NEW ZEALAND RED DEER 95 



so many words that any one can stalk in the Waira- 

 rapa, but that is the impression left on the reader's 

 mind ; and when, as at the time of writing, practi- 

 cally the whole stalking area is in private hands, 

 they have no business to mention it at all. One 

 other word of advice I should like to give. Find 

 out definitely when the stalking season opens in the 

 various districts, as it is very liable to be changed. 

 Mr. T. E. Donne, whose kindness to me was un- 

 failing, is only too willing to render any assistance 

 in his power to visiting sportsmen, and the same 

 may be said of the secretaries of the various Acclimati- 

 sation Societies. 



The North and South Island deer-stalkers are 

 both very jealous of the prestige of their herds, and 

 a fierce discussion was raging when I was in Welling- 

 ton as to the purity of descent of the Wairarapa deer. 

 The champion of the South threw out dark hints 

 about the bar-sinister and unauthorised German alli- 

 ances in the past. The gentleman who took up 

 the cause of those on whom such aspersions were 

 cast, demanded proof and dates ; these were given 

 and refuted, but, to make a long story short, it 

 was pretty conclusively proved that German blood 

 had crept into the Windsor herd. One well-known 

 stalker in the North Island, whose hatred of things 

 "made in Germany" is well known, was so over- 

 come at learning the verdict that he was heard to 

 declare that his stalking days were over! 



The third and, to the Scottish deer-stalker, most 



