404 Biology in America 



ing out of her poison.' In the West Indies the animal has 

 been described as fearlessly attacking the deadly Fer de Lance 

 and receiving its bites with impunity; it is also added that it 

 will eat the leaves of a particular plant as an antidote ! The 

 real explanation of the result of these encounters is of course 

 the agility of the Ichneumon." 8 



The mongoose preys on mice and rats, but unfortunately 

 attacks poultry and wild birds as well. It has been intro- 

 duced into Jamaica where it has proven a nuisance through 



MASS OF SAN Josfi SCALES ON TREE TRUNK x 30 

 Prom Quaintance, "The San Jose Scale and its Control," Farmers' 

 Bulletin, No. 650. 



Courtesy of the U. 8. Bureau of Entomology. 



its depredations. By the passage of a law placing the im- 

 portation of foreign animals under the control of the Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture, the Bureau has been able to prevent its 

 establishment in the United States. 



Monstrous as is the tax which we pay to our four-footed 

 foes, it is small in comparison with the tribute levied by our 

 winged enemies. Estimates of so uncertain a sum as the loss 

 caused by insects are bound to vary, but even accepting the 



""Cambridge Natural History," Mammalia, p. 409. By permission 

 of the Macmillan Company. 



