﻿Arthue. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Brown 
  Trout 
  introduced 
  into 
  Otago. 
  271 
  

  

  Art. 
  XXIV. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Brou-n 
  Trout 
  introduced 
  into 
  Otago. 
  By 
  W. 
  Arthur, 
  C.E. 
  

  

  [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Otago 
  Institute, 
  dth 
  July, 
  1878.] 
  

  

  Plate 
  XIII. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  object 
  of 
  tins 
  paper 
  is 
  to 
  put 
  on 
  record 
  those 
  facts 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  ascertained, 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  acclimatization 
  of 
  trout 
  in 
  Otago. 
  The 
  

   present 
  time 
  is 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  peculiarly 
  suitable 
  for 
  observing 
  how 
  exotic 
  

   plants 
  and 
  animals 
  adapt 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  

   into 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  recently 
  introduced. 
  It 
  is 
  equally 
  true, 
  and 
  has 
  

   been 
  advocated 
  before 
  now, 
  that 
  observations 
  constant 
  and 
  careful 
  should 
  

   be 
  undertaken 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  friends 
  of 
  science, 
  on 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  colonization 
  

   upon 
  the 
  native 
  flora 
  and 
  fauna; 
  because 
  the 
  existing 
  circumstances 
  under 
  

   which 
  these 
  are 
  placed 
  are 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  progression 
  and 
  change, 
  while 
  the 
  

   old 
  conditions 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  things 
  of 
  the 
  past. 
  So 
  also 
  with 
  our 
  trout, 
  for 
  

   in 
  twenty 
  years 
  hence 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  many 
  streams, 
  which 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  a 
  

   state 
  of 
  nature 
  supply 
  certain 
  food, 
  will 
  be 
  cultivated 
  and 
  probably 
  yield 
  a 
  

   totally 
  different 
  description 
  of 
  food, 
  while 
  the 
  trout 
  themselves 
  will 
  be 
  much 
  

   more 
  numerous 
  and, 
  I 
  am 
  afraid, 
  of 
  a 
  smaller 
  average 
  weight. 
  The 
  

   opportunity 
  can 
  only 
  occur 
  once, 
  of 
  observing 
  the 
  immediate 
  results 
  of 
  

   stocking 
  any 
  stream 
  with 
  trout. 
  Therefore 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  a 
  reasonable 
  

   precaution 
  to 
  publish 
  periodically 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  our 
  know- 
  

   ledge, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  contribution 
  towards 
  this 
  object 
  I 
  have 
  selected 
  the 
  special 
  

   subject 
  of 
  this 
  paper, 
  being 
  one 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  taken 
  much 
  

   interest. 
  

  

  1. 
  Distribution 
  and 
  Growth 
  of 
  Trout 
  in 
  Otago. 
  

   The 
  first 
  successful 
  hatching 
  of 
  trout 
  ( 
  Salmo 
  farioj 
  in 
  Otago 
  was 
  in 
  

   October, 
  1868. 
  This 
  was 
  achieved 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Chfford, 
  then 
  Curator 
  to 
  our 
  

   Acclimatization 
  Society, 
  who 
  went 
  to 
  Tasmania, 
  and 
  got 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  

   spawning-beds 
  at 
  the 
  breeding-ponds 
  of 
  the 
  Plenty, 
  800 
  ova, 
  whereof 
  720 
  

   were 
  hatched 
  out 
  as 
  above 
  at 
  our 
  Opoho 
  breeding-ponds. 
  Part 
  of 
  this 
  lot 
  

   was 
  sent 
  to 
  Lake 
  Wakatipu, 
  but 
  all 
  the 
  young 
  fish 
  died 
  on 
  the 
  road. 
  The 
  

   remainder 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  sent 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Young, 
  at 
  Palmerston, 
  and 
  were 
  

   turned 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  miU-race 
  on 
  that 
  gentleman's 
  property. 
  A 
  year 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  was 
  caught, 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  seven 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  

   In 
  October, 
  1869, 
  the 
  second 
  shipment 
  of 
  1,000 
  trout 
  ova 
  was 
  brought 
  from 
  

   Tasmania 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Clifford, 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  breeding-boxes 
  at 
  Opoho, 
  the 
  

   water 
  having 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  44° 
  Fah. 
  The 
  fish 
  from 
  these 
  two 
  lots 
  of 
  

   trout 
  ova 
  form 
  the 
  original 
  stock, 
  which 
  were 
  liberated 
  in 
  our 
  streams 
  in 
  

   November, 
  1869, 
  and 
  from 
  these 
  and 
  their 
  descendants 
  the 
  ova 
  for 
  stocking 
  

   the 
  rivers 
  in 
  Otago 
  have 
  been 
  obtained. 
  I 
  append 
  a 
  table 
  published 
  

   by 
  our 
  Acclimatization 
  Society, 
  showing 
  the 
  rivers 
  into 
  which 
  young 
  trout 
  

  

  