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Show 1882.] OF THE INDIAN MUNGOOS IN JAMAICA. 713 the rats down in those districts in which it thrives ; but it is very local, and attempts to remove it from one district to another rarely succeed. Besides destroying the young of rats, it is most injurious to the young of all kinds of animals and birds. Chickens, puppies, colts, and even calves have been killed by the Raffle ant. In 1871 I was suffering unusually from rats on Spring Garden Estate ; and in talking over possible remedies, m y wife suggested the introduction of the Mungoos from India. Some years before, Mrs. Espeut had been in Ceylon with her father, Colonel Armit, R.E., and had there possessed an Indian Mungoos as a pet. She had often seen the animal destroy rats, and advised me to introduce it into Jamaica. On making further inquiries, I found nothing against the proposal, and very much in favour of it. A captain of a ship assured me a Mungoos had cleared his ship of rats in a few weeks; and friends who had been stationed in India gave very satisfactory accounts of it as a rat-destroyer. I at once wrote to the Government of Jamaica, asking permission to obtain some Mungooses from India by the Coolie ships ; but difficulties ^were placed in the way at first, and it was only after repeated and urgent solicitation on my part that Sir J. Grant gave the necessary orders to the emigration agent at Calcutta. In 1872, on the 13th February, by the East-Indian ship ' Merchantman,' I received 9 of these animals, 4 males and 5 females, one large with young. I paid for them a£9, "in reimbursement of cost attending the procuring and transmitting." I let these nine animals out in four lots, three pairs and one lot of three, the latter near m y house, the others in suitable parts of the sugar-field. Within a few months young ones were seen about; and in less than six months there was evidence, clear and certain, that the rats were much less destructive than had ever been known. Fewer rats were caught and fewer canes were destroyed, month after month ; within two years the expenditure for killing rats ceased almost entirely, and in another year I enjoyed relief and immunity ; and ever since the losses from rats have been a mere trifle. Within a very short time (three years) neighbouring estates found a similar benefit; and some of m y brother sugar-planters, who had laughed at m e for supposing the Mungoos would do any good, began to buy all they could procure from the natives, who, setting traps on my lands, stole all the Mungooses they could obtain, and sold them at prices ranging from SI at first down to 5s. each in the last few years. By this means, and naturally, the Mungoos has now become general all over the island ; and the beneficial results of the introduction of this useful animal may safely be taken as exceeding .36150,000 a year. Mr. Morris, the Government Botanist, states, " it might very safely be estimated at not less than ^6100,000 per annum." As a single instance of the good arising from the introduction of the Mungoos, I may refer to the exports of chocolate (cocoa). Owing to the ravages of the rats, it was impossible to grow cocoa : the exports in 1875 were only 311 cwt., valued at ,=€873. In 1880, only five years after, the exports were 3304 cwt. valued at |