312 DISTRIBUTION OF THE MARSUPIALIA. 



found that it was by no means uncommon for the squirrels to 

 be seen in the act of devouring young birds, particularly in 

 the copses that intersect the bleak downs of Wiltshire. In- 

 deed, one shepherd assured me, that one evening in autumn 

 he observed a severe struggle between a wood-pigeon and a 

 squirrel, among the branches of a tree, and that the latter proved 

 victorious, and began devouring his victim. The fact appears 

 strange, but I have no reason to doubt the veracity of my in- 

 formant. I have bred upwards of a dozen squirrels, taken 

 when a few days old, and in nearly every case have observed 

 the fact above mentioned. — Charles Coward. — 1," Bridge Ter- 

 race, Southwark ; April 4th, 1839. 



Distribution of the Marsupialia. — The following para- 

 graph, extracted from a volume that probably has not come 

 under the notice of many naturalists, is especially interesting 

 as illustrative of Mr. Swain son's views of the distribution of 

 marsupial animals. It contains, I believe, the first intimation 

 that such a group is to be found among the feathered tribes. 

 The author is a plain sailor, but evidently an observing man, 

 and ignorant of the importance of the information he conveys 

 to us. 



King Penguin : " They lay but one egg, which they carry 

 in a pouch under their bellies, very similar to that in which 

 kangaroos carry their young. In this pouch it remains dur- 

 ing the period of incubation, which is about seven weeks. — 

 Their flesh is not good for food, but we used to make use of 

 their eggs, of which we robbed them, and this they would per- 

 mit us to do, without making the least resistance, being so 

 tame that we could catch them with our hands, or knock them 

 down with a stick, whenever we felt disposed. When rob- 

 bed of their egg, they would lay again. They commence lay- 

 ing in November, and by depriving them of their eggs, they 

 continue to lay till March." "In the Crozet islands, be- 

 tween 46° and 47° S., between 46° and 50° E." 



' Narrative of a Voyage to the South Seas, and Shipwreck 

 and Residence for two years on an Uninhabited Island ; by 

 Charles Medgett Goodridge.' P. 45. Exeter : 1838. — Jona- 

 than Couch. — Polperro, April, 1839. 



