152 



FOOD OF DASVURES 



CHAP. 



last genus, but the teeth " are more insectivorous in their 

 character." There are six or eight mammae. The members of 

 this genus are grey or brown, and spotted with white ; they are 



te 



p.maoc 



s.oc 



FIG. 80. Skull of Dasyurus. (Lateral view.) al.sph, Alisphenoid ; ang, angular process 

 of mandible ; fr, frontal ; ju, jugal ; Icr, lachrymal ; max, maxilla ; nas, nasal ; 

 oc.cond, occipital condyle ; par, parietal ; par.oc, paroccipital process ; p.max, 

 premaxilla ; s.oc, supraoccipital ; sq, squamosal ; sq', zygomatic process of squa- 

 mosal. (From Parker and Haswell's Zoology. ) 



all arboreal, and feed largely upon birds and their eggs. Mr. 

 Thomas has pointed out that in two species, D. viverrinus and 

 D. geoffroyi, the striae upon the foot-pads are absent, and that 



FIG. 81. Dasyure. Dasyurus riverriniis. x \. (After Vogt and Specht.) 



therefore these at least are probably not so purely arboreal as 

 the rest. The animals are not diurnal, and during the day hide 

 themselves in the hollow trunks of trees. They are spoken of 

 as " Native Cats," but have the general habits of Martens. D. 

 maculatus is common in Tasmania, but is rare in Australia, thus 

 " approaching the condition now exhibited by the Thylacine and 



