THE RELATIONS OF MAMMALS TO MAN 459 



greenhouses, set fire to buildings by gnawing matches, depre- 

 ciate the value of buildings and furniture, and are injurious in 

 many other ways. 



FIG. 321. White-footed mouse and young. (Photo, by Dugmore. 

 Copyright by Doubleday, Page and Co.) 



Introduction of Foreign Mammals. There is great danger 

 in introducing mammals into this country. The brown rat 

 reached this country about 1775, and is now, as pointed out 

 above, our worst mammalian pest. Rabbits which were intro- 

 duced into Australia about 1864 soon became so numerous that 

 legislative action was taken for their destruction. The mon- 

 goose of India destroys rats, lizards, and snakes; it was intro- 

 duced into Jamaica and other tropical islands and at first 

 proved very beneficial, but later it became a great pest, de- 

 stroying poultry, birds, young domesticated animals, and even 

 fruit. These disastrous results from the introduction of foreign 

 species of mammals led Congress to prohibit the importation of 



