272 Transactions.— Zoology. 
have been put, their number, and the years in which this was done. 
Altogether, 64,810 young trout have been liberated in 134 rivers and 
streams in Otago up to December, 1877. 
As showing how soon and easily confusion may arise for want of a few 
precautions, I may here mention that beyond the general fact that our 
breed of trout is believed to be from a Thames tributary, we really do not 
know much about them. It is true that the trout in Tasmania, whence 
ours were brought here as their ova, were got from England, but 
what particular stream to trace them to seems from all I can learn to be 
now impossible. From notes kindly given me by Mr. Howard, of the 
Wallacetown salmon-ponds, it appears that three lots were sent to Tasma- 
nia, which turned out more or less successful. Of these, Mr. Francis 
Francis sent one from the Weycombe, Bucks, and another from the Wey 
at Alton, Hants, and Mr. Buckland sent one lot from Alresford, on the 
Itchen, Hants. If I am not able to say, therefore, to which place the 
descent of our trout is to be traced, or if each of the places named has not 
a joint honour in their parentage, I think you will agree that we have got a 
very handsome and valuable variety of Salmo fario. 
Growth of the Trout.—I will now proceed to lay before you such facts as 
I have been able to collect, teading to show the probable rate of growth of 
trout in our rivers, under the conditions of the state of nature which existed 
when these fish were first turned out and which still hold good for most of 
our streams, and particularly that no trout are ever known to have pre- 
viously inhabited these waters. The rivers that I shall refer to are the 
Shag, Water of Leith, Lee Stream, Deep Stream and Upper Taieri, not 
because we have not information of the success of trout in other streams, 
but because such information is as yet rather general and indefinite. 
Shag River —In the year 1868, young trout, 75 in number, appear to 
have been put in Mr. Young’s mill-race at Palmerston, as already men- 
tioned, and in 1869 there were 53 liberated in Shag River. The mill-race 
has communication with the river. After this, the first specimens I am 
aware of, caught in this river, are those taken in 1874, and which are now 
preserved in the Otago Museum. The male fish (one of these) was taken in 
June of that year, and weighed l4lbs. The female (the other) was taken in 
July, and weighed 163ibs. Now, comparing the above dates, we find that 
the greatest possible age of these fish could not exceed six years. This 
indicates an average growth for the male fish of 21Ibs. a year, and of 231bs. 
a year for the female. But I am inclined to believe that for the first year 
or eighteen months trout do not attain that average in our streams, or at all 
events in the Shag River. A certain amount of corroboration arises from 
Vue fact I have alluded to above, of Mr. Clifford catching one of the 1868 
na 
