104 TiMEHRl. 



The grey fox (Cam's rudis)^ and I think also the crab 

 dog, (Procyon CancrivoriisJ, chew the joints for their 

 sweet juice, and kill the individual cane. I have 

 known the fox to pull up freshly planted tops and destroy 

 them, either for the juice, or the grub of the large gru- 

 gru worm. How far foxes, ocelots, hawks, yellow-tail 

 and other snakes, and salempentas, contribute towards 

 keeping down rats by destroying them for food is not 

 easily determined. That the last named is an excellent 

 ratter, I know from a6lual observation. 



The ordinary means of destroying rats, is by men 

 with dogs, but I fear these so-called ratcatchers often 

 kill other animals, which are really rat-destroyers. Some 

 proprietors have introduced the mongoose, (Herpestes. 

 ^riseus) in some numbers to kill the rats, but 1 fear 

 these will not increase in a country with so little cover 

 to prote6l them from natural enemies. In Jamaica, 

 where the mongoose was introduced years ago by I 

 believe the late Mr. BANCROFT ESPEUT, the cane-piece 

 rat has been almost exterminated, and the few that are 

 left have taken to the tree-tops, where some years ago 

 they were doing considerable damage to the young nuts. 



The rats being no longer available in sufficient quanti- 

 ties to supply the mongoose, which increases rapidly, 

 whereas in Jamaica it has perfe6l cover in the crevices of 

 the rocks, heaps of stones, &c., they have taken to 

 killing poultry ; and five years ago it was impossible to 

 rear feathered stock of any kind, except in well fenced 

 yards. The inse6livorous birds of the island have been 

 destroyed by them to such an extent, that the ticks, 

 (Ixodes, sp.) which the birds used to keep in check, 

 have increased enormously and are now a serious incon- 



