A Hint to the Acclimatisation Society.

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 17 August 1893, Page 23

A Hint to the Acclimatisation Society.

TO THE EDITOR.

g IK| _I notice that at the lagfc meeting' of the Acclimatisation Society held ia Dunedin it was proposed to introduce the magpie into New Zealand. The description proposed to be imported is said not to nave any of those destructive propensities of the Home magpie which are a terror to all game preservers, and, as sucb, is ruthlessly destroyed by gamekeepers whenever they can get the opportunity. The Home magpie is known to be the greatest destroyer of pheasants' and partridges' eggs." It will artfully watch these birds leave their nests for food, when ib will pounce down and wilfully destroy the whole brood. Would it not be far better to try and introduce to this colony such insectivorous birds as the swallow, swift, or sand martin ? A number of the last- mentioned birds have recently arrived on our shoreß and taken up their abode at New Brighton, and might have been seen a few weeks back disporting themselves on the Avon at Christchurch. The introduction of these usefal insectivorous birds, I think, might be accomplished by obtaining a collection of their eggs and placing them in the nests' of sparrows or other small birds to hatch out and rear until the young birds were able to shift for themselves. If this could bo successfully accomplished— and I see no rea«on why it should not bo next season, for I fear ib is too late now to obtain a supply of such eggs this season— ib should prove of great advantage to the colony by the destruction of the immense quantities of sandflies these insectivorous birds would consume, more particularly on our beaut'ful West Coast sounds, where these wretched little tormentors (the sandflies) ate the cause of such discomfort and irritating annoyance to the tourist that many a one has been glad to beat a hasty retreat from these charming sounds before they have had the opportunity of seeing half thtir beauty. Some of our old English favourite the cuckoo's eggs might be obtained from Home next spring ; and as this bird already has the peculiar habit of always lajing its eggs in Borne other bird's nest — often in that of the poor libtle hedge sparrow— there is every reason to think the rearing of this bird might be successfully undertaken. I must not forget out little Home pet, the red-breasted robin— the children's great favourite, and whose sweet song in the autumn would so remind us of the old country ; also that charming songster the nightingale. ~As many of these birds are migratory, we could nob expect them to remain always with us in Obago, as at the fall of the season they would seek the warm and sunny climate of the North Island, favouring Auckland or other northern parts with their presence. While on this subjf cfc, I think it Would not be out of place to hint to the Acclimatisation Society the advisability of releasing somo young salmon and trout in the West Cjast Sounds— say at Preservation Inlet, Dusky, or Milford ; arid if a few deer were placed on the mountain ranges at the foot of Long Sound, also some pigs and cattle, th y would in a few years afford excellent spoit tor our tourists, and would soon recoup tbe expen c cf the Acclimatisation Society by the amount their ranger would receive for licenses to shoot or fish in these sounds, and would induce many a spoitsroan to pay them a visit — I am, &c, July 30. P-

Tho telegraph operators are occasionally responsible for curious mistakes, instances of which, occurring in tdegrams received by newspapers in the colony, are from time to time brought to light, and there can be little doubt that a co' lection of examples of mutilated private telegrams would also furnish interesting reading. A very slight slip may alter the entire sense of a sentence, and Cr Solomon seems to have been the victim thia week of such a slip, when a telegram put in by him at the office at Napier (where he haß gone for the benefib of his health) and directed to his Worship the Mayor was transcribed in Danedin iv these words :— " Kindly ask council to grant me fortnight's leave of ab*enc3. Beer very queer." In this case, by the mere substitution of one letter for another iv a monosyllabic word — because it is clear that the word "been" should be read for " beer "—a. grave injusuce is manifestly done to Cr Solomon, whose friends will unhasitatingly decline to believe that the beer supplied in Napier has i-ny thing to do with his illness- and a possible undeserved slur is cast on the quality of the malt liquors retailed on the Bast Coast. The leave of absence desired was sympabhetically granted by the council.

The inspector of police has received intimation that a girl named Maria Popham, reared since a child by Mr George Thomscn, of M*ungatua, died suddenly yesterday. It is supp' sad death was due to heart disease.

The Tuapeka Times reports that a tw> roomed cottage at Tallaburo, owned and occupied by Mr Jameß StevenßOD, was burned down on Sunday morning in a mysterious manner. Mr Stevenson estimates his lofs at £100, including £20 in cash. There was no insurance. At the same time, and near the same place, Mr Connor's fowlhouse was burnt down.

The Tuapeka Times says that the Island Block Company had two washings-up last week, with a yield of 178^z.

Mr Robert F. Inder, auctioneer, Naseby, announces a clearing sale ofhorscss, cattle, sheep, farm implements, household fnrnituie, &c. at Maisey's Kyeburn Hotel, on the 29th inst. Particulars will be found elsewhere.

A party ha 3 been organised at Honolulu to proceed on a wrecking expedition to the Kingsmill shoals, on which the Hawaiian barque Lady Lampson was recently wrecked while on the voyage from Newcastle to Honolulu with coal— the purpose being to endeavour to scrape up enough coal from the wreck to make the venture a paying one. Experienced captains, however,

state that it is their opinion that the mission wil be a foolhardy one, as the reef is in mid-ocean, where there is always a heavy Bea breaking over it.

Though the wooden four-masted schooners of Californian build have had so many, admirers, there is nothing go economical after all as good British-built steel ships, an opinion shared by some American owners in a practical way. There are now two on their way to Australia. They touched at Honolulu lately, and had their port of registry altered so as to qualify them to fly the Hawaiian flag. The John Ena 'has on board 2,5b0,000ft of lumber. The Hawaiian Isles has a lesser quantity of lumber. In other words, tho John Baa's registered tonnage is 2568 tons and tho Hawaiian Isles's 2027 tons.