Akthue. — On the Brown Trout introduced into Otago. 489 



which the trout feed, in the creek or the lake, but it must be unusually good 

 and abundant, especially in the lake, where the trout are said to be numerous 

 and large. I have not yet known of any angler succeeding in catching a 

 single trout fairly with rod and line in Hayes Lake. They are manifestly 

 too well fed to care for artificial baits. 



The Wakatipu Lake has a stock of trout from 2 lbs. to 20 lbs. in weight ; 

 I estimate the weight from seeing them. These large trout frequent certain 

 parts on the margin of the lake in shoals, as Queenstown Bay, near the 

 Town Creek, the Peninsula Eeef, Frankton Arm, and generally the vicinity 

 of the mouths of the streams into which young trout fry were originally put 

 by the late Mr. Worthington. Until lately, they have not been caught by rod 

 and line ; but during March, 1883, some were with minnow, and very long 

 lines being run out from the boats. The trout are very fat, but what their 

 food consists of beyond Galaxias I have not yet found out ; the stomachs of 

 four which I examined being empty. In one case only two small fish and 

 insect remains were found in the stomach by me. In colour these trout are 

 mostly dark on back and silvery towards the belly, some however are very 

 silvery. Unfortunately there is much fungoid disease in the shoals at 

 Queenstown Bay, and a considerable number have died from it. One 

 female I found dying from fungus, I have previously described.* Mr. 

 Worthington, in 1881, reported that he had only seen male fish affected 

 with the disease. Probably the absence of salt from the Wakatipu water 

 is one of the chief causes of the malady. It does not appear, however, to 

 injure the edible qualities of the fish, which are most excellent. In 

 November, 1880, a trout was caught at the head of the lake which weighed 

 16 lbs. 4 ozs. ; and, as it may probably have been one of those liberated in 

 1874, its yearly growth would be 2-73 lbs. or 2f lbs. nearly. A number of 

 trout have been taken weighing 11 lbs., 13 lbs., and 15 lbs. 



In March, 1882, 1 got a most beautiful female trout from the Oreti River, 

 weighing 5 lbs., which was in splendid condition, and was the finest fish of 

 the kind to eat I ever partook of. It was almost as good as a fresh run 

 sea-trout. In its stomach I found one minnow and a small grub. At the 

 same time, I handled an ugly male trout from the same water, not fat, 

 which weighed 10 lbs. Its average yearly growth would be ljlbs., as trout 

 were first liberated in the Oreti in 1874. 



The Canterbury specimen I have previously made reference to was sent 

 to me by the Christchurch Society in February, 1881, on the supposition 

 that it might possibly be a Californian salmon ; but in what river caught I 

 was not informed. It was 2 lbs. in weight, silvery in appearance, with a 

 few dark and red spots, mostly x-shaped, and had a very small head, less 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xv., p. 198. 



