[Read before the Otago Institute, 26th November, 1878.]

Two of the rats were caught in 1876 in a field of oats which I was cutting, eighteen miles from the shipping, and so might be called country rats. I think I killed four. The two kept were an old male and a young female not quite full grown. I have found no others since. The skin I picked up at Napier port, alongside the shipping.

It may be of some interest for me to state that the rats on the Canterbury plains in 1855 had regular warrens, and lived in communities. I have taken six and eight from one warren. The warren was not raised above the surface of the ground, but could be detected by the unusual greenness of the grass. There were a number of bolt holes within a circular radius of about four feet. At the time I was under the impression that they were ordinary rats; but not having seen this habit since or elsewhere, I now think that they must have been peculiar. In colour, I think, they resembled the common rat (Mus decumanus). We used to dig them up for the fun of seeing the dogs catch them.

I was witness to the first migrations of the common mouse (Mus musculus) on three separate occasions. First, from about Christchurch to the plains at Oxford; second, from Oxford onwards over the first range of hills to country through which the Hokitika road now passes; and third, to the country bordering Lake Wakatipu. In all three places I lived a considerable time, and never saw such a thing as a mouse, but the rats were legion.