/^

B 485125 [i^he Hawaiian Rat.

By Wither Stone, A.M., Sc.D.

(Curator of Birds and Mammals, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.)

WhiIvB tradition and early accounts of the islands indicate
that a native rat occurred plentifully in the Hawaiian Group, the
species has, through the immigration of the familiar Norway and
Black Rats {Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus) and the later intro-
duction of the mongoose, disappeared so rapidly that it was
generally supposed to have become extinct. Furthermore, no
specimens of the animal had been preserved so far as we are
aware.

In the spring of 1913 Mr. John F. G. Stokes of the Bernice
Pauahi Bishop Museum discovered on the island of Kahoolawe a
number of bones and some portions of mummied rodents, a few of
which were referable to the House Mouse {Mus musculus), but
the majority to a species intermediate in size between this and the
introduced rats, which he identified (correctly so it proved) as the
Hawaiian Rat. His discovery of these remains is best told in his
own words:

*'In March and April of 191 3 I was on the island of Kahoo-
lawe investigating the site of an ancient fishing station or early
fish-hook factory. It was situated on the west shore of Kamohio
Gull at about the middle of the southern coast (see U. S. Coast
and Geodetic Survey Reg. Map No. 2726, immediately to the east
of Black f\ ) , and protected from the ocean swell by a small prom-
ontory. A few feet back from the sea was a rock shelter, worn
by wave action apparently, preceding a slight elevation of the
land. The cliffs enclosing the gulf were very precipitous, making
access from the interior of the island to the sea almost prohibitive
in that vicinity. They were barren of vegetation. The entrance
and interior of the shelter were partially filled by talus which
had fallen from a vertical cliff on the northern side, and on the
slopes of the talus, within the shelter, loose vStone terraces had
been built. One use of the terraces (and perhaps the only one)

[253] (3)

/ /

4 The Hawaiian Rat,

was as offertoria to the beach-worn stones which had been set up as
fish-gods. The offerings had consisted mainly of fish, but vegeta-
ble material was also found, in addition to the remains of petrels.
The indications from the ethnological material obtained were that
the location had been abandoned early in the nineteenth century.

''The rat remains were found among the lower stones of the
terraces and in the underlying talus. The spot was very dry, and
the floor of the shelter and the terraces were covered by a layer of
dust from six to eight inches deep. The interior of the shelter
was never reached by rain, as we had an opportunity of observing
during a very heavy storm. There is no reason to suppose that
the specimens might not have been preserved for many genera-
tions to come.

"I believe that these rats were present during the occupation
of the site by the early fishermen, and subsisted on the offerings.

"There is little doubt that we gathered all the fragments that
were available when we arrived at the place, as all the dirt and
fine dust was sifted. It puzzled me, however, to find mummies or
adhering bones, as in I^ot 5, and not to find the skull (PI. IX).
I^ot 4 gave us a deal of trouble. We found the mummy of the rat
head downwards with its skull crushed between two stones, appar-
ently by a movement of the talus as it dived for its home. Beside
it was a bird bone which it had possibly been carrying. The stones
were carefully removed and the fine dirt below was sifted. As we
found no more bones, we removed the lower stones hoping to get
the remains of the crushed skull. The jaw (No. 9033) and skull
(No. 9032) were found, but I did not realize until Professor W. A.
Bryan pointed it out to me in Honolulu that the skull belonged to
another species \^Mms musculus\, nor did I stop to make any
comparisons, as we had already spent a considerable time on the
specimen.

**The last use of Kahoolawe by Hawaiians, except for occa-
sional fishing excursions, was in 1843, when a penal settlement
established by the native government was abandoned. In 1863
it was leased for fifty years as a cattle ranch, and neither the
island nor the cattle were benefited thereby.

"It might be mentioned that long since the abandonment by
the early fishermen of the particular spot I investigated, ope or
more parties of bird hunters had visited the place with dogs, to

[254]

The Hawaiian Rat, 5

collect petrels, which were nesting in the holes among the stones
of the terraces. We found the remains of about a dozen petrels,
skulls, feathers and chewed bones, in the upper layer of dust.
Two goats had also died in the shelter, possibly being unable to
get out."

In May, 1915, Mr. Stokes found a number of mandibles
and bones of the same species of rat on the sand-dunes of
Heleloa, Mokapu Peninsula, Oahu (PI. X). Most of these were
obtained on the surface of wind-blown hollows on the dunes. In
a sand quarry a few hundred feet distant, a broken skull and other
fragments were picked up. Upon searching for traces of living
rats, several small holes were observed on the tops of the dunes,
among the scattered shore plants and scanty grass. As this point
of land is almost insular, the possibility suggested itself that the
imported rats and mongoose had not yet reached it, and that the
native rat might still persist there. Eight traps were therefore
set but without result, although one was vSprung. An opportunity
to repeat the experiment has not occurred.

On the island of Popoia, Kailua Bay, Oahu (PI. X), a small
rusty brown rat had been seen by Mr. Stokes early in 1915, and on
the chance that it might be the supposed extinct species a trap
was set on May 7, baited with bacon rind and a few drops of oils
of aniseed and rhodium. On the 9th the trap contained two dead
males and two living females. Mr. Stokes says :

"One of the males (No. 901 1) showed the marks of a severe
fight, and undoubtedly there had been a fight to a finish. The
others were drowned, and the lot (Nos. 9010-901 3) placed in alco-
hol immediately.

''On the nth, No. 9016 was taken in the morning, and a
male, probably her mate, in the afternoon. The trap was visited
twice daily, and the location changed every time a day passed
without a catch.

"Returning from Honolulu a fortnight later, the trap was set
out for about seven days, and only one female caught.

"It seemed well to let them breed up a little, as the island is
very small, so no more trapping was done until Sept. iS-igth,
when the exposure of the trap for a night and a day secured a
pair. The bait was bacon rind only. The female (No. 9017)
looked seedy and died a few days afterwards.

[255]

6 The Hawaiian Rat.

''The live rats were kept at my home in Honolulu in the hope
that they would breed. No. 9016 and her mate were in one cage,
and the second female in another.

"On June nth, the desired result not being obtained, the
second female was added to the pair. She, however, would hold
no converse with either of them, taking possession of their sleep-
ing box and showing a disposition to quarrel if either approached.
Her presence, though, appeared to excite the male, who finding
his approaches were repulsed by the stranger, confined them to
his mate.

"About June 21st, finding that No. 9016 was pregnant, she
was removed to the other cage, but seemed unable to produce her
young and died on the 28th.

"I thought the other female was mating about a month ago
(September, 1915), but nothing has happened since. There are
now on hand, alive, two males and one female.

"The cages are boxes of comparatively soft wood, with tops
and sides removed, and completely covered on the outside with one-
half inch mesh wire. It had surprised me that the rats never
made any attempt to gnaw through the wood. For the first few
days of their captivity they tried to bite through the exposed wire.

"They have taken readily to any food we have given them,
and are fond of fish and grain. A crab's leg was wasted, as they
seemed unable to crush the shell.

"Popoia islet is a flat piece of raised coral reef, varying in
height above the sea from four to seven feet. The area is only
three acres. It is just about a furlong from the main shore, the
intervening depth reaching eight feet. There is little question
that at one period it was joined to Oahu, as there are many places
along the shore of Kailua Bay where the formation is exactly
similar. The separation may have taken place through depression,
but was more probably due to the wave action or dissolution of the
reef rock from other causes not yet explained. The islet is rapidly
being worn away at present, as may be observed from some of the
enclosed prints (Pis. XI, XII).

"The surface of Popoia is broken abruptly by many hollows,
approximately twenty by thirty feet in size and one to three feet
deep, and is honey-combed in all directions by small vertical and

horizontal holes. In every hollow examined soil of volcanic ori-

[256]

The Hawaiian Rat. 7

gin was present, and below the level of this soil I found in two
places, where the waves have exposed it, a phosphate rock contain-
ing the tests of arboreal and terrestrial moUusca. The presence
of these fossils, according to Dr. C. Montague Cooke, indicates a
forest area at an earlier period, and a climate very different to that
at present.

''The vegetation now consists of twenty -five species, mostly
shore plants, seven of which are of foreign introduction. There
is but one species of tree, the milo ( Thespesia populnea) present
in a small forest covering about one-fifth of the lee side of the
island. The open area is partly and the depressions entirely
covered with our common salt marsh weed {Sesuvium Portulacas-
trum), and there are three grasses, one of which is native. Of the
plants suitable for rat food, there are the grasses, several small
berries and the seeds of the milo. All the plants have been identi-
fied by Mr. C. N. Forbes, our botanist, and I will send you a list
if you wish.

"Other life on Popoia is represented, among the birds, by at
least two species of petrel (which nest and spend the day time in
the surface holes, feeding only at night), the migratory and shore
birds (plover, turnstone, snipe, etc.), and two introduced land birds
which pass the night there for security. The owl or some other
predatory bird must occasionally visit it, as on two occasions I
have found on the open surface of the island partly eaten rats —
one minus a head, and another without head and shoulders. The
Hawaiian hawk has not been reported from this vicinity.

*'A skink is very abundant, being found in every corner of the
island. I had never seen any geckos until I began to catch the
skink, when I saw four specimens and secured three, representing
two species. The five skinks caught were of the same species.

"There are the usual shore and rock crabs, and once I secured
in the rat trap a pair of Geograpsus crinipes (Dana) which I had
not seen before.

"Before going farther, I should mention that I do not mean
to imply that the presence of the rats on Popoia necessarily dated
from the ancient forest conditions above referred to. It may have
been so. They may also have been carried there since the island
was separated from the shore, in the natives' canoes, a means not
so readily available to the imported foreign rats and mongoose on
account of their larger size. [257]

8 The Hawaiian Rat.

*'I have been wondering what the principal food of the rats
might be on Popoia. Their habits are difficult to study on account
of their extreme shyness. The only knowledge I ever had of their
presence was the rapid disappearance of a diminutive brown animal
on several occasions, and until I saw them in the trap it would
have been impossible to give any adequate description of them.
A native who frequently visited Popoia told me that there were no
rats there. In dry weather — the greater part of the year — I doubt
if the vegetable life would support them. I am inclined to think
that the rats depend largely on the food brought in by the petrels,
whose burrows they seem to share. The only man whom I have
met who has previously seen the Hawaiian rat alive is Mr. Augustus
Knudsen of Kauai. He told me some time ago that many years
previously he had observed the rats and sea birds living together
on the ocean cliffs of Kauai, and that the rats did not appear to
disturb the eggs, nor the birds the rats. He had not seen them for
many years.

* ' Similar conditions undoubtedly exist on Popoia . The oppor-
tunities for observation, however, are not the same, as the tern,
which is probably what Mr. Knudsen referred to, nests in open,
exposed places, and the petrel the exact opposite."

So much for Mr. Stokes' interesting rediscovery of this sup-
posed extinct mammal. The next question is to determine its
identity and relationship to other forms. For this purpose the
Bishop Museum has very kindly placed all of its material in my
hands for study, consisting of the several lots of bones and seven
rats in alcohol, three males and four females.

Two specimens were immediately removed from the alcohol
and prepared as skins, the skulls being carefully cleaned.

The first description of a rat from the Pacific islands is by
Titian R. Peale, naturalist of the U. S. Exploring Expedition,
who in his report of the birds and mammals obtained by the expedi-
tion proposed the name Mus exulans for specimens of native rats
obtained on the Dog and Disappointment Islands (Paumotu Archi-
pelago), Tahiti, Wake Island (20° west of Marianas, 10° north of
Marshalls) and Hull's Island (Phoenix Group).

A specimen from Tahiti, which may be regarded as the type, is
still preserved in the U. S. National Museum, but lacks the skull.

[258]

The Hawaiian Rat, 9

Peak's description leaves much to be desired, as he merely

says, ** so like the common Brown or Norway Rat, M, decu-

manus of naturalists, that they might be pronounced a diminutive
variety. ....." His plate, while it differs in certain proportions

and colors, and in the hair on the tail and forearms, from Mr. Stokes'
specimens, is probably not a very reliable representation of the
specimen from which it was drawn and should not be given too
much consideration.

Peale also described, at greater length, another species i^/^5
vitiensis from Fiji.

The types of M. exulans and M. vitiensis (Nos. 3730 and 3731,
Colin. United States National Museum), kindly loaned me through
the courtesy of Mr. G. S. Miller Jr., curator of mammals, are old
dismounted specimens of an almost uniform yellowish brown color
above and below. They were probably immersed in spirits before
mounting, and this together with long exposure to light has prac-
tically ruined them for purposes of comparison, and they are with-
out skulls.

The hair appears longer and more bristly than in the Hawaiian
specimens, especially in the case of M. exulans, while the scales
on the tail in vitiensis are larger and more conspicuous. In each
of the types there appears to be more hair on the tail than in the
Hawaiian animal.

Mr. Edgar R. Waite ( 1897) ' has discussed the Pacific native rat
and follows current opinion that specimens from the various Polj^-
nesian islands are all referable to one species, for which of course he
adopts the name Mus exulans Peale. He had, however, no series
of specimens before him, so that his interesting paper by no means
settles this question. He does, nevertheless, give a good descrip-
tion of a specimen from Funafuti Atoll and figures the skull, which,
if the figure is accurate, is broader than that of the Hawaiian ani-
mal. Waite does not mention the dark color of the under side of
the feet, which is very characteristic of all Mr. Stokes' specimens,
while the number of foot-pads in the two do not coincide.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the original descriptions
of Peale's species and the lack of recent material from these other
island groups, no satisfactory results can be reached as to the
relationship of the native rats of the several Pacific islands. It

^Mammals, Reptiles and Fishes of Funafuti, Mem. Aust. Mus., Ill, 174,
pi. viii, figs. I a - if. [259]

lo The Hawaiian Rat.

does, however, seem extremely unlikely that islands, as far removed
as Tahiti and Fiji, should have possessed animals identical with
those of Hawaii. Therefore it would seem desirable to name the
Hawaiian native rat as a distinct species and a description of it
is here appended. It may be known as :

Rattus' hawaiiensis.

(Plate VIII.)

Type. No. 9010, Colin. Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.
Popoia Island, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands, $ . May 9, 1915.

Description. Above cinnamon brown or russet shading into
cinnamon buff on the sides and light buff or buffy white below,
strongly mixed with black hairs on the back and sides. Feet nearly
white above, the dusky color of the legs overspreading the tarsus
and carpus and narrowing to a point. Whole underside of the
hind feet dark.

Measurements. I^ength, 239 mm.; tail, 118; hind foot, 26; ear, 9.

Skull. lycngth (occipito-nasal), 32 mm.; zygomatic breadth,
16; interorbital breadth, 5.5; basilar length of Hensel, 27.5; molar
tooth row, 5.5; median length of nasals, 12; total length of man-
dible, 22.

A female (No. 9012, Colin. Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum),
now in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila-
delphia, is exactly similar in coloration but slightly smaller in size.

Measurements . Length, 225 mm.; tail, iii; hind foot, 25; ear, 9.

Skull. Length (occipito-nasal), 31 mm.; zygomatic breadth,
16; interorbital breadth, 5.3; basilar length of Hensel, 25; molar
tooth row, 5.5; median length of nasals, 11; total length of
mandible, 21.

In concluding the account of this interesting rodent, I wish to
acknowledge the kindness of Mr. J. F. G. Stokes in placing all of
his material and notes in my hands for description. The paper is
really more his than mine, and to his indefatigable efforts we are
indebted for bringing to light this animal long since regarded as
extinct.

'The Hawaiian Rat is placed in the genus Rattus as opposed to Mus (type
M. musculus), following Trouessart. It may be that the old genus Mus is
susceptible of further generic subdivision and that this species is not con-
generic with the Norway and Black Rats.

[260]

Notes on the Hawaiian Rat.

By John F. G. Stokes.

In the preceding paper Dr. Stone has undertaken to give the
writer more credit for his observations than is his due, such observa-
tions being mostly the result of accidental findings in the prosecution
of his regular work; and has further done him the honor of inviting
him to add his name as co-author, which it seemed to him more fitting
to decline, since his work is outside the field of systematic zoology.

We much appreciate Dr. Stone's kindnCvSS in looking into the
subject of the native rat and describing the specimens, especially
as there is no mammalogist on the Museum's staff.

The following notes may be added to those already communi-
cated and may be of service in throwing more light on the habits
of the native rat. They include observations made since the des-
patch of the original rat material to Dr. Stone, and references to
the rat in the life of the Hawaiian people.

On the island of Kauai, in 19 16, the Weliweli and Mahaulepu
sand-dunes, in the neighborhood of some petroglyphs the writer
was measuring, were visited. Some little time was spent on the
Weliweli dunes gathering fossil land shells, and incidentally a
fairly thorough but unsuccessful search for rat bones was made.
On the Mahaulepu dunes, three miles to the north, the visit was
briefer and the search confined to ethnological material and fossil
shells, since the Weliweli dunes had yielded no rat remains. A few
samples of sand containing the fossil shells from Mahaulepu were
brought back to Honolulu, and when Dr. C. M. Cooke sifted the
same, he found a small mammal bone comparable in size to the rat
bones from Heleloa and Kahoolawe. Being a mammal bone, its size
would indicate that it probably belonged to the native rat species.

The same year remains of rats were found at three places in
the Wailuku sand-dunes, Maui. These dunes, used as pastures,
extend about five miles to the northeast and southwest of the lao
stream's stony bed. The stream, a mountain torrent subject to

heavy floods, has swung back and forth, during its existence, over

[261] (II)

1 2 Notes on the Hawaiian Rat.

a breadth of a quarter of a mile. The resultant stretch of volcanic
Tocks and soil divides the two series of dunes. The present trend
of lao is westward, and it is now undermining the dunes on that
^i4e, leaving a high bank of dry, rolling sand. The eastern series
of dunes is now well covered with fodder trees {Prosopis julijlora) ,
but on the dry, western series the vegetation is merely a thin
growth of dune grasses and weeds; its upper strata are changing
into aeolian sandstone.

Crowning two of the high dunes of the latter series, and about
three hundred feet apart are the foundations of the old temples
Pihana and Halekii. The foundations are loose, dry-laid, water-
worn stones, piled up over a century ago by the Hawaiians. Such
stones are seldom seen on the dunes, and when found there, their
presence is traceable to human agency. Generally near them are
stunted lantana shrubs. The Pihana and Halekii dunes are more
or less isolated from the surrounding volcanic soil and rocks by
other sand-hills or bare sandy slopes; Halekii more so than
Pihana.

The rat specimens first noted here were a few scattered leg
bones among the remains of the offerings — human, pig, dog and
fish bones, shells, etc., on the surface at Pihana. Offerings at
temples ceased a century ago, and the large mammal bones were
almost completely destroyed by weathering. The rat bones were
in a good state of preservation, and unless they had been recently
uncovered by the sand shifting, they post-dated the other bones.
They were from mature animals, and probably the native rat.
Half of Pihana's foundations had slid down the steep bank which
the stream had undermined, and the offerings were found on the
remaining portion of the stone floor and on the sliding sand.

Halekii temple had not been disturbed by the stream and was
five hundred feet distant from it. A recently dead rat was found
there exposed to the weather on one of the foundation stones.
It had been dead probably less than ten days, as the eyes were
present in position. Decomposition of the soft body parts was
•complete, and the flesh of the legs and tail had dried. There was
still a marked odor. The fur was present, except on the right
side, on which the animal was lying. The writer has little hesi-
tation in identifying the specimen as a native rat, from the color

of the fur and the size of the animal.

[262]

Notes on the Hawaiian Rat. 15

This specimen and the rat bones above mentioned were for-
warded to Dr. Stone, but crossed his MS. in the mails.

In the eastern dune series, on the site of the old battle field
of Kakanilua, two miles from Halekii, half a mandible and two leg
bones of what may reasonably be referred to the native rat, were
later picked from the surface of the sand.

The presence of the living rats on Popoia (reported to Dr,
Stone) suggested a search on other islets. There is a small mush-
room-shaped islet called Kekepa on the coral reef at the eastern
entrance to Kaneohe Bay (see map, Plate X). Its area is about
an acre, and the highest point of its surface is fifteen to eighteen
feet above mean tide. On account of its situation a landing can
only be made on the narrow wave-washed shelf encircling its base,,
at low tide and in calm weather. The writer visited Kekepa in
1 91 5. It was of raised coral reef formation ; its surface was honey-
combed, and the same species of petrels were nesting as at Popoia.
Vegetation was confined to shore plants ; there were no shrubs or
trees. Though the writer, when starting, prepared himself with
traps, he could not use them since the boatman, on reaching
Kekepa, limited the stay to fifteen minutes on account of the rising
sea. Enough was seen of conditions at Kekepa, however, to sug-
gest the probability of the rat being present.

Another reason for the visit was curiosity aroused by the
account of a young native boy that his parents had seen on the
islet a small brown bird of the size of the imported mina {Acrido-
theres tristis) which jumped instead of flying. The parents were
absent, and the information above was furnished in reply to a
casual enquiry of what was to be seen on Kekepa, which was in
sight in the distance. Of course, the description of the bird would
fit one of the extinct Hawaiian rails {Pennula sp.) better than any
other known Hawaiian birds, and considering the honey-combed
condition of the surface of Kekepa, the writer would not care to
state that the rail was not on the islet.

On the volcanic island of Mokulua North a fairly thorough
search was made among the rocks near the sea, and in likely places
a little further back, without finding indications of rats. A less
thorough search at Mokulua South gave no better rCvSults. These
islands are high and were probably formed independently from
Oahu. [263]

14 * Notes on the Hawaiian Rat.

Summarizing the results concerning native species from all
the localities visited and mentioned in this and Dr. Stone's article
preceding, we get, if the writer's identification of the material be
correct, on the islands of —

Kauai :

Sand-dunes, Weliweli. No traces of rats.

Sand-dunes, Mahaulepu. Skeletal material.
Oahu:

Reef islet of Popoia. Living rats.

Reef islet of Kekepa. Natural conditions for rats similar to Popoia.

Volcanic coastal islets

of Mokulua. No traces of rats.

Sand-dunes, Heleloa. Skeletal material and possibly living rats.
Maui :

Sand-dunes, Wailuku. Skeletal and fresh material.
Kahoolawe :

On barren coast. Skeletal material, with introduced species.

Except for Kahoolawe, these observations cover a period
of less than two years. Only at Popoia and Kahoolmwe was there
any amount of time spent. When we consider that the results
obtained were mostly due to accidental discoveries through brief
visits made only as time permitted, the conclusion seems obvious
that the Hawaiian rat may yet be found alive in many other
localities which it may have reached, where conditions are favor-
able for its preservation.

In seeking for these favorable conditions, we would ordinarily
select localities from which the native rodent's introduced com-
petitors or natural enemies (large rats and mongoose) are debarred
by natural conditions; which do not furnish sufficient food or
cover to attract them ; or to which they have not so far extended.
This much has apparently been found in the shore-lying islets and
coastal sand-dunes, which are common in this group. Among the
former, for instance, on Oahu (see map) may be Kekepa (raised
reef) and Mokolii (volcanic) . Other islands, Kapapa (raised reef)
and Mokumanu, Mokulua, and Manana (all volcanic) may be too
distant. Moku o Loe (volcanic) , in Kaneohe Bay, should be a good
locality, and it is reported as being overrun with rats of a species
not known at present. This island w^as recently inhabited, and is
so frequently and eavSily visited that the rat may well prove to be
of an introduced species.

The sand-dunes, used for cattle grazing, are generally covered

with a sparse herbal growth, sufficient perhaps to support the

[264]

Notes on the Hawaiian Rat. 15

smaller native rat, yet not enough to attract the larger introduced
animals from the richer pastures around the human dwellings or
in the sugar-cane fields inland. On the dunes the mongoose is a
rare visitor. Its nature is to stay close to cover, and a place bare
of stones and without thick grass probably would not appeal as
good hunting ground.

The writer would suggest that a study of conditions similar
to those of the Hawaiian group, in the islands of the South and
West Pacific, might demonstrate that the other species of Oceanian
rats, now believed to be rare or extinct, are yet to be found alive.'
It is a matter for zoologists to follow up if the suggestion be deemed
worthy of consideration.

Some of the Popoian rats were kept alive in Honolulu, as
reported to Dr. Stone. The intention was to breed them and dis-
tribute the progeny among some of the more distant small islets
where they could work no harm and might be preserved from their
introduced enemies. The record is herewith : —

iflRST CAGE.

May II, 1915. No. o ^ and No. 9016 9 trapped, placed together.

June II, 1 915. No. 9040 9 added to pair. No. o $ and No. 9016 9 mated.

June 28, 191 5. No. 9016 9 died in parturition.

June 28, 1916. No. 9040 9 died.

At date. No. o ^ on hand, alive.

SECOND CAGE.

Sept. 19, 1915. No. 9024 $ and No. 9017 9 trapped, placed together.

Sept. 22, 1 915. No. 9017 9 died.

Nov. 29, 1915. No. 9024 ^ died.

Observations on the habits of the rats have been conducted
with difficulty on account of the extreme shyness of the animals.
The cages were fastened just outside window sills so that the ani-

^ Skeletal material might be found in old Polynesian temples. In the notes
sent to Dr. Stone it was mentioned that the fishermen's religious offerings
of food (fish, meat, fruit and vegetables) had served to sustain the Kahoo-
lawe rats. The specimens found on the Wailuku ruins were, probably, all
comparatively recent, but their presence calls to mind the indirect reference
mad^ by many writers, native and others, to rats in Hawaiian temples. There
the rodents would find ample shelter among the loose stones, and live on the
fat of the land. The food offerings were abundant and varied. "Poor as a
church mouse" could not be said of the Hawaiian temple rat. In Tahiti par-
ticularly, where worship and offerings were very similar to the Hawaiian, a
search might bring results which would aid materially in identifying Peale's
Mus exulans. [265]

1 6 Notes on the Hawaiian Rat.

mals could be watched from the room through the uncovered wire
at the top. Their reaction to sound and scent was so sharp that
they could detect the quiet approach of an observer before they
could see him and would then remain motionless, except for their
twitching snouts and ears, as long as a person cared to watch from
a little distance. A nearer approach to the window would cause
a scurry for the sleeping box. Subsequent observations would
then be limited to the pair of twitching noses poking out of the
box opening.

The appearance of a person above the cage always terrified
them. Later, the cage was changed to a window where the rats were
just above the level of one's head when standing on the ground.
In this situation, one of the rats became tame enough to eat from
(and of) the fingers. However, movement above the cage continued
to frighten them as much as ever, and the upper part of the cage
was subsequently covered over.

Noise of any kind disturbed them, particularly the sharp snap-
ping of the cage wire when opening the little door, when they
would freeze as though expecting to meet their doom. It is evi-
dent that any future observations should be conducted in a cage
which can be handled noiselessly.

They are on the move during the whole day, and feed freely
at this time. Judging from the noise, however, their greatest
activity is in the early part of the night. Their long sleep must
take place between 9 p.m and 8 a.m.

Their food has been bread, cooked meat, bones, fresh, salt and
smoked fish, lettuce, sow-thistle, cabbage, wheat, oats, walnuts,
apples or anything else in the house. The bones are not closely
gnawed. Papaya {Carica papaia), a fruit of which the imported
rats are very fond, destroying many on the trees, was refused
by those under observation.' A leg of the common rock crab
{Grapsus sp.) was also refused, though probably on account of the
difficulty of breaking through the shell. They have been observed
chasing the common wood-roach, which occasionally crawls into
the cage, but the chase stopped as soon as the observer approached
the cage from above and the roach escaped. Living sow-bugs and

^In January, 1917, papaya was fed to and eaten by the male which had
been in captivity for twenty months. At this time also the milo seeds were
first fed, to the same rat; they were not eaten very readily.

[266J

Notes on the Hazvaiian Rat. 17

parts of centipedes were eaten readily, the harder portions being
chewed for some time and then ejected. An immature mouse was
once found in the cage with the head eaten.

Early in 1916, during the damp weather, the introduced snail
{Eulota similaris) was very plentiful. A few were fed by the
writer's wife to the rats in the illustration (Pis. XIII, XIV);
they ate them very readily, biting through and completely crush-
ing the fragile shells with ease. The rodents sat on their haunches
and held the snails with their fore paws. In less than an hour
twenty-one snails were eaten, and the indications w^ere that more
would have been consumed had they been available. From this
time on snails, when found, became a part of the rats' diet. One
of the large introduced slugs ( Veronicella sp.) was placed in the
cage and the male rat made many attempts to bite it before it
crawled out again.

The native arboreal and terrestrial moUusca in some of the
local forests are suffering from the depredations of rats, according
to present day collectors, undoubtedly the introduced species.
Dr. Cooke states that, at times, scores of mutilated shells are found
about the entrances to the burrows, the owners of which had
apparently carried them there to eat at their leisure. On learn-
ing of the Hawaiian rats' appetite for the Eulota, two nearly
mature living specimens of Partulina redfieldii, a native arboreal
pulmonate, were placed in the rats' cage. The rodents attacked
them only at the aperture, breaking off the outer lip and failing to
reach the soft parts.

In PI. XV, No. 2 is one of the shells so treated, placed for
comparison beside a whole specimen (No. i) of Partulina redjieldii
of about the same size and in the same relative position. They
are illustrated at the suggestion of Dr. Cooke, who has kindly
mounted with them eight other specimens (Nos. 3-10) recently
collected, from which the softer parts had been extracted by an
introduced rat. No. 8 is harder than No. 2, and Nos. 5-7 nearly
as hard.

It will be noticed that the attack by the introduced rat was
generally directed at the last whorl, in which the larger part of
the molluscan body lay. Of the nine specimens in the Museum's
possession,' one, not illustrated, was also attacked at the aperture

^ From the shell collection of Mr. Irwin Spalding.

O. p. B.P. B. M. Vol. Ill, No. 4.— 2. [267]

1 8 Notes on the Hawaiian Rat.

lip. In one (No. 3) it will be observed the apex is gone. Popo-
ian rats had always completely crushed the shells of the Eulota,
so observations were made on the method of initial attack on this
species by the remaining living native rat, ^ No. o. After feeding
one snail at a time and then interrupting the meal, it was found on
examining the shells that all were attacked at the last whorl, one
of which was also broken at the aperture. In the latter instance,
the body of the snail was expanded just before it was seized by
the rat. From the above observations and illustrations, it might
appear that the rats attack the portion of the shell where the mol-
luscan body is found.

Many of the Hawaiian terrestrial mollusca are smaller and
are provided with more fragile shells than those illustrated above,
and may well have contributed to the diet of the native rat before
it was displaced by the introduced species.

In the communications to Dr. Stone, reference was made to
the inability or lack of desire on the part of the Popoian rats to
escape by gnawing through the soft wooden lining of the cage.
Evidence of the ability of the common house rats, or even mice, to
gnaw through thick wood has been presented to most people who
live in wooden houses. The Popoian rats, on the other hand, have
made no attempt to gnaw their way out through the wood, though
for the first two days of captivity they tried to bite through the
exposed wire front. Bones and tough cartilage they do not seem
to make an impression on, and they were unable to bite through
the leg of our common rock crab, as already mentioned.

It would thus seem that there was a comparative weakness in
the Hawaiian rat's gnawing system, due probably to undevelop-
ment in the species. Such a probability could be explained if we
were to take into consideration, for example, the conditions under
which the house varieties of the different species operated. Foreign
rats and mice have had, for very many of their generations, closely
fitting wooden walls and floors to contend with, and innumerable
enemies to compel them to keep close within the shelter of such
wooden constructions. The Hawaiian rat shared the open life of
its human neighbor, with few natural enemies except the same
neighbor, and found the grass house walls, and loose stone founda-
tions and floors, places for easy hiding.

[268]

Notes on the Hawaiiati Rat, 19

When repacking the first rats caught on Popoia to mail to
Philadelphia, a number of lice and mites were found in the original
alcohol. Mr. O. H. Swezey examined them, and as our literature
on the subject is very scanty, he has only tentatively determined
the louse as Polyplax \^Haematopinus'\ spinulosa : adults, young
and eggs. Mr. J. C. Bridwell has recognized the mite as belong-
ing to the Ga^nasidcE , and closely resembling but not identical with
the poultry tick, Dermanyssus gallincE.

Mr. T. G. Thrum, a lifetime student of Hawaiian legendary
lore, has found in his readings many references to the native rat.
In particular, an interesting account of the pastime of rat hunting
is given in the legend of Pikoiakaalala,' the infant prodigy with
the bow and arrow. The legend, full of the marvelous, is appro-
priately referred to at this time on account of the mention of three
kinds of places where the rat-killing contests occurred. One was
a wildernCvSS or deserted cultivation field on Kauai. The second,
on the coastal plains of Oahu, covered with a lowland herbaceous
form of the aweoweo {Chenopodium sandwicheMm) , among the stems
and leaves of which the rats took shelter. The third was the
king's grass dwelling house near the shore, where the rats were
shot on the floor and the interior of the roof.

From the legend is also ascertained the mode of procedure in
the contests. The first competitor shot continuously at such rats
as were pointed out by his opponent to the number agreed upon.
Then the latter took his turn and shot as ordered by the first.
The total score, of course, determined the winner. From the same
legend, it would appear that the chiefs had in their retinue, men
or women employed as rat killers, and indulged in betting on the
contestants' skill.

There is another account, that a place was cleared of brush
and weeds, and the rats then driven into the clearing as marks for

^S. M. Kaui, He Kaao no Pikoiakaalala. Nupepa Kuokoa, Honolulu,
Dek. 16, 1865-Mar. 18, 1866. This is not the best version, as Kaui missed the
point of the legend, i. e., the opportunity of bringing in a play on words,
where the youngster displayed his smartness. It was selected for this refer-
ence, however, because the places where the shooting was said to have oc-
curred must have appeared so natural to a Hawaiian recounting the legend
fifty years ago as to mislead him in his understanding of the intent of the
tale. A better version, from among the Abraham Fornander MSS., will be
published in the Museum Memoirs in the near future.

[269]

^6 Notes on the Hawaiian Rat,

the archers. In the pastime the small extinct rail previously
mentioned was sometimes substituted for the rat.

We have no record in the Hawaiian Group of any contrivance
in the shape of a rat-trap such as occurs on some of the other
Pacific islands. The bow and arrow was probably depended on
to keep down the rats as vermin. As late as 1888, Mr. J. S.
Emerson secured from a native, about ninety years of age, on the
island of Hawaii, a small bow and arrow which was kept in the
house for shooting "mice".' Mr. Emerson set up a mark about
sixteen feet off, to test the old man's skill, and found him very
proficient. The bow was not used in warfare.

The Hawaiians formerly had an outdoor rack for protecting
food from dogs, hogs and rats. Sometimes it was a branched tree
set up outside the house, from the branches of which the food
bowls would be suspended in netted bags. In this museum are
two carved wooden racks for the same purpose. They are canoe-
shaped, notched on the upper edges, and were set across the ends
of upright posts. ^

One of the native superstitions concerning the rodent was that
if the baby's umbilical cord (some authorities state, the boy's pre-
puce also) were eaten by a rat the child would grow up a liar
and a thief.

^Introduced, without doubt. One or two references to the probable ex-
istence of a native mouse, as well as a rat, have been met with, but on what
grounds it was not stated. Cook and King (Cook's Third Voyage, London,
1785, Vol. II, p. 228, and Vol. Ill, p. 117 respectively) both state that there
were only three mammals in the Hawaiian Islands, the dog, hog and rat, re-
sembling those seen at every other island touched at. King spent several
weeks ashore and had full opportunity for observing the mouse were it pres-
ent. The Hawaiian term for the rat was iole^ and the same term in its vary-
ing dialectic forms was found among other Polynesians with the identical
application. The early Hawaiian biological nomenclature was very profuse
and apparently exact as to variety. To quote two examples only, there were
over sixty terms for varieties of taro ; and three or four terms for the fish
iilua in its different stages of growth, although all stages were recognized as
belonging to the same fish. There is little question that had there been two
native rodents the ancient Hawaiians would have used two different terms.
As the old systems became obsolete through foreign influence, the Hawaiians
seemed to lose their aptitude in "giving a thing a name." The introduced
mouse was known as iole liilii^ ''little rat", and the wharf rat iole nui^ "big
rat", which term was also applied to the rabbit.

^B. P. B. Museum Memoirs, vol. ii, fig. 67, p. 205.

[270]

Notes on the Hawaiian Rat, 21

LATER NOTES.

Dr. Stone has identified the Wailuku temple rats as the same
as the others.

On February 4, 191 7, I met a native at Kailua who said that
his grandfather claimed to have accidentally introduced the rats
to Popoia, where, according to the statement, there were none be-
fore. The account is that the rats were transported from Kailua
beach in the folds of a fish-net, and escaped when the net was
spread out on Popoia. The claim that such an introduction took
place is reasonable, and I am glad to be able to mention it in
these notes. It would suggest the advisability of examining the
sand-dunes before the shore islets when looking for the native
rat. The introduction occurred ''more than twenty years ago,"
which might mean, on account of the Hawaiians' difficulty in
recalling dates, any time previous to such limit. At the present
time introduced rats and mice are plentiful about the houses at
Kailua beach.

Two Hawaiian rats were seen on Popoia on February 4, one
in the open, and one among the milo trees; and on February 11
a young male was trapped at the latter place. It was active and
seemed healthy, but died on March i .

On February 25 and March 4, Dr. C. Montague Cooke found
many native rat bones on undulating sand-plains and low dunes
near the northern point of Oahu. They were in beds of fossil
shells, which had been disturbed by road grading. The shell de-
posits are probably much older than the Heleloa dunes.

[271]

PRESENTED JANUARY I7, I917.
PUBIvISHED MARCH 8, I917.

PLATES

EXPLANATION OF PLATES.

PLATE VIII.
Rattus hawaiiensis, type.

PLATE IX.

Material from Kahoolawe; No. 9032, Mus musculus. Other rat material,
Rattus hawaiiensis. Nos, 9027 and 9029 from young specimens.

PLATE X.
Part of Oahu, showing location of Heleloa and Popoia.

PLATE XI.
Popoia Islet.
South s^hore, showing erosion.

PLATE XII.
Popoia Islet.

Upper figure. Shore pool showing erosion : looking outward.
Lower figure. Surface of northern part.

PLATES XIII, XIV.

Rattus hawaiiensis, S No. o, 5 No. 9040. Height of drinking ciip is
68 mm.

PLATE XV.

Hawaiian pulmonates attacked by rats. Explanation on plate.

[274]

Occasional Papers B. P. E. M., Vol. III.

Plate VIII.

I

X 2.5

RATTUvS HAWAIIENSIS, TYPE.

X .6

Occasional Fapp:rs B. P. B. M., Vol. III.

RAT AND OTHER MATERIAI^ FROM KAHOOI^AWK.

Occasional Papers B. P. B. M., Vol. III.

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OCCASIOXAI. PAPKUS B. I'. P.. M., VOL. III.

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Occasional Papers B. P. B. M., Vol. III.

POPOIA ISLET.

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Occasional Papkrs H. P. u. M., Vol. III.

I'LATE XIII.

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OCCASIONAL Papers P>. P. ]'>. M.. Vol. III.

HAWAIIAN PUI.MONATES ATTACKED BY RATS. NO. 2 BY NATIVE RAT
IN captivity; NOS. 3-10 by INTRODUCED RATS.

No. I. Partulina redfieldii ; whole immature specimen for comparison.

No. 2. Partulina redfieldii ; aperture attacked.

No. 3. Achatinella fulgens; apex attacked.

]v^o. 4. " fulgens; ultimate and penultimate whorls attacked.

]S[o. 5. '' phteozona; ultimate and penultimate whorls attacked.

;^To 5^ " apicata, var. aloha; ultimate and penultimate whorls

attacked.
No. 7. Achatinella apicata, var. beata ; ultimate and penultimate whorls

attacked.
No. 8. Laminella gravida, var. aurantium; ultimate whorl attacked.
No. 9. Amastra spirozona ; all but apical whorls attacked.
No. 10. Amastra tristis ; all but apical whorls attacked.
All arboreal except No. 10, which is terrestrial.

01637 3519

PUBI/ICATIONS

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

Honolulu, Hawaii, U. S. A.

Mil^MOIRS.

(Qttarto.)

Vol, I.— Nos. 1-5. 1899-1903.

Vol. II,— Nos. 1-4. 1906-1909.

Vol. III.—Ka Hana Kapa: The Making of Bark-cloth iti Hawaii.
By Wm. T. Btigham. 1911. Complete volttme.

Vol. IV. — Foftiaader Collection of Hawaiian Antiquities and
Folk-lore. Gathered by Abraham Fornander. With Transla-
tions Revised and Illustrated with Notes by Thomas O. Thrum.
Part I. 1916. [Part II in press.]

OCCASIONAI, PAPERS.

(Octavo.)
Vol. I,— Nos. 1-5. 1898-1903. [No. I out of print.]
Vol. II.— Nos. 1-5. 1903-1907.

Vol. III.— Nos. I, 2, 3, 4* 1907-. [Volume incomplete.]
Vol. IV.— Nos. 1-5. 1906-1911.
Vol. v.— Nos. 1-5. 1912-1913.

Vol. VI.— No. I. Director's Report for 1913. — New Hawaiian
Plants, IV. By Charles N. Forbes. I9I4*

No. 2. Director's Report for 1914. 1915.

No. 3. Director's Report for 1915. New Hawaiian Plants, V. By
Charles N. Forbes. 1916.

A Handbook for the Bishop Museum. 1903. [Out of print.]

Bishop Museum Handbook.— Part i: The Hawaiian Collections.
1915. Octavo.— Part II: Hawaiian Fishes. (In preparation.)

Index to Abraham Pomander's '*An Account of the Polynesian
Race." By John F. G. Btokes. 1909. Octavo.

A detailed list, with prices, will be mailed to any address on
application to the Wbrarian.

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