The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1883-10-06
THE MUNGoOs.
THIRTY-sIx PAIRS FOR THE SANDWICH
ISLANDS.
JOHN FUCKERS VISIT TO JAMAICA.

John Tucker, Manager of one of
the large plantations on the island of
Hawaii, of the Sandwich Island
group, arrived from Panama Thurs
day ON the Pacific Mail Steamship
Colima, bringing with him thirty-six
pairs of that curious and useful
animal called the mungoos. The
animals were brought from Jamaica,
and were taken to Honolulu by the
City of New York to-day. Mr.. Tucker
was sent by the planters of Hawaii to
Jamaica to procure the animals at a
cost of about 81, 300. The mungoos
is similar to weasel, and has proved
of incalculable service in the island
of Jamaica, in Kidding it of rats,
which are so destructive to sugar
cane. 1t has freed that island from
the rat pest, and has also acted as a
modern st. Patrick, and has de-
stroyed every snake. One of the
growing troubles in the Hawaiian
Islands is the rat pest. Cane is de-
stroyed in the fields and great losses
are entailed on the planters. Moth
ing seemed TO be able to put stop
to this wholesale destruction, and it
was determined to import the num-
COOS. Ten of the plantation, COM
bined, and Mr.. Tucker was sent to
jamaica. In that island the mum
COOS has multiplied to such an extent
that they are to be seen every where.
They run across the roads, swarm in
the fields, and are found everywhere.
They are caught in box traps, as
squirrels are, and are sometimes
caught when young and tanned. The
tame mungoos lives around the
house like cat. They are about the
size of an ordinary rat, with longer
body and a tail similar to that of
cat. The unframed animals are savage
little creatures, having large and
ugly mouth filled with sharp and
glistenning teeth. They are fierce
fighters, and their movements are
like lightning flash. When two of
them are fighting in a cage it looks
as though there were simply a shadow
fitting about within.
DESPERATE FIGHTERS.
1t is said that whenever their teeth
meet in flesh, they cannot be made
to let go their hold until either they
or their prey is dead. They are the
natural exterminators of rats, enter
lug every rat hole and killing it's in
mates. They then make the rats
abode their own, never preparing a
shelter for themselves. They live
on animal food, and in Jamaica, now
that the rats are gone, and they have
exterminated many of the other pests,
they kill many of the negroes chick
ems. Mr.. Tucker obtained LOG ami
mails in Jamaica, and put them in
cages, in each apartment of which
were placed male and female.
He lost twenty of them before he
left Jamaica through their proclivities
to fight among themselves and to
suck each others blood. On the
Panama Railroad the employees trea-
ted the cages and their occupants as
if they were cast iron and several
more were lost. But seventy-two
were got aboard the Colima, and
since then none of the animals have
died.
CANE CULTURE IN JAMAICA.
Mr.. Tucker examined very
thoroughly the system of cane culture
in jamaica, and states that no where
there have the planters cane that can
compare with that of the Hawaiian
Islands. 1t is all of an inferior
quality, and the methods of manipula-
ton are very crude. The plantations
are all in the hands of Englishmen,
who are just about making a living.
One of the great troubles there is
the impossibility of getting labor.
OF the 100000 inhabitants about
665, ZOO are blacks, and they are so
black that they make back night
still blacker, and so lazy that they
i will not make new suit of clothes
when their gunny-sack garment
gives out. When they want any
thing to eat they cut down banana
tree, or knock off cocoanut, and
then 90 to sleep in the bushes. They
cannot be made to work, and the
paternal character Of the Government
encourages them in their laziness.
In consequence the plantations are