318 • MR. J. L. BONHOTE ON HYBRID DUCKS. [ISToV. 18, 



Dr. Henry Woodward, F.R.S., exhibited photographs of two 

 Stags' heads and read the following extract from a letter written 

 concerning them by Mr. D. Russell, Hon. Sec. of the Otago 

 Acclimatization Society : — " The stag-heads will give you an idea 

 of how the Red Deer of Europe {Cervus elaphus) thrive here. 

 The herd that these heads are from numbers from four to five 

 thousand, and has resulted from the turning out of six hinds and 

 two stags in 1868. Of course, the country is in every way suitable 

 for them, and they have lots of room in front of them to populate. 

 Some of the carcases weigh from five to six hundred pounds. 

 There are similar herds in several other parts of New Zealand as 

 well as in our district," 



Dr. Woodward also read the following abstract from the 

 Annual Report of the Otago Acclimatization Society for the season 

 ending March 31, 1902, on the same subject: — "The herd of 

 Red Deer on the Morven Hills and adjacent districts is doing 

 remarkably well. We are much indebted to Mr. C. Turnbull for 

 a very valuable report on the herd from personal observations 

 made by him in April of this year. Mr. Turnbull informs us 

 that the deer have greatly increased in numbers and spread far 

 afield since he saw them last some seven years ago, and that the 

 food in the Deer- country has greatly improved of late years owing 

 to the rabbits being much less numerovis than formerly. Mr. A. 

 E. Leatham, a visitor from the Home country, has also kindly 

 sent to the Council a report on the deer in the Hunter Valley 

 Mr. Leatham spent a month in the district, and found deer 

 fairly numerous in all the valleys running into the Hunter 

 Valley, some of the valleys being ten and twelve miles long. 

 Thirty miles up the Hunter Valley, Mr. Leatham shot stags, and 

 observed their tra'cks going still fui'ther afield. The outer fringes 

 of the herd will now probably be on the slopes of the West Coast, 

 where they will have unlimited scope to spread unmolested, and 

 will afford good deer-stalking for any number of sportsmen in 

 the future. Owing to the mild winter and early spring the stags 

 this season were in fine condition and carried good antlers. 

 Several were shot with carcases weighing from five to six hundred 

 poiuids each, and quite a number of the heads obtained had 

 antlers from 40 to 46 inches long from tip to base, with a width of 

 span up to 41 inches. Mr. Quin, of Tapanui, procured this year 

 four young hinds and two stags from Mr. Chirnside of Victoria. 

 These have been put down on the upper reaches of the Pomahaka 

 River, where the country is suitable for their requirements." 



Mr. J. L. Bonhote exhibited and made some remarks on four 

 hybrid Ducks which he had bred in his aviaries during the 

 past summer. The first specimen exhibited was that of a cross 

 between the Indian Spot-billed {^Anas poRcilorliynclia) and the 

 Wild Duck [A. hoschas), the male parent being a hybrid between 

 these two species, and the female a pure-bred Wild Duck. The 

 remaining three specimens from two broods represented a cross 



