0 
Methods 
Trapping methods varied slightly over the 9 month fcfra: research period, 
initially mongo-so traps were placed in two clusters of 5 each; one duster 
was located near the end of the Mokapu Point road and the other cluster centered 
around the marine dump at the end of the rifle range. Suet was used for bait and 
traps were checked fcKXKS at dawn ^aneh-dupk during the five day period. 
aJT ter the Oct. ' period', to space the traps at 1/20 mile intervals 
parallel to the Mokapu Point road from the Marine dump to its extremety near the 
pip oi t e point. ,p en statiois were spaced over the half mils distance and records 
were kept of live capture-releases by designating the trap stations 1 through 10 
starting at the marine dump and progressing to the points extremity. During each 
monthly trapping period, traps were checked at dawn and dusk until Feb. 
when 
prebious experience indicated no mongoose would be caught nocturnallly thus traps 
were checked only at sunset. 
A mammal marking code was utilized by numbering the digits from the outer 
toe to the thumb, one through five. Right fcrepaw digits 3zapE«as represented 
units, left forepaw tens, right hindpaw hundreds, and left hindpaw thousands. 
Using this code, four-pawed five-digited mammmals may be numbered from 1 to 9999 
by toe-clipping the proper digits of each paw. 
All animals checked were code marked, sexed, sera-samplcd and released when 
possible. iKxxmoE occasionallly specimens died in the traps cr afte r handling 
Jan. Feb. and March animals were all weighed before marking and sera-sampleing 
Ether was used to render the specimens unconscious during sera sampling. 
I* & 
