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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) 



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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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EAST END OF OAHU 

US COAST AKD GEODETIC 

SURVEY CHAKT 

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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.] 
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Vol. III.— Nos. I, 2, 3, 4* 1907-. [Volume incomplete.] 
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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 
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