The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-06-26
THE N1ONGOOSE.

Until Mr.. Rudyard Kipling wrote his
story, Rikki Tiki Tavvi, there were
very few Americans who had any idea
of what hero the little mongoose was or
how his onslaught was dreaded by the
venomenous cobra Indeed, very few
knew anything about the mongoose at
ali.
However, the Island of Jamaica, which
is not far from our shores, had a bitter
experience with the unostentatious mon
goose. dating from 1872, when nine 1ndl-
viduals of the mongoose race, tour male
and five female. were introduced INTO ia
,naica in the hope that their fighting pro-
pensities might be turned against the
black and brown rats who were at mat
time destroying half a million dollars OF
sugar cane a year. This hope was 1usti-
fed. and in 1852 the annual loss of sugar
cane from the rats had been reduced to
s2s5, 600 per annum.
But the 4nongoose was not content to
increase and multiply solely that ne
hight survive on the cane-eating rat, and
being an omnivorous animal he went
everywhere in search of food, and having
found it ate thereof without fear or
thought Of the results that II might
work in the natural history collections
that were yet 10 be formed. He de-
stroved young pigs, kids, lambs, cats,
puppies, the native coney, poultry, game
birds which nested on or near the ground,
eggs, snakes, ground lizards, frogs, turtle
eggs and land crabs. Not content with
this varied bill Of fare, on which the
rnongoose had thriven beyond all hope OF
exnectation. it turned its attention to-
wards ripe bananas, plneaPpies' young
corn. sweet potatoes. cocoanuts and other
fruits with such effect that by 1882 the
,nonsoose came to be regarded as the
greatest pest that had ever afflicted the
island.
Aesop's story of the frogs who gave
I'D the log as their king only TO be eaten
bv the stork, sounds like an idle tale
compared with the misery of the farmers
of Jamaica, who had to contend with this
ravenous pest Not only We're the COM
mon animals destroyed, but the peculiar
Jamaica petrol. which nested III the noun
ta:ns of the island, became almost ex-
terminated. Five species OF harmless
snakes and twenty species of lizards We're
greatly diminished.
The destruction of the birds and snakes
which had been accustomed 10 eat in
sects gave rise to an extraordinary IN
crease on the part OF injurious insects,
both of a species of moth, which de-
stroved a great number of valuable trees,
and a species which shall be name.ess,
but which attacked the poor Jamalcans
and made life itself very uncomfortable.
In 1885 the government appointed a COM
mission to consider how they might rid
themselves OF an experiment That hau
worked only too well. To-day the stu
alton is changed somewhat, as in the
struggle for existence the trst eAuper-
ance of youth on the part OF the mon
goose tribe, so lately brought TO Jamaica,
is wearing off and the other animals, as
the partridge and dove, are learning how
10 adapt themselves to the situation
which the monsoose has done so much
to change, with the result lildl LIc IlltIi-
goose, for lack of food, is now reported
10 be decreasing with a propoCtion2te
increase of some of the birds and reptiles
AS the United States year book on asrl-
culture says: Jamaica seems to have
nassed the high water mark Of loss occa-
stoned by the rats and by the mongoose,
and White its fauna has been modified
by the presence of the intruders, both
native and introduced species, are grad
ually accommodating themselves to the
changed conditions and a new balance
of nature is being established.
One of the acts of the past Congress
which has probably failed TO awaken
proper spirit of gratitude on the part OF
the American people, was the passage
of a bill to protect America from any of
Rikki Tiki Tavvi's brothers. Indians
W.. can fight. Spaniards we can annihilate,
even the feet Filipino comes in to accept
an amnesty, but with the mongoose, as
Havti, Cuba. Porto Rico and Hawaii have
all found out, there is neither parley or
possibility for peace.