CARNIVORA 71 



Society had six in Christchurch Gardens. Probably private individuals 

 (dealers) introduced them at all the chief centres, but there is no record. 



As rabbits began to increase to an alarming extent, various sugges- 

 tions were made as to importing what was called "the natural enemy." 

 One authority actually 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 they 

 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 effect to. Meanwhile sheep 

 farmers 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 were carried out, I summarise 

 from Mr Bailey's reports for four years as follows : 



(a) In July, 1883, it is stated that since March, 1882 (15 months), 

 the Agent-General had made 32 shipments of ferrets from London, 

 numbering altogether 1217 animals. Of these only 178 were landed, 

 at a cost of 953. Of 241 purchased in Melbourne, 198 were landed 

 at a cost of 224. Thus the total number landed was 376, and the 

 cost 1177, or 3. 2.s. jd. 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 and weasels in a healthy condition. 



(6) In 1884 he reports: "nearly 4000 ferrets were turned out; 

 3041 in Marlborough alone, and about 400 on crown lands in Otago." 

 The rest appear to have been sold to private individuals. He also 

 states that "an agent has been sent home to procure stoats and 

 weasels." Mr Rich of Palmerston imported some of these latter in 

 a sailing vessel, but how many I cannot learn. 



(c) In 1885 two lots of stoats and weasels were received from 

 London, viz. 183 weasels (out of 202 shipped), and 55 stoats (out 

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

 Wanaka of 8000 acres, on which they reduced the rabbits, but by 

 no means exterminated them ; 28 weasels and 6 stoats were liberated 

 at Lake Wakatipu; 15 weasels near the Waiau River, Southland; and 

 8 stoats at Ashburton. The rest were sold at Wellington, Christchurch, 

 and Dunedin. 



(d) In 1886 the Government introduced two lots, viz. 82 stoats 

 and 126 weasels, which were distributed in about equal lots to the 

 Wilkin River, the Makarora, at the head of Lake Ohau, and on the 



