Part II 

 NATURALISATION OF ANIMALS 



In Chapters III to VI species which have become thoroughly 

 established are distinguished by an asterisk. 



Chapter III 



MAMMALIA 



Of the 48 species of Mammalia which have been introduced into 

 New Zealand, 44 have been brought in purposely by human agency, 

 and four accidentally. The latter are the mouse and three species 

 of rats, but one of the latter, the Maori rat (Mtis exulans), has been 

 exterminated since European settlement began. 



The following 25 species are truly feral at the present time in 

 certain districts, some in limited areas, others very widely distributed : 

 wallaby, common opossum, sooty opossum, pig, horse, red deer, fallow 

 deer, Sambur deer, wapiti, white-tailed deer, moose, cattle, sheep, 

 goats, chamois, cat, ferret, stoat, weasel, black rat, brown rat, mouse, 

 rabbit, hare and hedgehog. The following three have been some- 

 what recently introduced, but cannot be said to have been naturalised 

 yet: Japanese deer, black-tailed deer and thar. 



The classification adopted in the succeeding list is that used by 

 Frank E. Beddard in the Cambridge Natural History, 1902. 



Order MARSUPIALIA 

 Family Macropodid^ 

 Apparently about 12 species of marsupials have been introduced 

 into New Zealand at various times, but only three species have 

 established themselves and become feral. These are a wallaby and 

 two species of phalangers, which are popularly known as opossums. 

 Those who introduced them knew little or nothing about the exact 

 relationships or the systematic position of these animals and no one 

 seemed to have thought it worth while to identify them. The informa- 

 tion about them is, and always has been, very vague; they were 

 introduced by acclimatisation societies, private individuals and dealers, 

 under various popular names, as kangaroos, bush kangaroos, wallabies, 

 rock wallabies, etc., but the importance of knowing and recognising 



