296 XATIHAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



Tlic Hfst deer were broii.iilit tu Hawaii from Okhotsk, Siberia, in 1856, l)ut the 

 .Moh)kai herd of .spotted deer^^ originated from a small tloek of eight that 

 ^vere sent to Kamehanieha V., from Japan in 1867. They increased in nnmbers 

 at a i-emarkahic rate; so i-apidly, indeed, that they were thought to threaten 

 the destiMictioii of the foi-i'sts. Some years hiter the government found it neces- 

 sai'\- to i'iiii)loy i)rofessional hunters to reduce their number; but deer are still 

 phMitiful on Ah»hikai. and they furnish the sportsmen of the islands with big 

 game shootini;' each season. 



The ground coloi- of the fur of the spotted deer is rufous-fawn; the whole 

 of the body being marked by a number of spots which are present at all ages 

 of the aninuils and throughout the year. These spots tend to arrange them- 

 selves in longitudinal lines. There is a blackish line running down the back 

 from th(^ nape of the neck to the base of the tail. White prevails on the 

 inside of the ears, the chin, the upper part of the throat, the inside of the legs, 

 as well as the inider surface of the tail. A few very large bucks have been shot 

 on Molokai. l>ut the average of the largest would seem to lie about 150 pounds, 

 while the does seldom weigh more than half as much. 



The spotted or axis deer is a native of India and Ceylon. It is a common 

 species in deer parks everywhere, and has been lilierated in several coun- 

 tries in the Orient. They i)refer to live in the foi-ests at from three to four 

 tliousand feet elevation, where they frequently congregate in small droves, usually 

 in the neighborhood of their drinking places. During the middle of the day 

 they manage to keep out of sight, Init as darkness comes on they become active 

 and continue to feed diu'ing the night and for some tinu^ after sun-up. If 

 disturbed during the day they try to steal quietly away by creeping stealthily 

 off though the undergrowth. 



The ]\Iongoose. 



The mongoose was first l)i'ought from Jamaica, West Indies, in 1883. 

 Thirty-six pairs were imported and liberated on Hawaii in the hope that they 

 would be of value in freeing the cane fields of rats. Unfortunately, they were 

 carried from on(» ishuui to another before their habits were fully understood, 

 with the result that all of the islands, -with the exception of Kauai, are now 

 infested with this animal tliat has proved to be a pest, about which but 

 little can be said in its favor. The mongoose i'* is a native of India, where the 

 common species is easily tamed. It is yellowish-gray in color, flecked Avith 

 black, and is mink-like in size and general appearance. Its fondness for 

 poultry and eggs renders it a serious meiuice to the ranchman. In the back 

 country and the wild mountains it does much damage to grouiul-nesting birds, 

 and is listed as one among the nuiny causes of the rapid decrease in the 

 nnml)er of several of the llawaiaian species. 



Skinks and Geckos. 

 Of the land i-eptiles oidy seven species of small geckos and skinks have 



18 CemiK a.ii-i. '" II erjif nil's (jrineus. 



