WAIMARINO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 103, 4 May 1938, Page 12

WAIMARINO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

MONTHLY MEETING HELD The usual monthly meeting of the i council of the Waimarino Acclimatisation Society was he.d at the ' society’s rooms on Friday evening, f Mr. A. W. Ashwell presided, and the' following were also present: Messrs.. T. Shout, W. P. Mead. G. Foster, J.; M. Heise. J. P. Proade. S. J. Morgan. | and the secretary (Mr. A. C. Dender-: •on». Following formal business, the fol- ; lowing matters were dealt with: ■ In connection with the recent at-’ tempt to transfer stock from th* Maungawhero River. Mr. W. F. Hobbs, biologist to the fisheries labo-; ratory, Wellington, wrote as follows: The question of how stock could best• be transferred was settled during the 1 visit. I think it was generally i agreed that practical difficulties would preclude the capturing of small fish and that the most economical methodi of stock reduction would be to permit the trapping of spawning fisn' and removal of ova. Mr. Hobbs notified that an attempt to do this would be undertaken in 1939. Owing to unforseen difficulties, an attempt could not be made this season. He asked that records as to quantities of spawning fish in the Maungawhero anu Ohakune streams be taken, and also 1 , the number of floods he noted. The; matter was left in the hands of the secretary to deal with. Both the Auckland and Wellington i Acclimatisation Societies notified that i they were not in a position to offe: - the services of members of their! staffs this season for the purpose of I removing ova.—Received. The Under-Secretary to the Department of Internal Affairs wrote stating that owing to the depressed state: of the fur market and consequently! poor prospects of payable prices being: received for opossum skins, the Hon J Minister of Internal Affairs had decided that a close season was to be observed this year throughout New Zealand for opossums.—Received. In connection with the identifies -1 tion of the set of swans at Ohakune. i and an answ?r to a query i the! Waimarino Society, the director of! lhe Canterbury Museum (Mr. R. A.' Falla > wrote as follows: —"The dis-| tinguishing features of the female

white swan are that she is slightly smaller than the male at the same age, and has a less pronounced tubercle on the forehead. Mr. Falla promised more information following further enquiries."—Received. It was mentioned that after disappearing. one of the swans has been located, but no trace of the other has been found. Accounts amounting to £ll 7 S were passed for payment.