White. — On the Bats of Netc Zealand. 241 



and is averse to the propinquity of man. and, if so, would 

 rather be classed under the head Arvicola (a dweller in the 

 field). The name Mm is synonymous with " thief," and so 

 rightly describes ill. decumanus ; and ill. musculus, " Mus- 

 culus " or the little thief, is a very fitting name for the mouse, 

 who follows civilized man into all lands, feeding and travelling 

 chiefly at the expense of his biped companion. Yet I have 

 known this small creature make long migratory journeys over 

 land and river in the early days of New Zealand, and which 

 are mentioned in my former paper "On Eats and Mice." 

 See Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxiii., p. 194. 



When the grey rat (31. decumanus) increased in Europe, 

 especially in Britain, it destroyed, or caused the destruction of, 

 M. rattus, the original or older inhabitant of the country, 

 which in those parts is said to be now extinct. More than 

 fifty years ago I and my brother John were accomplished rat- 

 catchers, and from the age of, say, seven years had destroyed 

 or hunted every rat we caught sight of. But we never saw a 

 black rat, which is good proof that this rat was then extinct 

 in England. We spoke of rats and water-rats, but I think we 

 distinguished the water-rat from the other not by apparent 

 difference, but simply because it tried to escape by diving in 

 the water of the river. Nevertheless, at a very early age we 

 distinguished between the two species of field-mice, which we 

 caught and tamed. We were assisted by our playmate, a 

 reddish -brown, long -coated water -spaniel, in these hunts, 

 and, if the water was discoloured by mud, could trace the 

 course of the diving rat by a bubble of air which would 

 rise to the surface at a distance of every 2ft. or 3ft., and so 

 pointed the direction and progress, under water, of our prey. 

 These occasional bubbles were, I suppose, expended air which 

 the animal at times liberated from its lungs. If I remember 

 right, a wounded wild duck, when diving, could be traced in 

 the same manner. 



I am thus particular to prove that the black rat was then 

 not found in England, for we have the question to solve, 

 How did the black rat come to New Zealand ? 



This question of when and how the black rat came to New 

 Zealand is not readily answered. Of the Chatham Islands 

 Mr. A. Shand says, "Native rats, called 'kiore,' were common 

 to the island, but it is believed they were not eaten by the 

 Morioris. The native rat was exterminated by the Norway 

 rat, which escaped ashore from a wrecked whale-ship." No 

 mention is made of the black rat at the Chathams by this 

 writer. (Polynesian Society Mag., vol. hi., p. 87.) 



The Norway rat and the mouse certainly came to New 

 Zealand as passengers of our European shipping ; but did the 

 European black rat (31. rattus) also arrive in the same way, 

 • 16 



