Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-15

At the present time. when the ;nha,

At the present time. when the inbab-
itants of the several Australian colonies
are searching for some means of dimin-
ishing the vast numbers of the rabbits
which are devouring the produce of the
soil, the history of the asclimatization
and utilization of the mungoos in the
island of Jamaica, which was related in
paper read by Mr.. w. Bancroft Es-
pent, at the meeting of the GEOLOGICAL
Society on Tuesday last, NAV not be
without interest. A.few years since the
growth of crops in the island was so
seriously interfered with by the number
of rats, that land was allowed to pass
cut of cultivation, an exI enditure of
from E3 to eco annually on several
of the estates failing TO keep down the
numbers of the three species of the "a
destructive rodents-the brown ard
black rat, and the cane pine rat Mus
saccharivorus).
Several attempts to introduce animals
destructive to the rats b ad been made.
but without success. The rattle ant
tFormlca OmnivoraD was effectual in
certain localities, but it was equally eff
ticacious in destroying native birds,
chickens, puppies, and even occasionally
killed calves. The Aqua toads, as a
Tcmedy, proved as bad as the disease, as
they killed all ground birds, chickens,
and eggs. Ferrets were also introduced,
there being no musteline animal native
to the island; but they were destroyed
by chigoes. Fox terriers were found
useless. as they we're cut by the serrated
edgvs IF the leaves of the sugar cane.
In 1872 Mr.. B. Espent introduced nine
mungooses, four males and five females,
one of the latter with young, direct from
India. These were distributed, and in
few months had bred freely. So
great was the destruction of rats ef-
fected by these animals, that in two
years the expenditure for the extirpatien
of rats had ceased, as they were not only
disseminated by the introducer, but the
young mungooses were trapped alive by
the negroes and sold at five shillings
each, the original expense Of their in
PRODUCTION being about 81 per head.
The beneficial effect of their introduc-
ton has been variously estimated at
sums varying from el0O,0C0 to e15O,G
a year.
In 1875 the growth of cocoa was al
most impossible, the export of chocolate
and cocoa nibs for tho whole island
only amounting to eS70 per annum; in
five years the value of the export had
risen to fll,0OO. And coffee, maize,
peas, and beans, the growth of which
had almost entirely ceased, we're largely
cultivated. The utility of the mungOos
was not confined to the destruction of
rats, as it destroyed vast numbers of
snakes, tOads, and land crabs. Since
the advantage of the mungoOs in ia
maica has been proved, it has been in
troduced into several of the other isl
ands, as Cuba, Barbados, Porto Rico.
Several subsequent impOrtatiOns have
been made into Jamaica, but the arri-
vals sent from England have not done
a5 well as those imported direct from
India.
The only objection made to the mum
COOS is that it has interfered with the
ground nesting birds; thus the numbers
of the quail have been observed to be
diminished. Domestic poultry have not
suffered seriously, or perhaps not as
much as they previously did from the
rats and snakes. In those parts of In
dia where they are found they are not
regarded as being specially obnoxious
to tame animals. A singular result has
followed their acclimatization i'll ia
maica; they have effected an alteration
in the habit of the rats, that have taken
to tree climbing, making their nests in
the hollews of the trees where the mum
COOS cannot follow them.