16 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 105. 



The story of how the Mongoose was 

 brought into Jamaica from India in 1872 

 for the purpose of destroying the imported 

 European black and brown rats which were 

 devouring the crops of the sugar-cane and 

 other vegetal products, and how it in- 

 creased until it became a veritable pest, is 

 well known to history. The Mongoose 

 thrived and exterminated the rats, and hav- 

 ing enjoyed this diet, he began a series of 

 food experiments upon all small domestic 

 animals, especially poultry. In some in- 

 stances, he even killed small pigs, kids, 

 lambs, newly dropped calves, puppies, kit- 

 tens. All kinds of game, such as part- 

 ridges, quail, guinea-fowl, snipe, lapwing, 

 ground doves, young buzzards, and all 

 birds which nest on or near the ground, 

 and their eggs were much to his taste, and 

 he has been known to catch fish. He like- 

 wise, developed a special fondness for 

 snakes, ground lizards, frogs, turtle and 

 turtle's eggs, land crabs and other of the 

 more humble creatures. Not only did his 

 appetite crave the above animal diet, but it 

 was rapacious in its assaults upon ripe ba- 

 nanas, pineapples, young corn, avocado 

 pears, sweet potatoes, cocoas, yams, peas, 

 and certain fruits. He even competed with 

 his former enemy, the rat, in eating the 

 sugar-cane, and did not hesitate in attack- 

 ing salt meat. 



As a consequence of the fecundity and 

 omnivorous appetite of the Mongoose, Ja- 

 maica was soon rid not only of its rats, but of 

 all the game and birds, except such, like the 

 ground dove, as had the discretion to trans- 

 fer their breeding places upon his advent, 

 from the ground to the tops of the high 

 prickly cacti. As a result of the Mongoose's 

 tastes for reptiles, the twentj^-two species 

 of lizards and five species of harmless 

 snakes, which had hitherto proved an ines- 

 timable blessing to the island in keeping 

 down small insect pests such as the tick, 

 fell victims to its depredations. Notwith- 



standing the humble sphere which the tick 

 and chigor occupy in the scale of life, they 

 were not so stupid as to fail to take advan- 

 tage of this destruction of their hereditary 

 enemies, and proceeded to thrive as they 

 had never thriven before. These minute 

 forms of life, which had previously con- 

 fined their attention to cattle, increased so 

 rapidly that they became a pest to man- 

 kind. One could not brush against the 

 bushes or put his foot down in the grass 

 without being covered by the small ' seed- 

 ticks,' as the young are called. 



As a final result of this series of wars be- 

 tween the various kinds of lower animals, 

 the tick and Mongoose remained as the vic- 

 torious survivors. So different were their 

 spheres in life that it was generally con- 

 cluded that their rule would continue un- 

 disputed for years. 



Within the past few years, according to 

 Prof. Duerden, another phase of the ques- 

 tion appears to have been entered upon. 

 He says: "It is reported from practically 

 all parts of the island that the Mongoose is 

 not nearly so plentiful as formerly. Some 

 of those caught are found to be suffering 

 from the attacks of ticks. The results of 

 the diminution are shown in the appearance 

 and marked increase of certain species of 

 reptiles and birds ; some already alluded 

 to as supposed to have been exterminated. 

 Amongst the snakes there is a very notice- 

 able increase. During the past year sev- 

 eral examples of the yellow snake have 

 been received at the Museum, as well as 

 notices of others. Specimens of the spotted- 

 chinned snake are obtained almost weekly, 

 especially from the vicinity of Kingston ; 

 and, occasionally, an example of the two- 

 headed snake. During the last fifteen 

 months, however, I have never heard of the 

 occurrence in the island of an undoubted 

 black snake nor of the pardaline snake. 

 Perhaps the most obvious change, remarked 

 by everyone, is the abundance of the ground 



