1882. ] OF THE INDIAN MUNGOOS IN JAMAICA. 713 
the rats down in those districts in which it thrives; but it is very 
local, and attempts to remove it from one district to another rarely 
succeed. Besides destroying the young of rats, it is most injurious 
to the young of all kinds of animals and birds. Chickens, puppies, 
colts, and even calves have been killed by the Raffle ant. 
In 1871 I was suffering unusually from rats on Spring Garden 
Estate ; and in talking over possible remedies, my wife suggested 
the introduction of the Mungoos from India. Some years before, 
Mrs. Espeut had been in Ceylon with her father, Colonel Armit, 
R.E., and had there possessed an Indian Mungoos as a pet. She 
had often seen the animal destroy rats, and advised me to intro- 
duce it into Jamaica. On making further inquiries, I found nothing 
against the proposal, and very much in favour of it. A captain of a 
ship assured me a Mungoos had cleared his ship of rats in a few 
weeks ; and friends who had been stationed in India gave very satis- 
factory accounts of it as a rat-destroyer. 
I at once wrote to the Government of Jamaica, asking permission 
to obtain some Mungooses from India by the Coolie ships ; but diffi- 
culties were placed in the way at first, and it was only after repeated 
and urgent solicitation on my part that Sir J. Grant gave the 
necessary orders to the emigration agent. at Calcutta. In 1872, on 
the 13th February, by the East-Indian ship ‘ Merchantman,’ I 
received 9 of these animals, 4 males and 5 females, one large with 
young. I paid for them £9, ‘‘in reimbursement of cost attending 
the procuring and transmitting.” I let these nine animals out 
in four lots, three pairs and one lot of three, the latter near my house, 
the others in suitable parts of the sugar-field. Within afew months 
young ones were seen about ; and in less than six months there was 
evidence, clear and certain, that the rats were much less destructive 
than had ever been known. Fewer rats were caught and fewer canes 
were destroyed, month after month; within two years the expen- 
diture for killing rats ceased almost entirely, and in another year 
I enjoyed relief and immunity ; and ever since the losses from rats 
have been a mere trifle. 
Within a very short time (three years) neighbouring estates found 
a similar benefit; and some of my brother sugar-planters, who had 
laughed at me for supposing the Mungoos would do any good, began 
to buy all they could procure from the natives, who, setting traps on 
my lands, stole all the Mungooses they could obtain, and sold them 
at prices ranging from £1 at first down to 5s. each in the last few 
years. By this means, and naturally, the Mungoos has now become 
general all over the island; and the beneficial results of the intro- 
duction of this useful animal may safely be taken as exceeding 
£150,000 ayear. Mr. Morris, the Government Botanist, states, “ it 
might very safely be estimated at not less than £100,000 per 
annum.” As a single instance of the good arising from the intro- 
duction of the Mungoos, I may refer to the exports of chocolate 
(cocoa). Owing to the ravages of the rats, it was impossible to 
grow cocoa: the exports in 1875 were only 311 ewt., valued at £873. 
In 1880, only five years after, the exports were 3304 cwt. valued at 
