Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-31
THE NGNGOOSE IN AMERICA.
The sworn Foe of Rats, Snakes and
Other Vermin.
Prom the New York Sun.

Prom the New York Sun.
IL have just received the only mongooses that
have ever come to America. and wouldn't sell
them for thousand dollars apiece" said Mr..
Isaacsen yesterday, he led the way to pen
about four feet square, in which two little ami
mails were moving about briskly. Mr.. Isaacsen
Is a destroyer of verInin by profession and an
enthusiast by nature.
Look at them" he exclaimed as he tossed a
bit of meat into the pen. They are the invet-
crate enemy OF the rat They kill foxes ard
beasts 0i all sorts. and eat snakes. They attack
all animals in the same way. They spring upon
their prey and eat into the back of the neck. and
then up the head. and 20 on until the animal is
entirely consumed. Nothing can shake them
Off They eat rats entirely up in marvelously
short order Everything is eaten-bOnes flesh
hair. and tail. rat will fly from a mOngOOse
with the widest terror, but it is useless. The
mOn@OOse always catches it,"
The piece of meat that Mr. Isaacsen had thrown
into the pen seized by one of the mon
gOOses. The animal was a trifie larger than q
rat, and was covered with brown hair about half
an inch long. Six or seven stripes of white hair
ran around its body. and it's face was black It's
little eyes twinked brightly. The tail was short
The ferOcity of the mongOose when il seized the
meat was extraordinary. 1t has four claws on
each foot that look like curved shngle nails. 1t
sank its claws into the meat. and, with vicious
tug. rent the close fiDers apart As it did so it
owed IN between It's paws with Its sharp nose
and with rapid motion of the jaws, ate a hole
into the Meat until half its head was ell be ldcd
Then it abruptly withdrew its head. thrust its
claws into the hole 1T had made. and tore the
beef again Again il began to eat. and in mo-
ment more IL had torn the chunk of bee n two
pieces. The female mongOose came forW I'd and
began to eat one.
care you sure these are the only spec.gens of
mOngeeSe in America
''NOn@OoseS my dear sir Yes / am 3Sitiye
i sent tor them myself to Calcutta nearay a year
ago. | read an article in the sam on December
2S. 1882. about the Introduction of the mOn@Oose
into the West Indies, and sent at once for pair
They arrived in the ship Marietta few DAYS
ago The captain didn't feed them crumb on
board. They lived during the whole trip ON the
rats they caught. The mongooSes We're very
successful when they We're introduced into the
island OF Jamaica. The island was so Overrun
with rats that people gave up cultiyating the
soil Extensive farms were neglected. Every
attempt to conquer the rats failed They were
running the financial prospects of the island.
The first attempt to Introduce animals destruc-
tive to rats failed. The rattle ant killed rats
but it also killed BIRDS chickens and calves.
The aqua tOadS were quite great an evil as
the rats. as they killed birds and chickens and
destroyed eggs. Ferrets were destroyed 10y the
native chirOes. Fox terriers were cut by the
sharp edges of the leaves of the sugar cane.
Then mon@Ooses We're introduced, and in
short time the rats were eXterminated. The
mOngoose breeds rapidly, and he soon spread
over the island
What will you do with this pair of mon
gOOses?"
Il shall breed and use them in my business
One mongoOsc will eat all the rats in the biggest
hOnSp m