LAND AND WATER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2358, 4 May 1899, Page 43

LAND AND WATER.

At Friday's meeting of the Acclimatisation Society, Mr Ayson, of Wellington, afforded a great deal of interesting information regarding the tour recently made by him in America and Great Britain in the interests of acclimatisation. He spoke of the American birds which he considered might successfully and profitably be transplanted to these shores, and also of desirable fish which might be introduced into New Zealand waters. He stated that the Americans were finding it necessary to make what were called reservations wherein native and imported game might find an asylum and avoid extinction. He thought it would be wise to follow a similar course in New Zealand, if our native game was to be preserved, and added that a reserve > would have to be established in each island, as there was game which was peculiar to each. It was decided to request the Government to set apart a certain area of about 700 acres, which, the meeting was assured by Mi*. Chisholm, was an eminently suitable place for a reserve.

Mr R. H. Rhodes, Mr Alister Clarke (of Melbourne), and Mr Buchanan (Little River), who have been away deer stalking in the Lake Hawea district, returned to Lake Wanaka on Saturday evening, 22nd. ult., bringing with them (says the Christchurch Press) six of the finest stag's heads, which have yet been procured from this isolated part of New Zealand. Seven slacks were shot, but only half a dozen trophies were brought down. Most of the country attacked was quite new, and its rugged character afforded plenty of genuine sport. Mr Rhodes got two particularly fine heads — a royal and a thirteen pointer. Three stags dropped before Mr Buchanan's rifle, one of which carried a royal head. Mr Clarke stalked and shot two. The game was obtained near the head waters of the Dingle River country, over winch one party only had previously gone. The heads, after being brought down to Lake Wanaka, were left in charge of Mr J. H. King, the local taxidermist, and the guide who accompanied the deer-stalkers.

Phenomenal hauls of fish are being taken outside Lyttelton Heads. On Sunday there was a special excursion by the s.s. John Anderson, and the haul for about three hours' fishing was more than filled five cases, each measuring 4ft by 4ft by 2ft. The Napier Telegraph records that two adventurous young men, named G. Holmes and Bertie Daisley, recently completed a voyage* from Mongonui, north of Auckland, to Napier, in an open boat 30ft long. They spent 10 days on the trip, and had some close shoves of foundering. The Moeraki correspondent of the Palmerslou and Waikouaiti Times says : One day last weok a ribbon fish measuring 16ft by nearly 2£ft came ashore on the Moeraki beach. When found it was alive. One of the party took hold of tho beautiful fringe or ribbon with which it was adorned, with the intention of trying to move it, and the ribbon came away in his hands. Whoa my informant saw it the following day, and measured it, the

fleEh had been much picked by gulls ani otherwise mutilated, rendering the fish valueless. What a grand specimen.it would hay« been for the museum had it been taken cart of. However, it is now too late.