Artuur.—On Fish Culture in New Zealand. 199 
be admitted that we have no certainty of the fish referred to being salmon. 
At the same time no better river in New Zealand could have been fixed 
on for salmon “planting,” than the Aparima. There is nothing more 
to add here but to explain that Mr. Howard’s experiments were conducted 
under directions, first of the Salmon Commissioners of Southland, and 
latterly by those of the Colonial Government—the Otago society not having 
had anything to do in the matter. 
Sea trout (8. trutta). Of these, 140 ova were brought from Tasmania, 
in July, 1870. From these 80 young fish were put into the Shag river by 
Mr. Young, in 1871. Also Mr. A. C. Begg informs me that some sea trout 
were put into the Water of Leith, about the same time, by Mr. George 
Duncan. I have tried to find from what river in England the original ova 
sent to Tasmania, came, but the secretary to the Salmon Commissioners 
there, assures me that he cannot now possibly find any record of this fact. 
This valuable fish has, however, thriven well in Otago Harbour and along 
the coast to the north, as specimens from 11b. up to 20lbs. have been taken 
by fishermen, and many are still taken illegally. It is, however, curious 
that no undoubted sea trout has as yet been caught, or found spawning, in 
any of our rivers. The number of ova of sea trout brought from Tasmania 
by Mr. Clifford in J uly, 1870, was 140, and he succeeded in rearing every 
one! Of these 134 were sent to Mr. Young on December 22nd, 1870, and 
put into his pond at Palmerston. 
The Californian salmon (Salmo quinnat, or Oncorhynchus quinnat) was 
first introduced into Otago by the Colonial Government of New Zealand 
from San Francisco. A box supposed to contain 50,000 ova was presented 
to the Otago society by the Government, and this got to Port Chalmers on 
7th November, 1877, by the s.s. “Taupo.” One lesser box containing the ova 
was found inclosed in the larger one, surrounded by sawdust, and having a 
pad of the same on top. Ice had been used to keep the temperature low 
and the moss wet all the voyage. The ova, in seven layers in the ova-box, 
lay each between two webs of scrim, supported on moss and covered by the 
Same. The ova on examination were found healthy-looking; only from two 
to five per cent., I estimate, were actually dead, and these were often found in 
clusters adhering to the cotton web. The bad eggs were either white or 
Variegated white and red, while the healthy ones had a fine dark pink colour, 
and were transparent or comparatively so. On opening the boxes I found 
the temperature of the moss to be 47° Fahr., of the melted ice 40°, of the 
air 52°, The water in the filter supplying the hatching-boxes stood at 50°, 
and the water in the troughs or hatching-boxes themselves, reduced by ice, 
showed the temperature of 48° when the ova were placed in them. The 
following morning at 6.30 o'clock, I found the air at the hatching-boxes, 
Opoho, to read 44°, and the water 47° in the boxes. 
