Foods of Rodents in Hamakua — Kami 
373 
LIST OF IDENTIFIED PLANTS USED BY RODENTS AS FOOD 
PLANT 
PARTS EATEN 
GRAMINEAE 
Paspalum conjugatum (Hilo grass) 
Set aria palmifolia (palm grass) 
Panicum maximum (Guinea grass) 
Panicum purpurascens (para grass) 
Digitaria henryi (Henry crabgrass) 
Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane) 
stalks and seeds 
stalks and seeds 
stalks and seeds 
stalks and seeds 
seeds 
internodes 
CYPERACEAE 
Kyllinga pumila (sedge) 
seeds 
LEGU MINOSAE 
Desmodium sp. (beggar weed) 
pea pods 
COMMELINACEAE 
Commelina nudiflora ( honohono ) 
stem 
COMPOSITAE 
Emilia flammea (Flora’s paint brush) 
seeds 
MYRTACEAE 
Psidium guajava (guava) 
Eugenia cumini (Java plum) 
seeds and fleshy pulp 
fleshy pulp 
PASSIFLORACEAE 
Passi flora sp. (Passion fruit) 
seeds 
SOLANACEAE 
Physalis peruviana ( poha ) 
Solanum nigrum (night shade or popolo berry) 
whole berry 
whole berry 
ROSACEAE 
Rubus rosaefolius (thimble berry) 
whole berry 
EUPHORBIACEAE 
Aleurites moluccana ( kukui nut) 
nut 
the food sources available in these habitats. This 
dependence on wild foods has developed this 
rat into an efficient feeder on grass seeds and 
stalks, sugar cane, and a wide variety of other 
wild foods. The scarcity of Norway rats in the 
fields and gulches may be simply because their 
adaptation to survival in the wild has become 
impaired. This may mean that they are no 
longer able to utilize successfully a diet that is 
relatively poor in protein because of changes in 
ability to select foods, changes in quality of 
foods available, or changes in internal physiol- 
ogy- 
REFERENCES 
Calhoun, John B. 1962. The ecology and 
sociology of the Norway rat. U. S. Dept. 
Health, Educ. and Welfare, Public Health 
Serv. Publ. 1008:99. 
Caum, E. L. 1922. Why do rats eat cane? 
Hawaii Planters Record 26:213-215. 
Doty, R. E. 1945. Rat control on Hawaiian 
sugar cane plantations. Hawaii Planters 
Record 49(2):77-80. 
Eskey, C. R. 1934. Epidemiological study of 
plague in the Hawaiian Islands. Publ. Health 
Bull. 213, 70 pp. 
Hosaka, Edward Y. 1957. Palatability and 
nutritive value of forages. Univ. Hawaii, 
Extension Circular 381, 6 pp. 
Schein, M. W., and H. Orgain. 1953. A pre- 
liminary analysis of garbage as food for the 
Norway rat. Am. J. Trop. Med. 2:1117-1130. 
Spencer, H. J. 1938. Hawaii rat control proj- 
ect. December 1935— June 30, 1938. U. S. 
Bureau of Biological Survey. Control Meth- 
ods Research Laboratory and cooperating 
agencies in Hawaii, (ms) 
