Arthur. — On Fhh 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 (S. truttaj. 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 1 lb. up to 201bs. 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 July, 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 {Sahno 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 temperatiure 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. 



