﻿1835 
  

  

  1836 
  

  

  1837 
  

  

  1838 
  

  

  1839 
  

  

  1840 
  

  

  lb. 
  oz. 
  

  

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  lb. 
  oz. 
  

  

  lb. 
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  lb. 
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  12 
  

  

  1 
  12 
  

  

  8 
  4 
  

  

  5 
  4 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  7 
  4 
  

  

  1 
  4 
  

  

  2 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  5 
  12 
  

  

  7 
  8 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  Aethue, 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Brown 
  Trout 
  introduced 
  into 
  Otago, 
  275 
  

  

  from 
  ISb. 
  to 
  lOHjs. 
  iu 
  four 
  years. 
  I 
  found, 
  says 
  lie, 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  trout 
  I 
  

   had 
  fed 
  and 
  weighed 
  regularly 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  six 
  years 
  was 
  not 
  improving 
  in 
  

   size 
  and 
  colour. 
  I 
  therefore 
  killed 
  it. 
  The 
  fish 
  is 
  a 
  female 
  and 
  weighed 
  

   exactly 
  seven 
  pounds. 
  The 
  accompanying 
  schedule 
  will 
  show 
  its 
  gradual 
  

   increase 
  : 
  — 
  

   Date 
  of 
  weighing 
  . 
  , 
  

  

  April 
  1st. 
  

   October 
  1st. 
  

  

  Littlecot, 
  October, 
  1840." 
  This 
  latter 
  experiment 
  shows, 
  under 
  careful 
  

   artificial 
  feeding, 
  that 
  trout 
  are 
  capable 
  in 
  England 
  of 
  a 
  growth, 
  according 
  

   to 
  this 
  gentleman, 
  of 
  If 
  lbs. 
  yearly 
  to 
  2jlbs. 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  reached 
  their 
  

   full 
  growth. 
  But 
  trout, 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  nature, 
  as 
  described 
  by 
  Stoddart, 
  may 
  

   more 
  properly 
  be 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  results 
  I 
  have 
  given 
  of 
  our 
  Otago 
  

   trout. 
  Stoddart's 
  remarks 
  therefore 
  amount 
  to 
  this, 
  that 
  under 
  the 
  most 
  

   favourable 
  circumstances 
  at 
  home, 
  river 
  trout 
  will 
  attain 
  up 
  to 
  maturity, 
  a 
  

   yearly 
  average 
  increase 
  in 
  weight 
  of 
  ^IS)., 
  while 
  our 
  experience 
  here 
  shows 
  

   they 
  have 
  reached 
  an 
  average 
  yearly 
  increase 
  of 
  from 
  lib 
  to 
  2jlbs 
  ! 
  In 
  no 
  

   river 
  of 
  Otago 
  have 
  these 
  fish 
  grown 
  so 
  rapidly, 
  are 
  so 
  fat, 
  or 
  have 
  become 
  

   so 
  heavy 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Shag, 
  some 
  individuals 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Rich's 
  

   property 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  201bs 
  in 
  weight. 
  They 
  abound 
  from 
  the 
  estuary 
  to 
  

   the 
  "second 
  gorge," 
  a 
  distance 
  I 
  should 
  think 
  of 
  15 
  miles 
  by 
  the 
  river. 
  

   The 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Shag 
  are 
  partly 
  cultivated 
  and 
  partly 
  covered 
  with 
  native 
  

   grass 
  and 
  flax. 
  Surface 
  food 
  cannot 
  therefore 
  be 
  plentiful, 
  but 
  at 
  all 
  

   seasons 
  there 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  pools 
  and 
  shallows 
  numbers 
  of 
  Galaxias 
  or 
  native 
  

   minnows, 
  bullheads, 
  and 
  during 
  summer 
  immense 
  shoals 
  of 
  smelts 
  and 
  

   silverfish.* 
  On 
  one 
  occasion 
  I 
  killed 
  a 
  trout 
  below 
  Palmerston, 
  6|Ibs. 
  

   weight, 
  in 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  about 
  three 
  dozen 
  smelts. 
  It 
  is 
  

   rather 
  against 
  the 
  trout, 
  that 
  during 
  summer 
  the 
  Shag 
  Eiver 
  runs 
  low 
  and 
  

   clear, 
  so 
  low 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  easily 
  crossed 
  iu 
  the 
  fords 
  with 
  watertight 
  boots 
  

   without 
  the 
  feet 
  getting 
  wet. 
  The 
  growth 
  of 
  trout 
  in 
  the 
  Leith 
  may 
  also 
  

   be 
  attributed 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  smelt 
  which 
  frequent 
  its 
  lower 
  

   waters. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  different 
  with 
  the 
  Lee, 
  Deep 
  Stream, 
  and 
  Upper 
  Taieri 
  

   rivers, 
  where 
  the 
  great 
  staple 
  of 
  food 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  flies, 
  gnats, 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers, 
  cadis-bait, 
  fresh-water 
  shell-fish, 
  beetles 
  and 
  cray-fish 
  — 
  the 
  small 
  

   Muds 
  of 
  native 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  numerous 
  in 
  these 
  streams. 
  Before 
  

   leaving 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  my 
  subject, 
  I 
  may 
  mention 
  a 
  curious 
  circumstance 
  

   regarding 
  the 
  Lee 
  St.ream 
  which 
  anglers 
  have 
  discovered. 
  PainfuUy 
  lean 
  

   trout 
  have 
  been 
  caught 
  there, 
  which 
  took 
  the 
  fly 
  or 
  grasshopper 
  greedfly 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  fish 
  is 
  called 
  Silverfish 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Powell, 
  but 
  Smelt 
  (Betropinna 
  richardsoni) 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  Hector; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  salmouoid, 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  I 
  have 
  called 
  a 
  smelt 
  is 
  not, 
  but 
  is 
  

   also 
  known 
  as 
  whitebait. 
  

  

  