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interested direct proceedings to be taken?—lt is a very painful thing for a private individual to direct that proceedings should be taken. 132. Then, where there is an Inspector, it is his duty to do that?—l think so. According to my experience a private individual can only move the Inspector, and that is I believe the way the Inspector is moved. 133. Hon. the Chairman.) — You think then that the Act should be put strictly in force, and that the Inspector is the proper person in whose hands the iict is placed for administration ?—I do.

Tuesday, 16th Septembee, 1884. Mr. Coebett, examined. 134. Hon. the Chairman!) Can you give us any information about rabbits? —We have got rabbits. We have not been visited by any Inspector. 135. Are they numerous ?—They were at one time numerous; but we have been breeding ferrets. We have two hundred in hand now. 136. Do you find they succeed well in a wild state ?—Yes. Mr. Bullen gave me the idea. lam not afraid of the rabbits ; I think they can be easily kept under. 137. Have you anything to say as to the Babbit Act ?—No. They have left us alone. There is one of our own men who goes out and shoots. 138. Do you find your ferrets suffer from distemper? —They have never had it. I have heard of it. I have heard of places where they have tried to keep ferrets, but they were not successful. Ferrets require great care. We have a man attending to them, and doing nothing else. 139. What has it cost you ?—lt cost us last year about £200. 140. What can you breed them for ?—They cost us £1 each this year; but that was caused by preliminary expenses. They will not cost so much in the future. 141. Do you use poison ? —Yes; but we did not poison this year. We did not see that it was necessary. We used arsenic and carrots; also phosphorized oats and wheat, when we had the rabbits more numerous three years ago. We used to lay carrots one day, and another day oats. 142. Which did you find best? —I think the oats are best. It lasts longer. 143. As to phosphorus, what is your opinion of that? Have you used any of that?— Yes. 144. Which do you think best with phosphorus ?—I think the oats. 145. You mean that oats steeped in phosphorus will retain the poison longer than wheat ?—I think so. 146. Do you say they take the oats more readily ?-**-They take it very readily ; they take it best. 147. Mr. Dodson.) Do you slice the carrots ?—Yes; I put them in a box and chop them up; but they must not be touched with the hand. I think they are capital for the purpose. 148. Have you any reason to think that ferrets will attack sheep or lambs ?—lt may be so ; but we can easily get rid of them when it comes to that. Sir Noeman Campbell, examined. 149. Hon. the Chairman.) Do you know anything about rabbits?—l have not had very much to do with rabbits, but I can tell you something about the destruction of them, with which I had a little to do. 150. Were they very numerous with you? —They were never very numerous with us, but knowing what has happened in other places made us a little afraid. 151. Where is it you speak of ?—ln the Cloudy Bange country. — 152. Then, you never had a very great number to get rid of?—We had quite enough to be afraid of consequences, if we did not find the way of getting rid of them should they come. We went in for poisoning, and ferrets and cats. We shall turn out this year about two hundred ferrets. We poisoned heavily two years ago ; afterwards we poisoned again. Last winter we have been turning out cats and ferrets. We turned out twenty-five ferrets lately. I think we have got the rabbits pretty well under. 153. Do the ferrets increase when turned out ? —Yes, they increase. 154. Have you ever been ordered to put on rabbiters or to trap ? —We have never been interfered with. It is to that circumstance that I attribute our success. Had we been compelled to put on rabbiters the change would not have been for the better; we should have had more rabbits. 155.' Mr. Buchanan.) As a matter of fact, there is no doubt whatever as to the efficacy of ferrets in your district ? —Not the slightest. Mr. Bullen, I think, has proved that. Mr. Alfeed Dillon Bell, examined. 156. Hon. the Chairman!) You have had much experience in working the Babbit Act?— Yes; I have had a good deal. 157. Have you many in your district ?—Yes. 158. What district is that ? —I am interested in two districts ; one is the Waihemo County, the other is tho Vincent County. 159. Thejabbits are numerous in those districts ? —Yes. 160. Are they decreasing?— They are decreasing. 161. What steps are you taking* to get rid of them?— Poisoning, in winter: snaring, trapping, dogging, and shooting, in summer. We made an attempt to introduce ferrets to follow on the poisoning; but, we were very much discouraged by the Inspectors, who insisted on our employing rabbiters with dogs and traps, causing loss of all the money spent on ferrets. 162. The ferrets were killed?— Yes; the ferrets were killed by the rabbiters, and their traps and dogs. 163. Do you think that poisoning and ferrets together will keep down or exterminate the