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attend to. Everything goes well as long as the weather is fine. 
But a storm arises, every man is called to his proper post, and there 
is sufficient to occupy liis attention. In the meantime the dens and 
cages are washed by every sea; the animals tumble over each other, 
and are at their wit’s end ; and when the gale is over, it is found 
that half of them are maimed or dead. And so the experiment fails, 
and in consequence everybody is discouraged. It is really in this 
way that we have been faying for years past to introduce various 
animals and birds which would bo useful, and veiy few of them can 
be said to be acclimatised. Now one of the functions of the Ac¬ 
climatisation Society is to avoid these mistakes — to collect the ex¬ 
perience of past failures, so as to ascertain their causes, and provide 
against them for the future—to take care that shipments are made 
in sufficient quantities to give a fair chance tqgthe experiment, and 
that proper care and attendance for the animals are provided on 
board ; and 1 am sure the society will be always ready to undertake 
these duties for any private individuals who may wish to be at the 
expense of providing and introducing animals or birds for themselves. 
There is another function of the Society which I look upon as even • 
more important. That is, to investigate the nature of the climate 
and soil, and the natural conditions with respect to wood and water, 
of the different districts of the country, with the view especially to 
ascertain in which of them the different kinds of birds and animals, 
when once landed in the colony, are likely to succeed; and also to 
see which of the residents in those districts are most likely to give 
attention and assistance in their preservation. No doubt a great 
deal of money is lost for want of these precautions. Animals are 
introduced and sent off, perhaps to the very worst places in the 
whole colony for them to be really naturalised and domesticated in. 
Even with respect, to the camels purchased by the Victorian Go¬ 
vernment we found that when near the sea-side, and in the cold bleak 
aspect of the Royal Park, they did not do at all well—they were 
subject to various diseases, and they put us to enormous expense for 
hay and other artificial food to maintain them. But when, through 
the kindness of Mr. Samuel Wilson, they were placed in an enclosed 
paddock in the Wimmera district, it was found that they were able 
to support themselves on the bushes there, and that they at once 
improved in health and condition. (Hear, hear.) Now I think I 
have shown that there is a very wide field for the exertions of such a 
body as the Acclimatisation Society, and that there is plenty of work 
before us. The salmon has yet to reach the shores of any of the 
Australian colonies in a live state. Although the experiments hitherto 
