﻿344 
  

  

  Transactions. 
  — 
  Zoology. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  time 
  tlie 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  mouse 
  was 
  reported 
  as 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  grass. 
  

   In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  week 
  the 
  grass 
  country 
  and 
  the 
  houses 
  were 
  plentifully 
  

   supplied. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  remarkahle 
  that 
  the 
  rats 
  immediately 
  cleared 
  out 
  

   before 
  them, 
  and 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  were 
  much 
  scarcer. 
  

  

  In 
  Otago, 
  formerly, 
  I 
  used 
  to 
  kill 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  rats 
  living 
  singly 
  

   under 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  Spaniard, 
  the 
  old 
  leaves 
  of 
  which 
  made 
  'them 
  a 
  nice 
  

   thatched 
  roof, 
  and 
  the 
  root 
  was 
  eaten 
  if 
  nothing 
  better 
  offered. 
  Once 
  in 
  

   the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  settlement 
  in 
  Otago, 
  when 
  I 
  was 
  snowed 
  in, 
  and 
  could 
  get 
  

   nothing 
  to 
  feed 
  my 
  fowls 
  on, 
  I 
  caught 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  rats 
  near 
  the 
  house 
  

   (getting 
  them 
  from 
  under 
  the 
  Spaniard 
  bushes) 
  and 
  roasted 
  them 
  for 
  the 
  

   fowls. 
  I 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  these 
  rats 
  was 
  generally 
  full 
  of 
  a 
  white 
  

   wire-like 
  worm, 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  long, 
  which 
  I 
  considered 
  a 
  parasite, 
  as 
  they 
  

   were 
  always 
  perfect 
  ; 
  but, 
  if 
  I 
  remember 
  right, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   other 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  stomach, 
  and 
  very 
  little 
  room 
  for 
  it, 
  as 
  the 
  worms 
  were 
  

   knotted 
  together 
  into 
  a 
  mass 
  that 
  about 
  filled 
  the 
  cavity. 
  

  

  Note 
  by 
  Pkof. 
  Hutton. 
  

  

  The 
  skin 
  from 
  Napier 
  belongs 
  to 
  Mus 
  rattus. 
  It 
  agrees 
  perfectly 
  with 
  

   the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Museum, 
  from 
  Wellington, 
  

   (Trans. 
  N.Z. 
  Inst., 
  IV., 
  p. 
  183), 
  and 
  with 
  Dr. 
  BuUer's 
  description 
  of 
  his 
  Mus 
  

   novcB-zealandlce 
  (Trans. 
  N.Z. 
  Inst., 
  III., 
  p. 
  1). 
  The 
  two 
  specimens 
  caught 
  

   in 
  the 
  oat-field 
  had 
  been 
  put 
  into 
  kerosene, 
  and 
  were 
  not 
  fit 
  for 
  stuffing. 
  

   They 
  both 
  presented, 
  externally, 
  the 
  same 
  characters 
  as 
  the 
  skin 
  from 
  Nax^ier. 
  

   I 
  have 
  examined 
  these 
  two 
  skulls, 
  and 
  find 
  that 
  they 
  agree 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Salter's 
  

   description 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  of 
  M. 
  rattus, 
  except 
  in 
  being 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  

   elongated. 
  Consequently, 
  they 
  differ 
  from 
  the 
  Maori 
  rat 
  skuUs, 
  fi-om 
  Shag 
  

   Point, 
  in 
  the 
  particulars 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  pointed 
  out. 
  

  

  There 
  can, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  these 
  rats 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Polynesian 
  

   variety 
  of 
  Mus 
  rattus, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  Maori 
  rat 
  must 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   a 
  distinct 
  species, 
  for 
  which 
  I 
  propose 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Mus 
  viaorium. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  measurements 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  male 
  

   specimen. 
  I 
  have 
  added 
  measurements 
  of 
  M. 
  rattus 
  from 
  England 
  (from 
  

   Mr. 
  Salter's 
  di'awings), 
  and 
  of 
  ili. 
  decumanus 
  from 
  New 
  Zealand 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  

  M. 
  rattus, 
  

   JS'apier. 
  

  

  M. 
  rattus, 
  

   England. 
  

  

  M. 
  decumanus, 
  

   Dunedin. 
  

  

  Length 
  

  

  1^43 
  

  

  1-64 
  

  

  1-78 
  

  

  Width 
  at 
  zygomatic 
  arch* 
  

  

  •59 
  

  

  •82 
  

  

  •75 
  

  

  Foramen 
  magnum, 
  height 
  

  

  •19 
  

  

  •14 
  

  

  •20 
  

  

  ,, 
  ,, 
  xndth 
  

  

  •25 
  

  

  •28 
  

  

  •28 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  the 
  meisui-ements 
  cf 
  the 
  skulls 
  froia 
  Shag 
  Point, 
  the 
  width 
  at 
  the 
  zygomatic 
  arch 
  should 
  

   be 
  '35, 
  and 
  not 
  "oj 
  as 
  printed. 
  

  

  