APPENDIX A 



OPOSSUMS IN NEW ZEALAND 



IN March, 1920, Professor H. B. Kirk, in response to a request from the 

 New Zealand Government, made a report on the Australian Opossums in 

 the country in answer to the following questions : 



(1) Whether the damage to forests is likely to outweigh advantages to 

 settlers in being able to earn a revenue by trapping or taking opossums in 

 new country ? 



(2) On what areas these animals could be liberated with reasonable 

 security against their overrunning and damaging State forests ? 



He found that these animals often do considerable damage in orchards 

 by eating the leaves and young shoots of apple trees, of lemons, of peaches, 

 and all other stone fruits ; they bite fruit of all kinds, sometimes consuming 

 the whole fruit, sometimes leaving it damaged on the trees, or causing it 

 to fall. During the winter they do little damage. 



They also bite off buds and shoots of roses and other garden shrubs, 

 eat peas when the pods are filling, and occasionally eat other vegetables. 



Though reported as very destructive to pine forests (Pinus halepensis 

 and P. maritima) in South Australia, he found very little damage to pine 

 plantations in New Zealand. North of Auckland they eat the young male 

 cones of P. radiata (P. insignis). 



In the native bush " the opossums eat leaves and young shoots of 

 makomaka (Aristotelia racemosa), of karaka (Corynocarpus Icevigata), of 

 houhou (Schefflera digitata), of mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus), of broadleaf 

 (Griselinia lucida), of konini (Fuchsia excorticata), of matipo (Pittosporum 

 eugenioides and other species), of kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile), the soft 

 parts of miro-fruit and of the nikau-fruit (Rhopalostylis sapida), the fruit of 

 the konini, and many others. By his weight he breaks young shoots, causing 

 them to wither. I have examined the upper branches of many favourite 

 food trees, but have never found that greater damage has been done than 

 I have described, and the trees branch freely below the wound. I have 

 found no native tree that has, in my opinion, been killed by an opossum. 

 The favourite plants of the opossum are damaged by constant climbing 

 and playing, but this generally happens near houses or at the edge of a 

 clearing, but I have never seen serious damage of this kind in the forest." 

 His general conclusions are that opossums do very little real damage in 

 the bush. 



He recommends that an open season be declared during which opossums 

 may be lawfully taken, and that for the present this open season be the 

 months of May, June and July. Also that a licence fee of 1 be charged 

 to all trappers, and that for each skin taken a royalty of is. should be 

 paid to the Crown. In fruit districts he recommends that any resident may 



