LAND AND WATER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 53

LAND AND WATER.

Mr A. L. Thow, of Balelutha, has just concluded a most successful time deerstalking up the Hunter Valley, about 14miles from Hawea, having secured five nice heads — two 12-pointers, two 11-poiiiters, and one 10-pointer.

The council of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society voted £200 to cover the cost of importing some English game birds from Sir Andrew Armstrong. Lord Onslow and Captain Hutton (curator of the Canterbury Museum) are acting' for the society ■at Home in the matter.

Objects supposed to be the possible remains of a saurian have been found protruding froni a shingle bank close to the Waipara River, about 12 miles from Waikari. The largest object consists of a substance about 2ft long, locally conjectured at first to be part of the fin or tail. Near it was found an object about lOin square, with a slight cavity, resembling a vertebra. The objects have been taken to Waikari. Dr Chilton, acting-curator of the Christchurch Museum, from the description of the supposed remains, thought the larger object to be probably only calcareous concretion. The smaller object might be a vertebrte animal — possibly a fish, more probably reptilean. Similar remains have been found in the district before. The objects have not been seen yet by any scientist.

Fish are reported- to be plentiful on the grounds at the West Coast. The freezing chamber there has been kept very busy. The Rose Casey on her last trip brought up a number of cases. Captain Roderique, who left with his ketch Endor, is reported as being very successful.

Sportsmen who have been in search of pheasants in the Thames district state that this season they are fewer in number than ever, and are apparently steadily diminishing, as the result of the depredations of stoats and vreasels and the regular excursions of the sportsmen. The Eketahiimi Express says that during the past trout-fishing season. Mr C. Goodin, of Kaiparoro, has caught no- fewer than £M trout. The bait used was chiefly whitebait minnow, dark march-brown and red-tipped governor flies.

In response to a numerously-signed petition from settlers in and around Taihape and Utiku, praying that Awarua NTo. 1 B block be thrown open for selection, a definite promise has been made by the Minister of Lands that 12,000 acrea of that fine country will be thrown open at an early date.

Some small shoals of whitebait have already been seen in the Hokitika River. Their early appearance is taken as a sign by the Maoris that there will be a very plentiful supply this season. A party of 10 devotees of the shotgun, hailing from Temuka, had some very good sport at Rangitata recently, bagging between them no fewer than 106 bares. Very few rabbits were seen.

A curiosity in the shape of a white hare •was shot by Mr W. Squires at Hunter's Hills, near Bluecliffe, in the Waimate Couaty. last week. In the Arctic Tegions white hares -are common enough, but in temperate climates they are exceedingly rare.

At the annual meeting of the- Waitaki and Waimate Acclimatisation Society reference was made to the use of cylinders by sportsmen, and it was decided that the matter be referred to the conference of Acclimatisation Societies in Wellington, with a request that it be considered with a view to compelling the discontinuance of the practice. The question of the use of pea rifles and fowling pieces by boys under a certain age was considered at length, and thi3 subject also was referred to the conference for consideration-. At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the New Zealand Athletio Association held at Elthain the question of disqu&lifieatipn of registered axemen who competed at

the Invereargill meeting was considered, and the following resolution was passed: — "That G. A. Goold, P. Baird. J. Baird. J. A. Healey, A. E. Cocker, and H. Buckingham be disqualified for 12 months ; but owing to the fact that their nominations were sent, in before, fck-e Invereargill carnival was declared an unregistered meeting, they be advised to apply to this association at the expiration of six months for a, remission of sentence, when same will be favourably considered, provided they do not compete again in the meantime/

At Roxburgh a few days ago William M'Ara was charged with shooting a hare on May 1 withoxst a license. Accused pleaded guilty, and was fined £1.

The advance of the blackbird northwards from Otago was remarked upon by the Rev. J. T. Notfc at Wellington on Thursday evening (says the New Zealand Times). The Maoris and old settlers in Otago said they were always in that province. It was in 1856 that tiiev first made their appearance in the neighbourhood of Christohurch. The following year they appeared in Nelson, having apparently travelled overland jroni Canterbury. In 1858 they crossed the Straits to Wellington, returning to the South Island for the winter, and in the following year they came to the North Island for pood. It was not till 1865 that ■they arrived in Auckland, and in a few years thej- were be-ing u*ed by the Maoris as a staple article of food.