White. — On the Bats of Netv Zealand. 261 



with black hairs ; under or belly and sides a faint sulphur- 

 colour, with dark-bluish down at the base of the yellow- 

 tinted hairs. This down is not visible unless the hair is 

 parted. 



When Mr. Gray says, "It would be interesting to see 

 whether it is the European, the Indian, or the New Holland 

 rat that has been introduced," &c, he has entirely thrown 

 over Dr. Dieffenbach, and is following the leading of Polack, 

 who says, " Called ' kiore ' by the natives ; said to have been 

 introduced at an early period by European vessels." Take 

 special notice : Gray is speculating on his own account about 

 M. maorium and not alluding to M. rattus. He had never 

 seen specimens of this rat, and is just leading the reader 

 astray. It is extremely probable that Polack is speaking of 

 the black rat, " kiore pakeha." The " kiore maori " he pro- 

 bably never saw, as it was likely to have at that time become 

 scarce, owing to competition with M. rattus. 



You will notice also that Gray follows after Polack on the 

 subject of the dog (kuri), or rather Gray leaves both Polack 

 and Dieffenbach, and, although the latter clearly says this dog 

 was entirely different from the dingo of Australia, yet Gray 

 gives this heading to the paragraph : " The New Holland 

 Dog — Canis familiaris australis, Desm. ; Ganis dingo, 

 Blumenb." From this we must on no account take for 

 granted anything interpolated by Gray on the subject of the 

 New Zealand " kiore "or "kuri," for he knew nothing whatever 

 about either animal. 



The rat seen by Dieffenbach, and most probably by Polack, 

 was the progenitor of the black rat which inhabits the north 

 part of New Zealand at the present time, and which rat, 

 until proved otherwise by osteological evidence, we assume 

 to be identical with Mus rattus. This rat, the Maoris told 

 Dieffenbach, was " kiore pakeha," the foreign or stranger 

 rat. 



The first to arrive in New Zealand was "kiore maori." 

 Then, in a mysterious manner, comes " kiore pakeha," the 

 black rat. Then, according to Dieffenbach, "the mouse ac- 

 companies the early settlers." (The Norway rat, " pouhawaiki," 

 last of all.) That is to say, in the North Island. The black 

 rat was not found in the South Island, and there the Norway 

 rat spread inland some years in advance of the mouse, a fact 

 which I recorded in a former paper. 



