Foods of Rodents in Hamakua — Kami 
Insects appeared in 4.8% of the animals, and 
contributed 2.2% to the volume. Unidentified 
materials, animal flesh, and traces of lower in- 
vertebrates comprised the remaining 16.8% of 
the dietary items. 
Mus muscidus : Insects continued to be one 
of the major food sources of 48% of the mice 
taken in this habitat and constituted 20.2% of 
their diet. Kukui nuts, the other item of major 
importance, though absent from the diet of 
cane field Mus, were consumed heavily by 
20.0% of the mice and amounted to 23.3% of 
the volume. 
Grass seeds also were of considerable im- 
portance, with 24.0% of the mice feeding on 
them to form 14.6% of the diet. However, a 
large portion of foods eaten (41.0% by vol- 
ume), were materials that could not be identi- 
fied. 
Absent from the diet of Mus were fruits and 
berries, grass stalks, sugar cane, animal flesh, 
and lower invertebrates, all of which appeared 
in the cane field Mus. 
Residential and Other Areas Associated with 
Human Habitation (see Table 4) 
Rattus norvegicus: The diet of Norway rats 
taken from areas associated with human habita- 
tion included materials (60.1% by volume) 
that could not be identified. This predominance 
of unidentified materials was attributed to the 
nature of the food sources (i.e., garbage, 
chicken feeds, hog swill, garden vegetables, 
371 
etc.) associated with this habitat. Norway rats 
showed no marked preference for other food 
items, which they ate in considerable variety. 
Rattus rattus: Of the food materials of R. 
rattus taken from this area 40% consisted of 
materials which could not be identified. Grass 
stalks continued to be of importance, forming 
20.9% of the diet. Although more of the rats 
had fed on guava fruits than on sugar cane, 
these items differed only slightly in volume. 
Guava was consumed by 18.2% of the rats and 
it contributed 10.7% to the total volume, while 
sugar cane was consumed by 12.7% of the ani- 
mals and amounted to 11.1% of the volume. 
Other dietary items consisting of grass seeds, 
insect forms, nuts, and animal flesh formed the 
remaining 17.0% of the food materials. 
Stomach Parasites 
During the course of this project, nematodes 
were frequently found in the stomach in rats, 
but infrequently in Mus. These nematodes were 
so numerous in some rats that their stomachs 
were filled with these parasites. As many as 32 
nematodes were found in a stomach. Parasitism 
was highest among R. rattus, with 113 of 312 
(36.2%) infested, and lowest among Mus, with 
26 of 720 (3.6%) infested. Nematodes oc- 
curred in ll6of 615 (18.7%) R. exulans and 
13 of 88 (14.8%) R. norvegicus. Nematodes 
of the genus Protospirura were identified from 
all four species of rodents and a specimen of 
Physaloptera was found in R. rattus. 
TABLE 4 
Stomach Contents of Rodents Associated with Human Habitation 
FOOD ITEMS. 
Rattus rattus 
no. examined: 
121 
Rattus norvegicus 
no. examined: 49 
FREQUENCIES 
NO. % 
VOL. 
% 
FREQUENCIES 
NO. % 
VOL. 
% 
Fruits and berries 
22 
18.2 
10.7 
4 
8.2 
5.2 
Grass (seeds) 
11 
9-1 
6.0 
5 
10.2 
7.4 
Grass (stalks) 
29 
24.0 
20.9 
3 
6.1 
5.3 
Insects 
10* 
8.3 
2.9 
1 
2.0 
0.1 
Sugar cane 
15 
12.4 
11.1 
5 
10.2 
7.7 
Nuts 
8 
6.6 
5.8 
3 
6.1 
5.9 
Unidentified materials 
49 
40.5 
40.2 
27 
55.1 
60.1 
Animal flesh 
5 
4.1 
2.3 
6 
12.2 
5.7 
Earthworms 
1 
2.0 
0.1 
Corn 
1 
2.0 
2.4 
* Includes adults, larvae and egg masses. 
