27 



The motion was duly seconded, and carried. 



Dr. T. Black moved an alteration in Rule XII., by which the 



exact day in November at which the annual meeting .should take- 

 place might be fixed by the Council. His object was, he said, to 

 secure, if possible, the presence of the Governor. 



Lieutenant-Colonel Champ seconded the motion, which was 

 agreed to. 



Dr. T. Black said he was happy to state that the hares, quails, 

 and pheasants at Phillip Island were all doing very well ; while the 

 salmon at Badger's Creek were going on as prosperously as could be 

 wished. As every one would be glad to hear of the progress and 

 condition of the salmon in Tasmania, he begged to introduce the 

 Hon. Dr. Officer, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tasmania, 

 who would probably give all information on the subject. 



Dr. Officer, as indebted to the courtesy of the Society for the 

 opportunity of being present at their annual meeting, could not but 

 express his admiration at their labours of the past year, and his 

 humble wishes for their continued success and usefulness. For him 

 to speak in terms of eulogy of a Society which had made such a 

 name in the world would be superfluous repetition ; but he was 

 quite sure he had a few words of interes.t to say on the subject 

 alluded to. He was very glad that all that could be said respecting 

 the salmon and trout in Tasmania could be summed up in a very 

 few words. Continued success had attended the treatment of the 

 fish. It was quite true that incidents had been met with and actual 

 alarm occasioned in the minds of those concerned ; but happily 

 these had all been surmounted in the best way, and he was now 

 able to report that both were in as healthy a condition as could be 

 expected. Trout in their native country were almost more advanced 

 than salmon, and those in Tasmania were, therefore, now more 

 nearly approaching maturity. They were now really respectable 

 little fishes ; extremely active, leaping at the fly, and greedily eating 

 anything thrown to them in the shape of food. He was sure that 

 in less than a year these trout would have begun to produce ova, and 

 then after that as many fish could be sent to Victoria as were 

 desired. It was an established fact, he believed, that trout began 

 to deposit eggs wdien they were only a year old ; and as those in 

 Tasmania were already six months old, there would doubtless be a 

 large progeny by this time next year. The salmon were not so large 

 as this, but they grew visibly daily and took all the food offered to 

 them, and for a long time no really natural deaths had taken place. 

 Some had been lost, but only from incidental causes. For instance, 



