292 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



relatively slioi-t tail, the tail always being less than tliat of the h</ad and ])0(ly 

 and usually uot louucr than the body aloin'. The color of the ui>})er part is 

 usuall\' a grayish lu'own. 



The l)Iack rat.' or one of its nnmerons varieties, is onr common tree rat. 

 It is siuallfi' and moi'e elegantl\- built tluin the brown rat, and has a longer 

 and tliiuiici- tail. 'I'lic body of a full-grown specimen is about seven inches 

 in length, while the tail may be eight or nine inches long. Its long, slender 

 snout, large ears and bluish color are characteristics that serve to make it easy 

 of identification. Like the bi-own i-ats. they were introduced into Europe from 

 the Hast, but at a much earlier date, reaching the continent early in the thir- 

 teenth century. In Hawaii they live both on the ground and in trees, but 

 owiuL;' to tile presence of their pugnacious cousins, they prefer the treetops. 

 There they make their nests, usually in the crowns of cocoanut palms, and 

 feed upon the fruit of these useful trees, often doing much damage by gnaw- 

 ing the young fruits. They also gnaw through the roofs of houses. They are 

 seldom seen during the day. but at night they become very active, and in the 

 twilight may be seen leaping from In-anch to l)ranch and from tree to tree. 

 On several occasions the writer has seen them travel along the electric light 

 wires from one pole to another. It is in this manner that they often make 

 their way into houses and outbuildings that are thought to be rat-proof. 



Four species of rats '^ have been taken in Hawaii l)y the otfieial rat- 

 catchers for the city, and are recognized as residents of Honolulu. 



Rats as Plague Carriers. 



Since it has been definitely determined that the fleas so common on rats 

 are the carriers of the germs which cause the bubonic plague, every precau- 

 tion has been taken to prevent rats landing in the various ports of Hawaii 

 from vessels coming from seaports where plague is known to exist. Moi'e- 

 over, a sustained effort has also been made to reduce the number of rats in 

 the islands. 



It has been ])roved beyond ([uestion that the i)lague geriu may be carried 

 from the infected I'at by the fleas that feed on the blood of the living animal. 

 If the rat dies, the fleas leave their host and seek some other rat. or. failing 

 that, will take up a temporary residence on a cat or a dog. This minute but 

 troublesome insect may then l)e transferred directly or indirectly to a human 

 host. Its bite too often results in transferring to the blood of the individual 

 the germ which it di'ew into its system from the infected rat. In many cases 

 the person so bitten contracts the dreaded disease, which often has proved 

 fatal. 



Royal Sport. 



A s[)ecies of mouse was also common in ancient Hawaii. They furnished 

 the upper class of natives with a form of royal sport out of the usual style 



* ^fl(K rattits. ■•Mils rdttiix. .1/. uli'.rdiKlriiiKx. M . iinrrci/iciis ;iiul .1/. tiiK.truliis. 



