MARSUPIALIA 29 



Mr T. D. Pearce of Invercargill writes (and August, 1915) : " The 

 opossums in Southland owe their origin, not to the Council, but to 

 private enterprise. They were liberated between 1865 and 1868 in 

 the Longwoods by Mr Christopher Basstian, who brought them 

 from Victoria or Tasmania." Mr J. L. Watson of Invercargill writes 

 (October, 1890) : " One pair were liberated by the late Captain Hankin- 

 sonatWaldeck,Riverton,in 1875 or 1876. Theyhave increased marvel- 

 lously and are plentiful in the South Longwoods." This, no doubt, 

 refers to a later introduction, and Mr C. Basstian was evidently 

 the first person to liberate them in New Zealand. The Auckland 

 Society imported some (number not stated) in 1869; five more in 

 1874-75; ^nd four more in 1876. There is no record as to where 

 they were liberated. Most of these came through Sir George Grey; 

 who liberated several grey opossums on Kawau. 



In 1892 the WeUington Society obtained 19 black Tasmanian 

 opossums (T. fuliginosus), and liberated them on the ranges behind 

 Paraparaumu. 



In 1895 the Otago Society obtained 12 silver-grey opossums {T. 

 vulpecula) from Gippsland, and liberated them in the Catlins district. 



This appears to complete the record of introductions. 



By 1890 these animals had increased to a great extent in the forest 

 covering the Southern Longwood Range, and the Southland Society 

 caught and distributed in that year some 236 to " the Auckland Islands, 

 Stewart Island, various districts of Otago (including the Te Anau 

 and West Coast Sounds region). North and South Canterbury, West 

 Coast of South Island, Nelson, Wellington and Gisborne." In suc- 

 ceeding years more were obtained and distributed throughout other 

 parts of New Zealand, e.g. to Kapiti and Wainui-o-mata in 1893, and 

 to Taranaki in 1896. For the last 30 or 40 years grey opossums have 

 been very abundant on Kawau. In 1893, Captain BoUons, in N.Z.G.S. 

 'Hinemoa,' liberated 72 opossums in the West Coast Sounds. They 

 are now abundant from far north of Auckland to Stewart Island. In 

 all localities they appear to have increased to a great extent, becoming 

 so abundant in some parts that people began to destroy them for 

 their skins, while others — especially the Acclimatisation Societies — 

 claimed protection for them and demanded the introduction of restric- 

 tive legislation. Some idea of their increase may be gathered from 

 the statement made by the President of the Otago Society that in 

 1912 no less than 60,000 skins were taken in the Catlins district 

 alone. Mr R. S. Black of Dunedin, a well-known exporter of rabbit 

 and other skins, tells me this number is not an over-estimate. 



W. W. Smith (31st July, 1918) reports opossums as common about 

 New Plymouth. They feed on the leaves of the hou-hou {Panax 



