﻿272 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Zoology. 
  

  

  have 
  been 
  put, 
  their 
  number, 
  and 
  the 
  years 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  was 
  done. 
  

   Altogether, 
  64,810 
  young 
  trout 
  have 
  been 
  liberated 
  in 
  134 
  rivers 
  and 
  

   streams 
  in 
  Otago 
  up 
  to 
  December, 
  1877. 
  

  

  As 
  showing 
  Iiotv^ 
  soon 
  and 
  easily 
  confusion 
  may 
  arise 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  

   precautions, 
  I 
  may 
  here 
  mention 
  that 
  beyond 
  the 
  general 
  fact 
  that 
  our 
  

   breed 
  of 
  trout 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  from 
  a 
  Thames 
  tributary, 
  we 
  really 
  do 
  not 
  

   know 
  much 
  about 
  them. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  trout 
  in 
  Tasmania, 
  whence 
  

   ours 
  were 
  brought 
  here 
  as 
  their 
  ova, 
  were 
  got 
  from 
  England, 
  but 
  

   what 
  particular 
  stream 
  to 
  trace 
  them 
  to 
  seems 
  from 
  all 
  I 
  can 
  learn 
  to 
  be 
  

   now 
  impossible. 
  From 
  notes 
  kindly 
  given 
  me 
  by 
  Mr, 
  Howard, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Wallacetown 
  salmon-ponds, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  three 
  lots 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  Tasma- 
  

   nia, 
  which 
  turned 
  out 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  successful. 
  Of 
  these, 
  Mr. 
  Francis 
  

   Francis 
  sent 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  Weycombe, 
  Bucks, 
  and 
  another 
  from 
  the 
  Wey 
  

   at 
  Alton, 
  Hants, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Buckland 
  sent 
  one 
  lot 
  from 
  Alresford, 
  on 
  the 
  

   Itchen, 
  Hants. 
  If 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  say, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  which 
  place 
  the 
  

   descent 
  of 
  our 
  trout 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  traced, 
  or 
  if 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  places 
  named 
  has 
  not 
  

   a 
  joint 
  honour 
  in 
  their 
  parentage, 
  I 
  think 
  you 
  will 
  agree 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  got 
  a 
  

   very 
  handsome 
  and 
  valuable 
  variety 
  of 
  Salino 
  fario. 
  

  

  Growth 
  of 
  the 
  Trout. 
  — 
  I 
  will 
  now 
  proceed 
  to 
  lay 
  before 
  you 
  such 
  facts 
  as 
  

   I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  collect, 
  tending 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  probable 
  rate 
  of 
  growth 
  of 
  

   trout 
  in 
  our 
  rivers, 
  under 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  nature 
  which 
  existed 
  

   when 
  these 
  fish 
  were 
  first 
  turned 
  out 
  and 
  which 
  still 
  hold 
  good 
  for 
  most 
  of 
  

   our 
  streams, 
  and 
  particularly 
  that 
  no 
  trout 
  are 
  ever 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  inhabited 
  these 
  waters. 
  The 
  rivers 
  that 
  I 
  shall 
  refer 
  to 
  are 
  the 
  

   Shag, 
  Water 
  of 
  Leith, 
  Lee 
  Stream, 
  Deep 
  Stream 
  and 
  Upper 
  Taieri, 
  not 
  

   because 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  information 
  of 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  trout 
  in 
  other 
  streams, 
  

   but 
  because 
  such 
  information 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  rather 
  general 
  and 
  indefinite. 
  

  

  Shag 
  River. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  1868, 
  young 
  trout, 
  75 
  in 
  number, 
  appear 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  put 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Young's 
  mill-race 
  at 
  Palmerston, 
  as 
  already 
  men- 
  

   tioned, 
  and 
  in 
  1869 
  there 
  were 
  53 
  liberated 
  in 
  Shag 
  Eiver. 
  The 
  mill-race 
  

   has 
  communication 
  with 
  the 
  river. 
  After 
  this, 
  the 
  first 
  specimens 
  I 
  am 
  

   aware 
  of, 
  caught 
  in 
  this 
  river, 
  are 
  those 
  taken 
  in 
  1874, 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  

   preserved 
  in 
  the 
  Otago 
  Museum. 
  The 
  male 
  fish 
  (one 
  of 
  these) 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  

   June 
  of 
  that 
  year, 
  and 
  weighed 
  14lbs. 
  The 
  female 
  (the 
  other) 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  

   July, 
  and 
  weighed 
  16ilbs. 
  Now, 
  comparing 
  the 
  above 
  dates, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  possible 
  age 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  could 
  not 
  exceed 
  six 
  years. 
  This 
  

   indicates 
  an 
  average 
  growth 
  for 
  the 
  male 
  fish 
  of 
  2^1l5s. 
  a 
  year, 
  and 
  of 
  2fibs. 
  

   a 
  year 
  for 
  the 
  female. 
  But 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  

   or 
  eighteen 
  months 
  trout 
  do 
  not 
  attain 
  that 
  average 
  in 
  our 
  streams, 
  or 
  at 
  all 
  

   events 
  in 
  the 
  Shag 
  Eiver. 
  A 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  corroboration 
  arises 
  from 
  

   the 
  fact 
  I 
  have 
  alluded 
  to 
  above, 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Clifford 
  catching 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  1868 
  

  

  