StLLIKtJ IMPORTM) UAME.

Otago Witness, Issue 2848, 14 October 1908, Page 29

StLLIKtJ IMPORTM) UAME.

HARE 3 FROM MANIOTOTO. At the City Police Court on th 7tW of October William Anderson ptead'edl "Guilty 13 ' to selling a hare withopt being) licensed to do so, and, pleading ignorance of the law, was fined -10s and costs (£1 10»). : Francis Joseph .Sullivan was then charge J with being in posceseion .of hares- at Burn-, side oh September 26. Msr Finch "represented the defendant, who pleaded "Not guilty," and- Mr W. C. MaoGregor conducted the case for * thf prosecutionMr MacGregor said that- defendant re- : ceived hares from the country, and vat in the habit of storing them at the Christ* church Meat Company's works at Burn* side until he required thejn. John Aitchison, manager of the Christ--church Meat Company's works, said that on the 26th of last month they had sundry case 3of hares belonging to Mr Sullivan! in the freezer at Bumeide. They had been there sinoe July 22. Frank Deans (Acclimatisation Society) said that to his knowledge hares wero imported game; they were not indigenous to the Dominion. Mi- Finch said he proposed to show thati these particular hares were v not game &4 all. They came from tho Maniototcf County. He would call a witness to prove that. Charles William Harris (in charge of Mi Sullivan's rabbit department) gave evidence to show that all the 203 hares which' Mr Sullivan had received during the season oame from various parts of tho Man io total County. Mr Finch submitted a copy of tha Gazette showing that; hares did not coma under the protection of the act in Maniototo County and in the Taieri-. County, north of Deep Stream. In this regular tion the hare was specially described as art animal, and not as game, and he eub^ mided that if the hare was not game wheqi killed it could not bs game after death. Mr MacGregor: It is true you can kilt hares and keep them in the Maniototo County, bub you cannot hold them in possession elsewhere. His Worship said he was disposed to agree with Mr MacGregor, but he would look into the case, and would announce his decision.

A Maori woman is reported to have acted the role of tohunga at Patutahi o» Sunday week. The wahine, who i« up in> years, ir&tbered a number of the youngetf generation around her, and performed; niany of the mystic rites, and recited th«( ritual of the old Maori cult. These included the marriage- of the spirits andl the imaginary baptism of the children of til© gods.