Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand . hree on each side); no pectoralteats. Length, snout to base of tail „ tail . „ head „ forefoot . „ hindfoot .Unlike the common rat, this animal is perfectly free fnof any kind, which is probably due to the nature of its food, this consistingalmost entirely of fruits and berries. At first glance it has more the appear-ance of a gigantic mouse than of a true rat; and on closer examination itpresents a marked resemblance to the black rat (Mus rattus), which wasformerly abundant in Britain, a phytophagous animal, feeding chiefly on herbsand seeds.
Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand . hree on each side); no pectoralteats. Length, snout to base of tail „ tail . „ head „ forefoot . „ hindfoot .Unlike the common rat, this animal is perfectly free fnof any kind, which is probably due to the nature of its food, this consistingalmost entirely of fruits and berries. At first glance it has more the appear-ance of a gigantic mouse than of a true rat; and on closer examination itpresents a marked resemblance to the black rat (Mus rattus), which wasformerly abundant in Britain, a phytophagous animal, feeding chiefly on herbsand seeds. As all naturalists are aware, this species has, in like manner tothe New Zealand rat, become almost extinct in the British Isles, where itonce abounded in great numbers. Whether, writes Macgillivray, thedestruction of this animal has been effected by the larger and more ferociousbrown rat, or like that of many tribes of the human species, has resulted from 6^ inches. 4 x83 A8 55 55 ) om odour or smell TRANS. ]]I,? M£/S AOZ/E Z£IJ/V£//E, JtvMt jguefaaruo ../. a 7r?Jrtransactionsofro70roya
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubject, common=rat, taxonomy
