CARNIVORA 8s 



The mouse has never been found very far from the haunts of 

 men in New Zealand. In 1866, during a discussion which arose at 

 a meeting of the Canterbury AccHmatisation Society as to the reported 

 destruction of small birds by hawks, W. T. L. Travers reported " that 

 he had opened a large number of hawks, and in all cases found their 

 food to consist entirely of Mice and grasshoppers." At present the 

 mouse is abundant in all settled parts of New Zealand, and is also 

 common on the Auckland, Antipodes and Campbell Islands. 



Family Cavid^ 



Guinea-pig (Cavia porcellus) 



The only record I have of the introduction of the guinea-pig is 

 by the Auckland Society in 1869, but they have repeatedly been 

 brought in by private individuals and dealers for the last 50 or 60 

 years. Though they have been frequently liberated, they have never 

 succeeded in establishing themselves an5rwhere, as the young are 

 mercilessly preyed upon by cats. I had them running nearly wild in 

 my garden in Dunedin for some time, and noticed that violets {Viola 

 adorata) growing among grass increased remarkably all the time they 

 were about. The guinea-pigs nibbled the grass very closely, but would 

 not touch the violets. 



Family Leporid^ 



* Rabbit (Lepus cuniculus) 



The introduction of the rabbit into New Zealand has produced 



such far-reaching effects and wrought such changes throughout the 



country, that it requires more than the sober language of a naturalist 



to describe them. One thing is quite certain, namely, that it was 



deliberately introduced into the country. The first definite notice I 



have found as to the introduction of these animals is in du Petit- 



Thouars' voyage of the 'Venus' (1838), in which he says (p. 115): 



" There are still to be found some rabbits imported from New South 



Wales." The next is in Mr T. Tuckett's diary of his expedition to 



the South Island, which is printed as an appendix to Dr Hocken's 



Contributions to the Early History of New Zealand. Speaking of 



the country between the mouths of the Clutha and Mataura Rivers, 



he writes under date loth May, 1844: "Palmer has grown wheat 



and barley as well as potatoes, and has plenty of fine fowls and ducks 



and some goats .... Returning from Tapuke (Taukupu) we landed on 



the island, and with the assistance of a capital beagle caught six rabbits 



alive and uninjured." He does not say whether any were liberated 



