11

H.-15

tit her for our work, and she lias turned out most satisfactory, and proved to be very useful in many ways —indeed, indispensable. The principal event of the year has been the receipt at the station of a most successful shipment of lobsters and crabs by the " Karamea," early in March. Thirty-one lobsters out of thirtyfour shipped, and eight crabs out of twelve, reached this station alive and in good condition. Several of our stock lobsters have now spawned, and we estimate that we have about 100,000 ova, which should hatch out in the early Slimmer (see my letter of 28th April lust). There are now at the station forty-four lobsters and thirteen crabs, all doing well. As 1 have already pointed out to you, the expenses of this last very successful shipment were heavy, principally owing to the alterations necessary for keeping down the temperature of the fish-tanks in the tropics, and the Board cannot see its way to defray the expenses of importing fish out of the present subsidy ; in fact, we understood from the Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones that the subsidy was intended only to defray the working-expenses of the station, and that the cost of importation of tish, A-c., would be borne by the Government, as in the case of salmon and other fish already imported. We are now prepared, if the necessary funds are provided, to undertake experiments in bringing oui such other food-fishes as may be found desirable. The chairman has lit-< >1 1 in constant correspondence with Dr. Pulton, Dr. Allen, and other scientific and practical persons interested in fish-culture on this and other subjects of principal interest to the Board, and correspondence, with which you are familiar, is still going on between you and the High Commissioner in London. Owing to Mr. Anderton s absence on the " Nora Xiven " during the spawning season, there lias not been so much done as usual in the way of hatching out and liberating in these waters the larvee of native fishes, but the biological and other observations have been continued as far as possible. A grettt deal of work has been done in fitting up further accommodation in the hatchery and observation departments, and the whole plant and premises have been kept in excellent order, and improvements made as far as our means will allow. Some very interesting observations have been made at the station of the habits of the lobster, especially in regard to their reproduction : some of these are, as far as my Board is aware, new to science, and will, no doubt, be received with great interest by all persons conversant with this subject. Mr. Anderton, our Curator, prepared a paper for the New Zealand Institute, giving a very full and clear account of these matters, and of other observations made at the hatchery, and I herewith forward I copy of same for your perusal. In conclusion, it is fitting that I should say a few words in commendation of our Curator, Mr. Anderton. who is emphatically just the man for the position. He is full of enthusiasm for his work, in which he has displayed not only zeal, but great aptitude. His observations are of great value, and he has been most successful in all he has undertaken. He is also a " handy man '' in every way, and displays no! only much ingenuity but a good deal of mechanical skill in dealing with problems—some of them rather difficult —connected with establishing what is to most of those concerned an entirely new undertaking. A very great deal of work has been done at the station at a very small cost. All concerned have done their utmost to keep down expense in every way. I am, &c, C. W. Chamberlain, The Secretary, Marine Department, Wellington. Hon. Secretary.

The Chief Inspectoh of Fishbribb to the Sbcrbtabt, Marine Department. Silt, — Auckland, Ist .May. 1908, 1 have the honour to supply the following report on the recent shipment of Atlanticsalmon eggs which were brought from Canada by Mr. C. L. Ayson, and which arrived in Wellington by the " Warrimoo " from Sydney on the Ist April. I met the steamer on its arrival, late on the afternoon of the Ist April, and was informed by Mr. Ayson that the eggs were in good condition, and on examination when transhipping I found this to be the case. The shipment consisted of two eases, containing 150,000 eggs. Mr. Ayson stated that, owing to the exceptionally low temperature experienced during the past winter in Canada, the water at the Miriinichi Hatchery, where the eggs were taken from, was for several weeks only 1° and - _'° above freezing, consequently the development of the eggs was very slow. The eggs, it seems, were scarcely " eyed when packed, and in anticipation of a heavy loss during the journey across the continent to Vancouver and on the voyage to New Zealand, through the eggs being in such condition, the Fisheries Department gave 50,000 eggs more than you were advised would be sent, so that on arrival in Xew Zealand there would be the number (100,000) which was promised. The eggs were transhipped on to the " Maori " at Wellington, and arrived at l.vttelton on the 2nd April in time to go on by the first smith express that day, getting as far as Inveicargill that night, and on to Lumsden next morning. At Lumsden I hired a special conveyance to take the eggs on to Te Anau, and we got away at 11 o'clock for the lake. Bad weather was experienced on the road-journey in, and on arrival at the Keys, at 5 p.m. (eighteen miles from Te Anau), I was informed that the White Stone River was in high flood and unfordable. and we remained there for the night. The rain continued all night and next day, the river continued too high to cross until Sunday, the sth. when we got over and arrived at the hatchery at 11 a.m. The eggs were all unpacked by 6 p.m. that night, and they turned out in first-rate condition. Mr. Downey, who was assisting at the Hakataramea Salmon Station during the Manager's absence in Canada, came to Te Anau with me to attend to the eggs during the hatching-out.