Aethuk. — On Diseased Trout in Lake Wakatipu. 199 



fungus among tliem, eventuating occasionally in the death of very large 

 ones. It was only recently, however, that I was so fortunate as to 

 see these trout and to observe this fungus on them. One morning in June 

 of this year I took a walk round the shore, past the mouth of the small 

 Town Creek already referred to. The water from this stream enters the bay 

 at its north-east corner exactly, and in almost direct alignment with shoal 

 water frequented by the trout, consequently the influence of the creek water 

 is noticeable for thirty or forty yards along the shore. Here within a few 

 yards of the mouth of the stream I saw several large trout quietly resting, 

 but the great body of them was stretched along from this point for a distance 

 of about a hundred and fifty yards, in three shoals or " schools," containing 

 more than a hundred fish each, and distant from the water's edge as far as 

 the belt of weeds grew. In weight I estimated them from 3 lbs. up to near 

 20 lbs. They all lay with their heads towards the creek mouth, except 

 when one or two took a leisurely turn round and resumed their former 

 position again, or when others evidently excited by some influence threw 

 themselves wildly into the air, falling heavily, or splashed along the surface. 

 They did not seem to care much for the presence of a human spectator, 

 and in this their habits differ from what obtains in rivers or streams 

 usually. Presently I was surprised to observe a trout of about 6 lbs. 

 in weight, swimming within a rod of me parallel to the shore. As it showed 

 no alarm I moved along with it, and then discovered that it was. all covered 

 with fungus. Concluding that it would probably soon die from its un- 

 natural movements, I endeavoured t to secure it for examination, but 

 although I passed the crook of my stick easily over its tail, yet it resented 

 the effort I made to draw it ashore, and swam off into deep water. Aban- 

 doning all hope of seeing this fish again, I examined as carefully as I could 

 the other fish in the shoals, when I perceived easily, as the water makes the 

 white spots very plain to the eye, that at least 25 per cent, of them had 

 marks of fungus on their bodies. On the larger trout a patch or two of 

 dirty white was seen on the head generally, and a tuft hanging out of the 

 side of the mouth ; while in breathing they could not close their jaws, and 

 showed very little motion in them at all. Some of the smaller ones were 

 worse, their bodies and fins being covered with spots or patches. The most 

 of these trout were dark in colour, while one or two I occasionally noticed 

 were light-coloured, but whether these were diseased or not I could not make 

 out. So clear was the water, and so tame and subdued were the trout, that 

 standing as I did on the shingle, I could plainly distinguish the sexes from 

 one another in the larger individuals. I then walked along the beach to- 

 wards the reef at the pomt of the peninsula, but saw no more trout till I 

 reached that place. There, however, I soon saw a number of them, from 



