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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Xo other known beast besides walks upon a single toe in each 

 hind-foot, save the horse family (horses, asses, and zebras), and they 

 walk npon a different one, namely, that which answers to our middle- 

 toe, while Chair opus walks on the next outer one or fourth. No 

 known beast besides Chceropus walks upon two toes in each foot, save 

 hoofed creatures, such as the ruminants and their allies ; but in them 

 it is the third and fourth toes that are used, while in ChcBTOpus it is 

 the second and third toes. 



Another animal, called a phalanger (of the genus Phalangistd)^ is 

 a type of a third family of the kangaroo's oi'der, the Phalangistidce, 

 a family made up of creatures which live in trees and are nocturnal in 

 their habits, feeding xapon fruits and leaves. Here we find the limbs 

 of nearly equal length. Once more we have I |, and we still have the 

 second and third toes united in a common fold of skin ; but the inner- 

 most toe (that answering to our great-toe) is not only largely devel- 

 oped, but is like that of the apes, directed outward, and capable of 

 being opposed to the other toes, as our thumb can be opposed to our 

 fingers. 



FiQ. 9. The Koala {Phascolarctus). 



Some of these creatures have prehensile tails. Others have the skin 

 of the flanks enlarged so as to serve them as a parachute in tlieir leaps, 

 whence they are called " flying opossums," just as squirrels, similarly 

 provided, are called " flying " squirrels. 



There are two veiy aberrant members of this family. One, the 

 koala. Fig- 9 (PAascoZarc^ws), called the native bear or native sloth, is 

 devoid of any tail. 



The other, Tarsipes, but little bigger than a mouse, has a long and 



