THE MAORI RAT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 101, 22 January 1908, Page 4

THE MAORI RAT.

STILL NIBBLING AT WHANGAREI. (DT TEI.EGKArU—SPECIAL COIIRESrONDEST.) Auckland, January 21. Evidence is furnisher] to the " Herald " by a Whangarei gentleman that the Maori rat is not extinct, as was generally thought to bo tho case, tie says:— " I saw an article in your issue of January IG, in which doubt is thrown oil tho statement of a gentleman who claims to have seen a Maori rat (said to be extinct). During the last twelve months J. have caught four in my lemon orchard. ) find that when tho lemons are standing in the trays ready for packing tho rats eat the rind off some of the ripest, but do not cat the l'ruit. "The Maori rat, as I know it, is rather smidlor than the common or Norwegian variety. It has a very long tail, at least onethird longer than tho ordinary. Its coat is ns line as velvet, and is of a bluish colour, showing at lirst sight a black shade, while the bead is also of a niero pleasing type. "They do not take ordinary rat baits, but are caught by placing an ordinary gin trap among the lemons. The Norwegian we have, and they drive tho Maori outside the barn to live." .

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