Annual Meeting, 1924. 755 
Reports have been received from the following societies, and are now laid on the 
ee 
тыны Institute, for year ending 22nd February, 1923. 
Wellin REVUE on гүл Society, for year ending 30th September, 1923 (balance- 
Philosophical анвон of Canterbury, for year ert 31st October, 1923. 
Otago Institute, for year ending 30th November, 
Fellowshi S iiw ew Zealand Institute.—On чы "m th February, 1923, the appointment 
of Mr. J. C. A n and the Ven. Archdeacon Williams to the Fellowship of the New 
Zealand dodo oe was gazetted, 
On the 7th April the incorporated societies were asked to send in —— for 
the two vacancies in the Fellowship for 1924, and in response thirteen were 
forwarded. These were submitted on the 2nd ‘Anant to the Fellows for selection, and 
on the 3rd October the Hon. Returning Officer, Professor Bogar, orward e results 
of the selection, and these names were then communicated to the Governo: a 
Stewart Island.—At the last annual meeting a sq qe was passed to the effect 
that the ев. G. M. Thomson be asked to report to the Standing HM on the 
reas 
to the dim a be and fauna. r. Thomson forwarded his report, which was con- 
as follows а. at a meeting of the Standing Committee held on the 3rd July. The report is 
as ol 
* The Virginian or white-tailed deer (Cariacus —Ó was introduced into 
w Zealand in 1915, when two stags and seven hinds w —9G at the - of one 
es the arms of Port Pegasus, Stewart Island. From Meer to time reports were heard 
of their increase, but, as there is practically no settlement neo a рана іп 
the écris с z е cal to Bt information. But Mr. W. J. Thomson, of Half-moon Bay, 
be the Pegasus station, has furnished me with some information 
which is is Shores iie. I quote from his letter to me of the 28th February :— 
iled deer are now t desse established on the south portion of - 
island, and it is only a question v time when they will be a curse—when their num be 
ill 
hat the place wi av n throug portion of the 
uth part of the island in r Ee d have found little or no destru p to - 
bush, with the exception of one shrub, the ‘ five-leaved ree’ it [ 
gum 
апат Colensoi]. It is already doomed, as the deer are evidently very fond ‘of it ee 
eat the bark, which kills the tree. Otherwise the bush does not seem to suffer much 
ond hen 
Some ‘ame ago I tried, thr ough some friends, to induce the Government 
to bu uy Cooper’: s Island (Ulva), i = Paterson Inlet. This island is wonderfully adap 
for a bird-sanctuary, being free of all pests, deer, &c. АП the New Zealand сео 
could be liberated there, and I have no doubt, with proper fostering, it could be t 
bird M s і Zealand.’ 
oe I 
urge that the. vieni of the animal life on the island еа not be allowed to pass into 
the hands of any acclimatization society. When the time comes the — а » 
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sible on vea of the thick bush. — Bushfelling should also eg: pped on “the silane, 
as sa 
“g. M. THOMSON.” 
prior to the introduction of the Virginian [as he oned that Ulva is at present 
ge y infested with rats, which Mes fatal to the "sees qe robin cr liberated 
Traill. 
Mr. Guthrie-Smith regretted that deer had cam — ted in — mg 88 
the hills T the island were very barren and the dee e forced into the bush. He 
urged that an endeavour should be made to conserve all үскен still rad big or small, 
along the coasts of New Zealand, also the Auckland or Campbell Groups and the Snares. 
