TELEOSTEI 213 



these our rivers would in a few years be stocked." The faith of the 

 pioneers was charming, and in this instance was justified. The fol- 

 lowing is Mr Johnson's own account of this incident. 



A tremendous flood, the highest ever known in Canterbury, submerged 

 the Gardens, and although most of the stock was saved, the three Trout 

 were washed out into a swamp leading to the river, and appeared hopelessly 

 lost. With a faint hope of their recapture, a spawning race was prepared 

 near their rearing home, and at the season two of the lost trout were seen 

 and secured. They proved to be male and female, and from these a supply 

 of ova was obtained annually. By 1876, the Society had received about 

 100 from the sale of young trout, and many thousands had been liberated 

 in Canterbury Rivers; all the progeny of those two fish. 



In September, 1868, Mr G. P. Clifford brought over to Dunedin 

 from Tasmania about 800 brown trout ova. They were packed thinly 

 in well-washed moss in four boxes, which were kept cool with frozen 

 snow. The voyage lasted nine days. Forty-nine dead ova were re- 

 moved on arrival, and the rest were placed in covered boxes on a bed 

 of small gravel, over which ran a small stream of filtered water about 

 an inch and a half deep. During the time the fish were hatching the 

 temperature varied from 40 to 55 Fahr., averaging 46. The first fish 

 hatched out on a8th September and the last on 29th October. The total 

 number hatched was 729. The ova were not artificially impregnated, 

 because the spawning was nearly over in Tasmania, but were obtained 

 from the ridds made by the fish in the race at the Plenty ponds. The 

 pond accommodation consisted of an oval pond 12 by 8 feet, and 

 from a few inches to about 2 feet deep. The fry were liberated in 

 various streams in the provincial district. 



In distributing the young fish they were carried in an ordinary 

 fish-kettle, 15 by 9 inches, and 9 inches deep, and they were mostly 

 carried by hand. 



Our last attempt to take trout from Dunedin to Queenstown a distance 

 of 208 miles, over rough bush roads, with at times a bad supply of water 

 proved a failure. The time occupied was four days. Out of 55, the number 

 that left Dunedin, 25 were carried successfully a distance of 170 miles. 



The Southland Society received a small lot of ova, and liberated 

 about 200 fry. The Canterbury Society also received a lot from the 

 same source, and 545 fry were hatched out and distributed in various 

 streams. In the report written at the close of 1869 it is stated: 

 " Trout may now be considered as established in the Province." 



In 1869 Mr Clifford brought another lot of ova from Tasmania, 

 from which 1000 fry were obtained and mostly distributed; and in 

 1870 a third lot yielding 1084 fry. 



From these three shipments most of the trout of this species now 

 found in New Zealand have come, for they not only throve in every 



