The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-19 00:00:00

THE ACCLIMATIZATION SOCIETY OF VICTORIA.

Certain circumstances connected with the pass-
ing of the:vote for the Acclimatization Society have
led the Council to consider it desirable to state a
few facts relating to their performance of the duties
with which they have been charged.
The Estimates were laid upon the table of the
Assembly on Feb. 3, On the 4th sums amounting
to £1,408,515 were voted. Among other items was
that of £4,000 for the Acclimatization Society, the
granting of which was coupled with a condition
that £650 shouid be raised by private subscriptions.
From the responsibility of that condition the
Council have no desire to shrink, feeling well aware
that from the wide feeling of sympathy with their
efforts a demand can be met which might have been
fatal to almost any other institution receiving Go-
vernment aid.

The debate on the vote, and the condition accom-
panying it, however, have led the Council to believe
that their transactions are less fully understood than
they would wish them to be, and the rapidity with
which the Estimates were proceeded with took
them so far by surprise as to prevent them from
providing the Government with such statement of
their proceedings as would, they believe, have con-
vinced the Legislature not only that the money
voted was being well spent, but that no other pub.
lie money is being expended to better advantage.
The acclimatization, or, rather, the introduction
and assimilation to a new set of conditions, of every
good thing that the world contains to a country so
singularly adapted as Australia to a wide range of
products seems about as legitimate an enterprise as
can be conceived.

The gathering together in good condition, and in
sufficient numbers to establish the species, foreign
animals and plants is necessarily a very slow and
delicate process, and much time must obviously be
expended before very decided results can be ex-
pected. Most of these animals breed only once a
year, and their natural increase is therefore tardy,
however eminently they may prove themselves
adapted to their new home. But a brief outline of
what is being done will be found not altogether
Darren of those results for the fuller elaboration of
which it is only reasonable to wait.

The inauguration of the Acclimatization Society
on its present footing is comparatively recent, at,
less than three years have elapsed since it waE:
amalgamated with and undertook the duties of the
Zoologicll Committee.
Since then, in consequence of the increasing num-
ber of animals, and the unhealthiness of the original
site of the Zoological Gardens, an entirely new
establisnment has had to be formed at the Royal
Park, involving a very heavy expenditure in fencing,
planting, forming excavations for ponds, building
superintendent's house, shelter sheds, pens, &c.
The herd of camels brought from India at an
expense of £l2O per head had become scattered,
and were in a fair way of being annihilated, under
the various exploratory expeditions. Such of them
as could be saved have been collected at Mr Wilson's
at the Wimmera, where they are now breeding re-
gularly, and forming the pucleus of probably a
large herd, available at some future day either for
exploration or conveying the produce of remoter
stations in the more arid districts.

The alpaca has been a constant source of interest
with the society. Mr Duffield has been constantly
advised with and encouraged in his great experi-
ment, and has stated that, but for the co-operative
spirit exhibited by the society, he should have pro-
bably transferred his energies to some other country.
Meantime, the little flock of llamas and hybrids im-
ported from England have been diligently cared for,
and their health and adaptation to the country
watched. They have been crossed with pure alpacas,
and young ones of the second cross are now being
dropped. Since landing their numbers have in-
creased from 19 to 56.

The Angora goat is receiving great atiention, and
is likely to furnish a very valuable addition to the
resources of our graziers and of exports to our mer-
chants. A considerable number of the best strain
of blood has lately been presented by the Acclima-
tization society of France. Pure bred goats are now
rapidly multiplying, and they are being crossed
with the common goat in considerable numbers,ifour
crosses being found to restore the original quality.

Associated with the society, an enterprising gen-
tleman at Mary borough has imported a flock of the
Cashmere goat, with which he is now experiment,
ing, affording an instance of the manner in which
the society is now executing one of its principal
functions, in inducing foreign enterprise to avail
itself of the information and organisation of the
society.

Various breeds of sheep have been introduced and
are being experimented with, some of them showing
signs of a peculiar adaptability to a hot climate.
While devoting this amount of attention to such
animals as the camel, the alpaca, the Angora goat,
and the sheep, which may be considered as more
immediately interesting to the mercantile and pas-
toral classes, the sportsman has not been forgotten.
The fallow deer, the Indian elk, the beautiful
spotted axis deer, have been successfully im-
ported, bred from, and turned loose at Wilson's
Promontory, the Wimmera, the Sugarloaf, and the
Bunyip. Numerous specimens of the hog deer of
India, a beautiful deer from Manilla, and another
from Formosa are still in the possession of the 'JO'.
ciety, with a view to their multiplication and
ultimate release, and fresh importations of the deer
tribe are almost of weekly occurrence.
The hare has been sent to the society by the
Zoological Society of London, and
has been turned
out and is now breeding freely on Phillip
Island.
Various breeds of pheasants, partridges, grouse,
and (pail have been introduced, ande mentioned the some have been
liberated. Among those may be
bred after being liber.
Californian quail, which hsao
and Phillip Island,
ated in the Botanical-garden
gr.offiuse, of which a considers.-
orted, and which from
ba
ed
uh
me Ab
el
rg ehrai
have
ee sand
b c;en
their hatsly nature andof
the similarity their origi-
nal climate Jug
be considered highly adapted to
this country.
The English
wild duck has been imported, has
multiplied very freely, and now visits the lagoon at
the Botanical-gardens in nearly equal numbers to
the indigenous water-low).
The Egyptian goose has bred at the Royal Park,
and promises to be thoroughly acclimatized.
The wild pea fowl of Ceylon has thriven and bred
in the charge of the society, and can SUDII be set at
liberty.
The white swan has been introduced in considers