TELEOSTEI 249 



Lake Herring; Cisco Herring; or Lesser White-fish 

 (Coregonus artedi) 



In 1907 a small shipment of the eggs of this species was brought 

 over from America by Mr L. F. Ayson, Chief Inspector of Fisheries. 

 They were brought partly because of their value as a food-fish, and 

 partly to increase the food supply for trout in Lake Rotorua and 

 other lakes in the Thermal district. About 40 per cent, of the eggs 

 died en route. The remainder were taken to Rotorua to be hatched 

 and liberated. Apparently nothing further has been heard of them 

 since. 



Family CYPRINID^ 

 * Carp (Cyprinus carpio) 



In 1864 Mr A. M. Johnson shipped 200 carp in London in the 

 ' British Queen ' bound to Lyttelton. The experiment was, however, 

 unsuccessful, all the fish dying during the voyage. In 1870 Mr E. 

 Dowling imported a number of Chinese and Prussian carp into 

 Canterbury. 



In 1867 the Auckland Society introduced 114 Prussian carp. Of 

 these 12 were placed in Takapuna Lake. 



In 1868 a number of fish were shipped by the 'Celestial Queen' 

 for Otago, but none survived the voyage. 



In 1 88 1 the Otago Society obtained six fish, but I do not know 

 where from. These were placed in a dam at Waihemo, but this burst, 

 and the fish were washed away. 



In February, 1911, Mr E. T. Frost reported that carp were very 

 common in the Waikato district. They are red, golden, white and 

 black, red and black, and white. The Maoris eat them in great 

 numbers but find them too bony. 



Carp were liberated at Lake Mahinapua on the west coast 



Mr W. W. Smith tells me that they are common and of large 

 size in Taranaki. 



Mr R. D. Dansey of Rotorua, who has given me a great deal of 

 most interesting information regarding introduced animals in that 

 part of New Zealand, tells me that carp are very plentiful in Rotorua, 

 and are called "Morihana" by the Maoris. He gives the origin of 

 this name as follows: 



I was present when in 1873 a small number of carp were first liberated 

 in Lake Taupo by Sub-Inspector H. Morrison of the Armed Constabulary, 

 then stationed at Tapuaeharuru. They had been brought up from Napier 

 in a billy. Members of the Constabulary had been purposely stationed 

 at intervals of several miles along the track from Napier to Taupo, a dis- 

 tance of 90 miles, and the billy and its precious contents was passed on 



