The Days of a Man 



1907 



New 



Zealand 



forests 



Pelorus 

 Jack 



not tell the two apart; under like environment they 

 had grown up alike ! As a matter of fact, the actual 

 distinctions separating two allied species of trout are 

 very small, while superficial differences among indi- 

 viduals within the species may be very great. As 

 already stated, 1 there is no other kind offish so plastic 

 to environment as the trout. Big forms live in big 

 waters, deep-colored ones in dark waters, silvery ones 

 in the sea and all are affected by the amount and 

 character of food. 



Locally it was midwinter at the time of my visit 

 August but notwithstanding the general lack of 

 foliage I was much interested in an adjacent forest, 

 totally different from those of Australia. A species of 

 beech seemed to prevail, with huge blackberry vines 

 four inches through climbing to their very tops. The 

 few conifers I saw were all of the South American 

 type, with broad, flat leaves like those of Araucaria. 



In French Pass, a deep fjord of South Island, lived 

 for years "Pelorus Jack," a famous porpoise (doubt- 

 less of the genus Grampus) which used to rush like a 

 dog to greet each entering steamer, "playing around 

 the bow for some time, leaving only to repeat the 

 maneuver when the next vessel came in." As one of 

 the unique natural features of New Zealand, he was 

 long protected by special order of council, but ulti- 

 mately lost his life at the hands of Norwegian whal- 

 ers who had never heard of his distinction. 



As Dunedin lies two hundred miles south of Christ- 

 church, I was obliged to forgo the pleasure of seeing 

 Otago College. So having taken the "ferry" again, I 



1 See Vol. I, Chapter xxn, page 556. 



C 238 3 



