274 Transacitons.—Zoology. 
Fulton's Creek, Waipahu River, Mimihau, and some of about 10lbs. in 
weight in the Wakatipu Lake at Queenstown. In the Kuriwao a trout 
6ilbs. was killed in the beginning of this year. Trout were first put 
in this stream in 1874, but into the Waiwera, into which the Kuriwao 
runs, in 1878. So that the average yearly growth may be taken at about 
1iibs. As regards the Waikouaiti River, I have had, from two different 
sources, tolerably reliable evidence that the trout put into it have lived and 
thrived, but this requires confirmation. 
In the above I have, as explained, regarded the average weight on the 
theory (which is a safe one), that the fish actually eaught and weighed, may 
have been individuals of the first stock put into each stream. Of course there 
still remains another, but more laborious, method for the future, of determin- 
ing the rate of growth, viz., marking young fish when eaught, and returning 
them to the river for future observations. Two summers ago I began this 
plan in the Lee Stream, by removing the posterior half of the adipose fin ; 
but as yet I have not been fortunate enough to recapture any of those 
so marked. These fish would run from four to seven inches in length, and 
in number about one dozen. In the Southland rivers young trout were 
turned out from 1870 to 1877, as shown by a list appended, which Mr. 
Howard has sent me. As yet, however, I have not been able to get any 
positive information as to how they have succeeded. 
Comparing now the growth of our trout with river trout of England and 
Scotland, I find that Stoddart, in his Lochs and Rivers of Scotland, gives 
the following as his opinion. The fry are hatched out in April, and by the 
month of October stop growing for that season, having attained a length of six 
or seven inches, and weighing a quarter of a pound. "There is no perceptible 
growth till the following spring, when food again becomes plentiful. They 
then resume growing, and before winter have increased in length by two 
inches, and in weight up to half a pound, by which time a certain number are 
in spawning condition. It is four years before these fish reach one pound 
weight, when many cease growing, but some from favouring conditions of 
locality and feed reach a greater weight. These latter live almost entirely 
upon ground and surface food—not minnows. In well sheltered waters and 
when the feed is particularly good, as in the Leet and Eden, in the course 
of five or six years trout have reached two pounds weight and upwards. * 
Again, Yarrel, in his British Fishes, says:—“ An acutely observing friend 
of mine * *  * has for years kept trout in a kind of store stream, 
and having fed them with every kind of food, has had some of them increase 
* Stoddart says that in South of England an experiment with trout in three tanks 
.. fed respectively with worms, minnows, and large water-flies, was tried, when those fed on 
| flies attained twice the weight of the others, 
