The morning times., 1896-12-21
ONLY MONGOOSE In AMERICA
Mr.. John Payne Brought the Queer
Creature Here From Jamaica.
It's Hatred of Other Animals and
It's Understanding Pro-
pensity.

Everybody has heard OF the mongoose
that queer little animal whose mission in
life seems to be the determination OF in
sects obnoxious to man; the little creature
that Kipling has made the principal figure
of one of his jungle stories; the mortal
enemy of every snakeiand rat that infests
the earth "5|
As a fact, however, the number of people
In the United States who have seen the
funny little beast can probably be counted
on the fingers of the TWO hands without
using all the fingers.
Mr.. ohm Payne, who for a long time
was an agent for the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of this
city, can boast OF having in ihs rooms 1t
No. 700 G street northwest the only live
mongoose in the United States; possibly
the only orc ever brought TO this country
Mr., Payne recently returned from the
island Of jamaica, where he spent many
years OF his early life in the British Mill
tary service and brought the little stranger
with him. Ofthe Introduction OF the mon
goose into the island and the marvellous
way in which they have multiplied and over
run the whole ountry, Mr.. Payne told an
interesting story to Times man yester-
day. After an eventful retrospect OF long
and adventurous life, Mr.. Payne said:
Even when l left Jamaica fifty years
ago the island was suffering from sC0urge
OF rats. They swarmed over the whole
| face of the country, and as their numbers
increased they began to destroy the cane
in the fields and in the mills, and to in
| fest the sugar houses to such an extent
! that they destroyed millions OF dollars
worth OF property annually. The colonial
| government took cognlZGnCe of the
| desperate state of affairs, and after try
| ing other remedies, finally determined TO
| introduce the mongoose, the animal that
| in India nd all over the far East is made
! almost n household pet in order that its
Unborn eamity toneariS every Othercreature
! that creeps or swimS or flies or runs III a Y
| to some extent keep down the plague OF
! yerinin that infests those countries.
| Wen, they brought in the monGoosP and
| 1t cleaned out the rats. The Piper Of
! Hamen himself did not make "a cl.aucr
sweep than did these little gray be:.gars
! in their relentless crusade. Not u rat
| was left, from the crest OF the Hue Mount
aims to the margin Of the sea.
| But when the rats were gone the
| snakes and all the many forms OF reptile
! life in the island began TO dimish in mum
! bers; everything that laid an egg on tie
! ground al!igators, snakes, terrapiBs. ground
! birds of all kinds; all were extermnated
| as q result Of the busy, ceaseless, sleep
! less hatred of this creature.
! Then as the tribes of the mongoOse
| waxed more and more hume rons, anl their
/ natural prey decreased as a result of
/ their inroads, they began to acquire Mt W
habits and tastesr which were neither
! pleasant nor profiba pleIto those who lad
! brought them into the island. At the
| present time, it is a .mooted question in
| jamaica as to which is preferab he, the
| mongoose or the animals he has exter-
| minated.
Not chicken Can be raised on the
island except behind wire screens close
/ enough to exclude the slender body OF this
| little 1shmaeite amOng animals. And as
his prey got scarccr his thirst for blood
! you know he only sucks the blood of his
| victims-began to add new items to his
| bill of fare. Young calves, and domestic
| animals OF all sorts were subject to his
| depredatious, ana within the last few
| years n new and terrible aspect has been
| given the matter by the discovery OF the
bodies of babes in the cradle, dead, with
| the marks of the raZor-like teeth of the
| mongoose Just over the arteries of the
neck
so you see that just now the authori
| ties are as much bothered over how to get
rid OF the mongOose as they were over the
rats and snakes in former days. Their
insatiate thirst for blood has made them
| turn on man himself
The animal in Mr.. Paync's rooms looks
innocent enough. He is an average mon
goose, Mr.. Payne says, being fully grown
about two years old-and is about as large
as squirrel, with thick, round. bushy
| tail, tapering somewhat from the body
Gray fur soft pink, moist nose that
is forever shifting the air for some hint
OF prey, beed-like eyes that note every
| movement made, are the characteristics
of this innocent looking though blood
thirsty little scamp.
Unlike anything else in the world, he
! looks like a weasel, a rat, squirrel
and doZen other things. The diction-
airy makers call him monkey, but he
isn't; he is a lemur, a sort of half monkey;
his scientific name is too long and too
hard to spell
The little fellow is feeling quite at home
| now and is accuStomng himself to a diet
OF cooked meat, with raw egg now and
then. JUST to remind him that he is still
a mongoose.
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