11

H.—2

During the season Chief Guide Graham took special pains to observe the movement of the Tasman Glacier, and be reports as follows: — " I placed stationary cairns on either side of the Tasman Glacier at the junction of this and the Ball Glacier, and located three large boulders in a line, about 6 chains apart, on the ice. I have taken careful measurements of the movement of each, and the result shows the following forward movement during a period of four months: No. 1, near Ball Glacier, 106 ft.; No. 2, at junction of ice between Ball and Hochstetter Glaciers, 146| ft.; No 3, on outer edge of ice from Hochstetter Glacier, 144f ft." During the winter of last year a heavy snowslide on Malte Brim struck the hut there, and damaged it very considerably. The suspension bridge over the Hooker River was carried away by a heavy gale of wind during the last winter. Both huts and bridge have since been repaired. The construction of a telephone-line from Lake Te Kapo to the Hermitage has been put in hand by the Telegraph Department, and the extension completed as far as Pukaki House, Lake Pukaki. Having the Hermitage connected by wire should materially increase its popularity as a holiday resort for business men and others who find it inconvenient to be cut off from telegraphic communication with the outside world. Lake Wakatipu. The traffic to Lake Wakatipu and environs does not show any material increase for the year. As with other resorts, the usual number of New Zealand holiday-makers have been absent on account of the Exhibition. A number of improvements have been effected in the Queenstown Park during the year which should make it more attractive to visitors, and arrangements have been made to continue this work. The receipts from playing-greens amounted to £14 12s. Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau, and the Fiordland National Park. The increase in traffic to these resorts has not been as large as was expected. There has, however, been an increase of £848 17s. in receipts. This increase is due to the Department having purchased Te Anau House and the steamer " Tawera " running on Lake Te Anau. The total receipts for the year amounted to £1,711 7s. 6d., as against £862 10s. 6d. for the previous year. The accommodation and means of transit have been very much improved during the year in the district. Te Anau and Manapouri houses have been connected with Lumsden by telephone, a new accommodation-house —Glade House—-was completed at the head of the lake, and two roomy huts providing dining-rooms and sleeping accommodation erected on the Te Anau-Milford Track—one on each side of the pass. Many of the bridges on the track had also to be renewed, and thirty-three miles of telephone-wires erected, connecting Glade House, the huts, and Sutherland's house at Milford. The track is now in good order, and very comfortable accommodation can be offered to visitors right through from the railway terminus to Milford Sound. An increase in accommodation at Te Anau has been effected by purchasing two cottages near Te Anau House. A contract has been let for snagging and removing rocks in the Waiau River between Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri, but the work has been greatly delayed through unfavourable weather and the river being unusually high during the year. When this work has been completed, it is proposed to run an oil-launch from one lake to the other. This trip will be an attractive one, and will abolish a very uninteresting and somewhat rough coach-drive. It is regrettable to find that the native bush on the banks of the Waiau River and on the shores of Lake Te Anau has in a number of places been greatly marred by fires during the past summer. Birds in the Fiordland National Park. This season it is reported" that there is an apparent increase in bird-life in the Te Anau - Milford portion of the reserve. This is no doubt due to the more vigorous measures taken by the Department the last few years to prevent destruction. The increase is said to be especially noticeable in paradise, grey, and blue mountain duck, teal, wekas, kakapo, kiwis, bell-birds, keas, robins, pigeons, kakas, long-tailed cuckoos, fantails, tuis, and wrens. The stitch-bird, crested grebe, tomtit, and bittern have been occasionally seen. The opossums liberated at Milford some years ago have made their way over the pass, and several are located near Mintaro Huts. These animals seem to be rapidly increasing. Little Barrier Island Bird-sanctuart. It is evident that from year to year the bird-life on this island continues to increase. Several of these rare species now just about exiinct on the mainland are thriving in a very satisfactory manner. The Caretaker in his annual report writes as follows: — " The warm early spring of last year was very favourable for bird-life, and the birds commenced nesting early, so that by December there were numbers of young birds on the flats —tuis, bell-birds, whiteheads, tits, fantails, and wrens being all well represented. There has been a marked increase in the robins and stitch-birds, the former being now fairly numerous, and they have several times been seen in close proximity to the house. This year, for the first time, the female stitch-bird has been observed feeding her young ones; this was on the range just above the