Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-08
AGAINST THE sroNGoosE.


Naval OAncer Protests Against It's Intro
duction Into This Country.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Sir: With some feelings Of dismay read in
your estimable paper of Saturday evening an
article under the caption "Hail to the Mon
goose" and wondered whether the opinions
expressed therein were those of an unscientific
individual like myself or whether they erna-
mated from the Agricultural Department and
were to be accepted with ali the force that such
an Endorsement should carry with it. shall
watch the tentative experiment with the mon
goose IN the west but in the meantime, as an
American who loves his country l beg that
you will use your influence with the powers
that control such matters in the bucolic de-
partment above mentioned and in
duce them to open communication with
the officials concerned with such mat
tiers In Jamaica and endeavor TO ascertain
II our mopgoose expert is rightly informed
wnen he states in your columns that IN ia
naica the mongoose has been introduced
and with equally satisfying results,
and whether it is true that this animal "has
never been known to be harmful in any way
by killing chickens or otherwise" think the
answer will be Of such character that the con-
clusion will be that we had better bear those
ills we know than to fly to others We know not
Of"
Though unskilled in a. scientific knowledge
Of such matters l have learned something of
the way q whole community looks at this mon
goose question by frequent visits to jamaica In
the last three years, both in Kingston and ON
the north coast, and dare assert that in all
the 600 COG people that live IN that lovely
island there are not 600 who do not curse the
mongoose and the day he was imported into
Jamaica, and the most unpopular name in the
island Is that of the gentleman who some
twenty or thirty years ago introduced him
there. He did destroy the cane rats it is true,
but his conquered enemy would be gladly well
coined back in his place.
The mongoose came to Jamaica with the
amiable character you have given him in The
STAR. In India he was respectable member
of society. but in Jamaica he is nuisance. He
is 80 destructive in the barn yard that it is in
the country almost impossible to keep poultry
Of any kind. He has increased to such an ex-
tent that he has destroyed all the lizards, toads
and small snakes, harmless in themselves but
having an important part to play in the
economy OF nature. The consequence is that
the grassy portions of the island are becoming
almost uninhabitabie Oh account of the plague
of ticks-small, black fellows whose bite is
more irritating than that Of any insect l ever
experienced, and which commonly ends in an
ugly fostering sore Pasture lands are. on ac-
count OF these little pests, becoming. in some
places, useless. The cattle cannot stand the
ticks. which once formed the food of the toads,
&C., which have gone to fill the voracious nav
OF the mongoose.
Birds that rested on the ground have been
in some cases utterly destroyed by their eggs
and themselves going for food for this pesky
little animal, and in other cases they have
changed their habits completely. The mon
goose climbs trees and eats the birds. their
young and their eggs. 1t is in fact working
change in the entire fauna of the island.
Last winter an American naturalist, Mr.. n.
E. d. Scott Of Princeton College, spent several
months in Jamaica and he made study of the
mOngoose question and it is from him that my
information in this matter is derived. He is
now preparing an article on the subject and
shall send him The STAR Of Saturday to urge
him on.
, 1t is good thing that the matter Of intro
ducing the mongoose is in the hands Of one OF
our scientific departments but if this question
Is to be handled in an unscientihc manner then
heaven help the western farmers.
U. s. NAVY.
ARMY and NAVY Club Washington Feb T.