88 



FROiiHOPl'ER BiJGJir OK SUGAR-CANE. 



According to Urich (1914 D.) the mongoose was first introduced into- 

 Trinidad about the year 1870 tD some estate in the Nap iri mas. The 

 animals arrived in a ship from India and some escaped in Port-of-Spain. 

 Other importations took place daring the next twenty years or so, but it 

 was not until 1898 that any adverse opinion was expressed as to its 

 desirabiiity. In this year the Trinidad Field Naturalists Club resolved 

 that its importation should be prohibited. 



Urich. writing in 1914 (1914 D. p. 6) says "There is no authentic 

 record of how many animals reached the Naparimas, but evidently the 

 mongoose did not survive there as up to now comparatively fesv have 

 been reported from that district." This is also confirmed by figures 

 given of the numbers destroyed in the Northern and Southern sections 

 of the island. From 1902-19i;:5 a Government reward was given for 

 dead mongoose and over 30,000 were destroyed in the island north of 

 Couva. while forty-three were destroyed in the Naparimas and none 

 further South {Proc. Agr. Snc. Trimdad .f- Tobago, XIII. p. 131.) 



The mongoose ha^ been abundant in the Northern district for about 

 20 years, in the Central district for about 10 years, and has only recently 

 become common in the Southern section. ' 



In order to show more accurately the variety and proportion of the 

 food of the mongoose, tlie tables showing the total contents of 180 

 mongoose stomachs is reproduced here from my previous report and 

 also the final balance sheet, where the foods of no practical importance 

 are eliixiinated. In this table all the useful animals destroyed are 

 printed in capitals and all the injurious ones in italics. 



TABLE V. -The Contents of 180 Mong-oose Stomachs. 



Vertebrates 



Insects 



Other Arthropods 



Vegetable Matter 



Common ILU 

 Spiny Rat 



.MIS<'ELLAXE01S BIRDS 

 DOMESTIC FOWE 



KowE Ei;(;s 



JJZAKDS 



Snakes 



FR0(.S 

 TOADS 



Fisli 



( Irassh oppe i •< 

 Molt Crickets ... 

 Crickets 

 Cockroaches 

 Stick Inserts 

 Moths 

 Caterpillars 

 Fly-grubs 

 Plant Bvgs 

 Lamellicorn Beetles 

 Lamellirorn Grid is 



CARABID GRCBS 



Weeril.s, adnlts 

 Weevils, grubs 

 Miscellaneous Beetles 

 Ants 



SPIDERS 



Scorpion 



Centipedes 



Millipede 



Tick 



Crab 



Hiilf a dozt-n fruits. 

 A little coconut. 



26 

 2; 



14 

 10 



•2 

 17 

 18 

 14 

 14 



6 



535 

 1) 



3 

 54 

 1 

 3 

 2 



27 

 •2 



43 

 7 



44 

 7 

 7 



46 

 3 



44 

 1 



14 

 1 

 1 



One feed of yam. 



