THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2103, 14 June 1894, Page 49

THE NATURALIST.

SOME NOTES ON ACCLIMATISATION. By A. Gunner. Many grievous mistakes have undoubtedly been made by our acclimatisation societies, but it is obviously unfair to condemn their work in the wholesale manner recently adopted by some of their critics. The societies have been taught wholesome lessons by the result of their early efforts, and it may prove of interest to note some instances of the good results. The unfortunate ventures are only too well known. The various birds, beasts, and fishes may be divided into two classes— one which pays for its keep and one which does not. To begin with worthy Captain Cook and his pigs. In the case of these bsasts it is true that in recent years they have not been an unmixed blessing, owing principally to their weakness for young lamb. But before that delicacy was introduced to their notice no great sins could ba charged against them. Undoubtedly they were th« first ploughmen, and turned up acres of virgin soil in such a workmanlike manner that a little rough bush harrowing mad* an excellent seed bed for the English grasses that have thriven so well. We lay down our pastures now in more orthodox fashion, but in early days piggj did a good turn and destroyed a lot of useless fernroot and other rubbish ; therefore we m?\y safely cay that Cook's pigs paid for their keep.

In noting recent introductions first place must be given to the red deer — the noblest, largest, and most handsome of all British game. Mr Gordon Cameron, writing in the Field some four years ago on the red deer of the Highlands, says : — " They are the lineal descendants of the groat European stags that crossed the dry floor of the North Sea when the ice sheet rolled from Britain, and possessed the old Caledonian forest in company with the wolf and the boar the beat and the beaver, the white bulls and the stone men. The march of civilisation has destroyed their forests, ploughed their pastures, circumscribed their bonnds, and made them a lesser race than their mighty ancestors; but their pedigree is none the less unimpeachable, and the successful sportsman spills the blue blood of pre-historio times."

After this what more can be said of this beautiful beast than that his flesh is good meat, be it fat haunch or venison pasty. Only a little lower in the scale is the fallow deer, reported to be so numerous in the Tapanui district. In hard weather these fallow deer may possibly come down to the low lands and take toll of the farmers' young wheat or swede?, but should they get so numerous as to be a serious nuisance, a charge of buckshot, the law of the land permitting, would square accounts by stocking the farmer's larder.

While on the subject of deer it may here be noted that some colonial sportsmen are given to calling these fallow deer "stags." The term stag should only be used in the case of red deer. Red deer consist of stags, hinds, and calves. Fallow deer should be termed bucks, floes, and fawns.

The hare should be included in the useful class of introduced quadrupeds, because it can never increase in numbers like the rabbit, and is more in the nature of game than the latter vermin.

The rabbit may be disposed of in a very few words so far as this paper is concerned. An unmitigated pest, it is true it has created employment for a few, who poison and then skin it. Dealers in its pelt have also made some profit, but it certainly is a beast that has not paid for its keep, and those who have profited by its introduction would have been better employed tending herds and flocks or dealing in beef and mutton.

The latest addition to our collection, the opossum, will be valuable on account of its fur, and from all accounts it is too shy of the presence of man to visit gardens and orchards. At any rate no authentic record has come to our knowledge of orchard or garden robbing ; but should this prove the case, the value of the skins will prevent opossums becoming too numerous.

With regard to the birda introduced it is a matter of great regret that the efforts of the society in Otago to establish a stock of game birds such as toe grouse, pheasant, and partridge have practically come to naught. The scarcity of pheasants is doubtless in a great measure due to the poisoned grain laid for rabbits. In the case of grouse the grain theery doos nob apply. Probably the want of an efficient substitute for its native heather is the almost sole cause of this failure. Of the partridges, a few may have been victims to the phoaphorised grain, but the native weka and the hawk have had a considerable share in their extermination ; and the same native vermin have doubtless broken up many a nest of eggs and broods of yonng pheasants. It has been remarked as a matter for regret that the weka is almost extinct in districts where ferrets and stoats have been liberated. It is, in my opinion, surely a matter for congratulation that a useless carrion-feeding bird has been put aside to make place for a good game bird, and the ferrets and stoats have accomplished a good work in ridding the country of such vermin. It may be argued that animals of the ferret tribe are also enemies to game, but those who know their habits will admit that although they may now and then take an old bird from the nest or suck the eggs, they have not the poky, prying way of the weka, which would find out and destioy every nest in its neighbourhood. The weka being almost extinct, it may be suggested to our societies to make another trial of the partridge, particularly the Hungarian or red-legged variety — " the Frenohman," as be was called in the Midlands. The habit of this bird was more to frequent the hedgerows and skulk about the brambles and rough coverts than to keep in the open, like the ordinary English partridge, and many an anathema was hurled at him because he would not rise when wanted, but wonld ran before Ponto and hide in the nearest thicket. This peculiarity, though it told against him as a sporting bird at Home, wonld be an advantage here, where there are so many hawks. A correspondent of the Field (in October 1889) pays ; "I shot a red-legged partridge a tew

days ago on the Southdowns, close to Newhaven, which scaled lib 2£oz," and an editorial footnote to this letter states that one shot In Norfolk, and noticed in the Field, weighed 20oz.

The Oalifornian quail is a most valuable addition to our game list, and its habit of keeping near scrub and bush has prevented its extermination by the hawks. It is satisfactory to note that a warning hai recently been published with reference to shooting quail without a license. In spite of this, however, many will be victims to the gun of the youth in pursuit of rabbit"), and who knows " nothink about licenses." It is to be hoped, however, that some of these poachers will be caught and an example made. Wild fowlers will hail with delight the information that the hatching of geese has been a success, and that seme of these birds are now at large. Gunners should, however, be prohibited from shooting them until they have become wild enough to be real game birds. This end would be sooner attained if the Otago Society could see its way to introduce a few of the Canadian geese, which freely interbreed with our common sort, the cross so produced being a particularly handsome and large bird. The Canada goose is a good flyer, and when used at Home for crossing, with the common goose the male bird used to be pinioned to prevent his taking wing and leading astray hia domestic mate.

The pßewit or lapwing is a bird worthy the notice of our society. It is a most useful bird to the arable farmer, and may truly be called his lriend, devouring wireworm and grub of every kind. A caterpillar which once threatened destruction to the swede turnip crop at Home by the ravages it worked under the leaves was cleared off in a few days by a flock of peswits, which were noticed to say as long as the feed lasted, and then departed, we may suppose, for pastures now. It may ba noted that tne peewit is never molested by hawks — Its peculiar mode of flight and its ability to make darts and twists on the wing as no other bird doe* completely bafHing these birds of prey, and after a few unsuccessful stoops our New Zeiland hawks would vote Mr Peewit siur grapes. With regard to this bird's qualification to be ranked amongst game birds an old sportsman once said, " Get a peewit between November and Christmas aud it is a< good on toast as a woodcock."

A catting from a northern paper recently informed us that the Wellington Society had imported some Eaglisb wild dacks — namely, pochard (miscalled pouchard), carolinas, and gadwall. The first and last named varieties are mainly sea ducks, and frequent marshes and estuaries. The Carolina is known only at Home as a fancy duck, seen iv pens ac poultry shows or on ponds, where it is kept as a pet or ornamental bird, but it may be an acquisition on oar lakes. It is a pity we cannon get the mallard or ordinary wild duek — a bird so common in all European countries and many parts of Asia. A writer on this duck speaks of immense flocks on the lake 3on the Pamir, •• the roof of the world," where they congregate on the first breaking up of the ica in f.hat desolate region. These ducks may be purchased very cheaply from some of the fancy poultry dealers in London, and being fcemi-domesM-cated at these establishments they would thrive on the voyage.

Little need be said about the small birds — sparrows, finches, and the like ; those of us who possess gardens or grain crops would give a very emphatic opinion of their qualifications as colonists ; and, though we may admire the song and elegant appearance of the blackbird— a splendid bird he is— we should like him much better if he kept to the bush and left our fruit alone. Starlings are really useful birds, and it is gratifying to notice how they have multiplied. That beautiful little bird the goldfinch does infinitely more good than harm, feeding, as it does, mainly on the seeds of noxious weeds.

Of the fishes, how can we say enough in praise of the efforts and successes of our societies ? Fancy New Zealand without its trout ! May the worthy Mr Deans at no distant date have to report an undoubted fresh run salmon with the sea lice on him.