70 WILD LIFE IX XENV ZEALAND. 



nient liad already allowed some idiots to introduce foxes into that 

 country in order to allow them the pleasures of fox-hunting, and 

 the result has not been encouraging. One well-known public man 

 in New Zealand proposed to introduce Arctic foxes " because their 

 fur would be so valuable." When it was pointed out to him that 

 they would probably prefer lamb to rabbit, he replied that, as the\ 

 did not know anything about lambs in their native haunts, it was 

 improbable that they would take to eating them in New Zealand. 

 Fortunately his proposal was not given efiect to. Meanwhile shei ]> 

 owners brought pressure to bear on the Government, and as a 

 result steps were taken to obtain ferrets. Numbers of these were 

 introduced in 1882, and in the following year Mr. Bailey, Chief 

 Rabbit Inspector, recommended the introduction of stoats and 

 weasels. To show the scale on which these recommendations wer 

 carried out, I summarize from Mr. Bailey's reports as follows : 



(a.) In July, 1883, it is stated that since March. 1SS-J (fifteen 

 months), the Agent-General had made thirty-two shipments of 

 ferrets from London, numbering altogether 1,217 animals. Of 

 these, only 178 were landed, at a cost of 953. Of 241 jmiv] 

 in Melbourne, 198 were landed, at a cost of 224. Thus the total 

 number landed was 376, and the cost 1,177, or 3 2s. 7d. per 

 head. The natural increase was 122, but 157 died of distemper. 

 At this period it would seem as if the Government kept a perfect 

 menagerie of these animals. In the same year a substantial bonus 

 was offered to any one who would introduce a certain number of 

 stoats or weasels in a healthy condition. 



(6.) In 1884 he reports "nearly 4,000 ferrets were turned out ; 

 3,041 in Marlborough alone, and about 400 on Crown land in 

 Otago." The rest appear to have been sold to private individuals. 

 It is evident that there was no study of the suitability of a semi 

 domesticated subtropical animal becoming aeelimat i/ed in tln'> 

 country, and, as a matter of fact, the ferret h.i> not L r nm , w ill j,, 

 the South Island to any great extent. Mr. Bailev also stated in 

 this report that "an agent has been sent Home to procure st 

 and weasels." Mr. Rich, of Palmerston. imported some of thes. 

 latter in a sailing-vessel, but how many 1 cannot learn. 



(r.) In ISS.") two lots of stoats and weasels were received fron 

 London viz.. Ifl.'l weasels (out of 20'J shipped) and .">."> stunts (out 

 of 60). Of these, 67 weasels were released at Lake Wanaka on a 



