TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. 203 



they run clo\vn to sea to predict complete success. The tem- 

 perature of the sea most favourable to them is not known, and 

 in this department of scientific research — namely, the direction 

 and temperature of the ocean-currents round our shores — 

 almost nothing is known. Meanwhile the stage of the experi- 

 ment when the fish begin to run down to sea has been 

 reached with the large consignments of Scotch salmon im- 

 ported within the last few years by the Government, and the 

 further result will be watched with interest. 



A marked success has been attained at the Otago society's 

 ponds at Clinton, where salmon have been continuously kept 

 in confinement since they were hatched, and are now them- 

 selves breeding. These fish commenced to spawn in 1888, 

 and this last winter produced many thousand ova. 



Attempts in Canterbury to naturalise whitefish, and in 

 Otago and Southland to introduce medicinal leeches, must be 

 added to the list of unsuccessful experiments. 



When we turn to the vegetable kingdom we find a still 

 more remarkable record of failures in systematic attempts to 

 introduce desirable plants. In his " Handbook to the New 

 Zealand Flora" (p. 757), Sir Joseph Hooker says: "I have 

 been informed that the late Mr. Bidwill habitually scattered 

 Australian seeds during his extensive travels in New Zealand : 

 if this be true, it is remarkable how few Australian plants 

 have naturalised themselves in the Islands, considering both 

 this circumstance and the extensive commerce between these 

 countries." But this remark applies to a certain extent to 

 numerous other cases in which the attempt has been made to 

 ornament our woodlands and meadows with many of the 

 favourite flowers of Great Britain by sowing the seeds broad- 

 cast. My own observations on this subject lead me to the 

 conclusion that only those plants become naturalised which 

 produce their seed freely. Hence, if from any cause they do 

 not seed, they are not likely to become established. Hitherto 

 many common British plants have failed to seed naturally in 

 the colony, e.g., primroses, cowslips, English blue-bells (Scilla), 

 daffodils, harebells or Scotch blue-bells {Campanula), heather 

 (Calluna), and various heaths (Erica), honeysuckle, species of 

 Lichnis, SUene, Geranium, &c., and in consequence these do 

 not spread as wild plants. The reason I believe to be the want 

 of suitable insects to fertilise the flowers. This is singular in 

 some cases, because several of the above-named flowers are 

 visited by hive-bees and are fertilised by them in Europe. 

 But others, as primroses and honeysuckle, depend almost 

 absolutely on various species of Lepidoptera, and in the ab- 

 sence of these insects they have hitherto been infertile. It 

 would now seem, however, as if with the advent of the humble- 

 bee various plants will seed freely which have not done so 



