion met with general approval, and after some further discussion it was resolved that the'secretary and chairman send a circular letter embodying the suggestion to all acclimatisation and angling societies in the colony inviting their co operation. It was also resolved to write to the Otago and Southland Sooieties stating the case for the border anglers and asking some consideration for their troubles ; further to write to Dr De Jjautour, of Oamaru, who is agitating for consideration of the case of Waitaki border anglers, giving him particulars of the movement on the southern side ; also to write to the member for the district, Mr Valentine,' the association's honorary president, and ask him to endeavour to further the proposal to let a £1 license fee, taken out from any acclimatisation society, entitle the holder to fish in any part of the colony.' On the motion of Messrs Cumberbeach and Kennedy it was resolved to hold two or more fishing competitions during the season, one in Otago, and the other in Southland waters, the first to be held on or about the 9th November. Waitaki.— The Redoliff correspondent of the Waimate Times writes :— "The Waitaki river promises more si ort for anglers this year than ever before, as trout seem to have greatly increased since last season. Hitherto anglers seem to ba?G contented themselves by ' whip ping ' the lower end of the river, probably on account of the convenience of the trains, but for those who have time to spare they should visit the pools at the place known as the 'Stonewall,' and its neighbourhood, where trout seem to be very plentiful."