TEAXSMLSSIOX OF SALMON EGGS TO AUSTRALIA, ETC. 845 



settlers. Xot only did Eewi, together with his kinsman Te Puke, afford 

 every assistance during tlie work of depositing the ova, and most hos- 

 pitably entertain the party at his settlement, but he has also taken the 

 young fish under his special protection, giving orders that if any should 

 be caught in the Maorie eel-weirs or fishing-nets they shall be immedi- 

 ately restored to the water. Similarly the well-known northern chief, 

 Tirarau, rendered considerable assistance to Mr. Firth while conveying 

 tlie ]\rangakahia portion of the consignment. 



With reference to the salmon importation of 1876, it is satisfactory to 

 report that young fish have been repeatedly seen. In August last, 

 numbers of fry, about five inches in length, were noticed in the Eapur- 

 ax:)u .stream, an affluent of the Upper Thames ; and only a short time 

 ago comparatively large fish, undoubtedly salmon, were observed at 

 Omahu, on the Thames Eiver itself. 



WiiiTEFiSH {Core(jonm albus). — A box of ova of this valuable lake 

 fish, taken from a large consignment received by the government from 

 the United States Fish Commission, was placed in the hands of the so- 

 ciety for treatment, but unfortunately jiroved a complete failure, only 

 nine fish hatching, and of these all but two died shortly afterwards. 

 The council trust that a future attempt will be more successful, as it Ls 

 a fish that would probably do well in Lake Taupo, and possibly also in 

 Tarawera and other of our lakes. 



Beook teout {Salmofontinalhs). — Mr. T. Eussell, who has done, and 

 is doing, so much for acclimatization in Xew Zealand, has, through his 

 agent, Mr. Hugh Craig, of San Francisco, forwarded to the society a 

 box of 5,000 ova of this little trout, said to be one of tbe best of the 

 Western American species, both as an article of food and as affording 

 capital sport to the fly-fisher. The box did not arrive in as good condi- 

 tion as could have beeen desired ; but nevertheless 400 young fish were 

 successfully hatched. They have since been liberated, half the number 

 in a tributary of the Waikato near Cambridge, and the remainder in the 

 upper part of the Kaukapakapa stream, Kaipara district. 



Catfish {Pimelodus Cafus). — Two consignments of this well-known 

 fish have also been introduced from America by Mr. T. Eussell. In all, 

 140 li%Tiig fish arrived, which have been lil>erated in St. John's Lake. 

 Of late years considerable attention has been i^aid to the distribution of 

 this species in the United States. It is said to do well in small lakes, 

 ponds, mill-dams, and e^en swamps ; to be good eating, easily caught 

 by hook and line, and to be not destructive to the young of other fish. 



It should here be mentioned that the entire cost of these importations 

 is borne by Mr. Eussell, who has certainly earned the warmest thanks 

 of the society for the services he has so unostentatiously rendered to the 

 colony. 



