198 FISHES 



River in 1878; the Southland figure is 1700; the one reports the total 

 number hatched, the other the number liberated. 



Regarding these shipments Mr W. Arthur, then Hon. Sec. of the 

 Otago Society, wrote in 1880: 



Mr Howard has informed me that the ova of the salmon turned out in 

 the Aparima in 1874, 1876 and 1878, came originally from the Tweed, 

 Tyne, Kibble, Hodder, Lune, Avon and Dart Rivers. Yet who can say 

 from which of these rivers the ova were taken which eventually hatched 

 at the Wallacetown ponds? 



In 1 88 1 Mr C. C. Capel of Footscray, Kent, sent out 100,000 

 ova to the joint order of the Otago and Marlborough Societies ; but 

 all the eggs were dead on arrival. 



In 1883-84 Sir F. D. Bell, the Agent-General for New Zealand, 

 and Sir James Maitland, the eminent pisciculturist, were working 

 together to send out salmon ova to the colony, and a shipment, of 

 which I cannot find particulars, was forwarded in 1884. Sir Francis 

 writing to the Colonial Secretary on 3oth October, 1885, says: 



I had taken the greatest pains all through 1883 and 1884 to interest many 

 people in this country, eminent for skill and experience in pisciculture, 

 about sending ova to the colony on the supposition that the spasmodic 

 experiments which had been going on for so many years were to be super- 

 seded at last by a systematic and persistent action on the part of the 

 Government itself, extending over some seasons at any rate. The first 

 experiment of sending out ova in a " moist- air chamber " and at a regulated 

 temperature was made in the steamship 'Ionic' in January, 1884; and it 

 is hardly open to doubt that this method was not only in itself a right one, 

 but, in fact, the best that had till then been devised. Further experience, 

 however, had shown that the first expense of that method would not have 

 to be repeated. A shipment of trout ova privately made by Sir James 

 Maitland had brought out most valuable information, showing how cheaply 

 as well as safely ova could be got out under certain conditions; and when 

 the reports came home of our shipment by the ' Ionic,' Sir James Maitland 

 wrote to me that he had no doubt whatever of" perfect success next season, 

 as we had now the key to the whole problem, namely, the period which 

 ought to lapse between spawning and packing, and could insure the success 

 of every egg we sent." 



Unfortunately neither the Government of New Zealand nor those 

 interested in the subject in the colony were informed of the exertions 

 which Sir F. D. Bell and Sir James Maitland were making in Britain. 



Meanwhile there was a good deal of dissatisfaction felt at the 

 poor results of all the attempts hitherto made to introduce salmon, 

 and at the request of several societies, Mr S. C. Farr, Hon. Sec. of 

 the North Canterbury Society, went to Britain in December, 1884, and 

 succeeded in getting 198,000 from the Tweed. Mr Farr had previously 

 complained that not ten per cent, of the eggs hitherto received had 



