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 interest 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 when 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. 
Lome had been lost, but only from incidental causes. For instance, 
