The Hawaiian Islands have borne the brunt of numerous accidental and in~ tentional introductions of both plants and animals. Some have proved valuable, others undesirable. The mongoose was a deliberate importation, but the merit of this carnivore is a subject of controversy because opinions differ concerning its effectiveness as a destroyer of rodents, and much prejudice exists toward it because of its predation on domestic and wild birds.The need for detailed information on the mongoose in Hawaii arises partly from its considerable economic importance and also from the lack of any comprehensive account of the behavior of this mammal in Hawaii, in the West Indies where it was also introduced, or in its native Asiatic range. In Hawaiian and West Indian literature, the mongoose has been the subject of frequent comment concerning the role it plays as a rodent catcher. Field observations, food analyses, feeding experiments, and ecological data of limited scope have been reported, but much more extensive information than is now available must be gathered before an overall judgment of the practical value of the mongoose can be made. Of theoretical interest, the mongoose in Hawaii exemplifies the integration of a small carnivore into an insular fauna which had lacked animals of this type. La Rivers' (1948) work is the first attempt to describe the ecological role of the mongoose in a natural Hawaiian plant-animal community.The purpose of this study is to assemble information on the distribution, behavior, ecology, and human values of the mongoose in Hawaii. This report may be regarded as an outline suggesting fields for further exploration of the status of the mongoose in these islands. P. H. Baldwin obtained occasional records of the mongoose between 1938 and 1946 "and collected mongooses from September 1948 to September 1949 on the Island of Hawaii for a study of the reproductive cyle of this animal with Dr. Oliver P. Pearson. The latter project received financial aid from the Committee on the Joseph Henry Fund of the National Academy of Sciences. Special thanks are due to Dr. and Mrs. Chester K. Wentworth for facilities made available for field work on the island of Hawaii. C. W. Schwartz and E. R. Schwartz observed the mongoose during a survey of the game birds on t.he major Hawaiian Islands from February 1946 through July 1947 as a Federal Aid-Wildlife Program of the Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, Territory of Hawaii.Mongooses were frequently noticed because of their diurnal habits; however, their tendency to retire to cover made extended observation difficult. Scats were collected and could easily be distinguished among those of the few mammalian species in Hawaii. The animals were trapped with number "0" steel traps baited with cooked meat (hotel scraps) suspended over the traps; results were best when traps were partially concealed with leaves. Feral cats frequently interfered with trap sets, and rats were caught in considerable numbers. A more

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract