II 



the feathers would be obtained more easily, and at the right 

 time. The axis deer had spread to a very great extent ; one 

 herd of them had been seen at a distance of 30 miles to the 

 south, and another herd about the same distance in a contrary 

 direction ; so that it might be considered they were now spread 

 over an area of at least sixty miles. The deer might, therefore, 

 be considered a complete success. The Murray cod, which 

 were introduced into the "Wimmera, had not yet increased to 

 such an extent as to be of much service, and there had not been 

 time to ascertain the state of the carp which were introduced 

 into the same river. He might however say, that one of the 

 carp was caught about two months after it was placed in the 

 river, and it had grown considerably in that time. 



Me. F. E. G-odfbey in seconding the adoption of the 

 Eeport, said he wished to draw the attention of the Members of 

 the Society to that portion of it which referred to the scheme 

 proposed by the Hon. Secretary of the Society, Mr. Le Souef, 

 for forming a depot somewhere in the secluded ranges of the 

 colony, where pheasants could be reared and allowed to go free 

 as soon as fledged. He bebieved that it was only in this way 

 that the acclimatisation of pheasants, and other valuable game 

 birds, in large numbers, could be carried out ; and he thought 

 the Council had hitherto made a mistake by liberating birds 

 near Melbourne, where they fell a prey to boys, hawks, and 

 unsportsmanlike persons, who shot anything and everything they 

 could. Mr. Godfrey said he had lately, with another Member 

 of the Council and Mr. Le Souef, visited a place in the ranges, 

 which, for reasons stated in the report, required to be kept 

 secret, which was admirably adapted for pheasants and other 

 game ; and though none of the former were seen on the occa- 

 sion of this visit, he and the other gentlemen had the satisfaction 

 of seeing several guinea-fowl, which had been liberated with 

 a number of pheasants some months before in the locality, 

 and they were delighted to find them looking healthy, and in 

 splendid plumage, and inferred, from the fact of the guinea- 



