RATS EATING FLOWERS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12825, 8 June 1907, Page 5

RATS EATING FLOWERS.

XO THK EDITOR OF "THS PRESS." Sir, —During a long experience of plants and their enemies, I have no recollection of observing or learning of rats eating or otherwise injuring flowers. I therefore have pleasure in recording an interesting caso of thes# rodents eating parts of the flowers of Cobaia soandens. On the 25th of April I observed one of the household cats climbing cautiously over a high bower of native shrubs and trees which are densely covered with native convolvulus .and CoboM. scandens intertwined. Thinking that the cat was probabiy after birds, I watched her for some time, and, while doing so, I saw a medium-sized rat drop from the lower branch of tho young mahoe tree supporting the mass of climbers, and run into the denser bush. On the Sunday morning following, I again saw a larger rat climbing over tlio dense mass, and stop at ono of the large purple bell-flowers of tho Cobo-u. •Steadying itself, it seized and held tho flower, and, as well as I could see from tho distance, commenced to nibble at the base of the large tubular flower. Piocuring a long-handled pair of edging shears, I reached up and clipped off the flower for examination. On examining it closely, I discovered a large hole eaten through one 6ide of the tube, and tlie whole fleshy interior base of the pistil and stamins eaten out. On looking carefully over tho several masses of these magnificent flowers planted and growing luxuriantly in the native bnsh here, I found several more flowers thus destroyed. On looking further for portions of the pistil and stamens of tne injured flowers, I could only find minute polloniferous parts of the stamens and pistil which would indicate that the rats also eat them. A few days later I met the old tortoishell cat coming from the Cobcea bowers with a half-grown rat. This vigilant enemy of the übiquitous rat daily hunts .round the Coboea masses, and, doubtless, prevents the destruction of many of these lovely flowers. There seems to mc no doubt whatever that the rats attack and eat the somewhat thick fleshy base of the flowers for their melliginous and nutritive qualities. The honey, though slightly bitter -sweet to the taste, is secreted in abundance around the grooved base of the -tamens as an attraction to humming birds and large hawk moths, by which the flowers are fertilised in their native countryMexico to Paraguay. In very calm weather the shorter pistil of the flowerdrops lower than the stamens. When the delicate humming-bird or hawk moth, and other species, gently alights on the protruding 6t«minß and enters the tube, the pistil, beinst sensitive, springs up when the stigma _ touches the breast or abdomen, to which the pollen of other flowers adhere, and the flower is thus fertilised. Although there is an abundance of the fallon mast of tho hinau, tawa, and other native trees (on which the interesting Kiore Maori fed in pre-pakeha days) in the Tnrarua forests, the rats thus vary their menu with the melliferous coboea flowers. Hinau, tawa and miro berries frequently lodge in dense masses of native climbers in tho bush, where they are sought out by rats. No doubt they wero thus engaged when they discovered the richly-coloured and pweft-scented and sweet-tasted flower* of the "Rn . h"vr» n reari--method of communicating facts to each other, nnd thus, I suppose, the new--«ccn snread among them that thes*-he-uitiful flowers were good and tasty food.—Yours, etc. W. W. SMITH. Fareham, Featherston, May 31, 1907