"^92° 1 NN'kindorfer and Franxis, Wild Life in Tasmania^ 165 



WILD LIFE IN TASMANIA. 



By G. Weindorfer and G. Francis. 

 (Communicated by Dr. C. S. Sutton.) 

 {Read before the Field Naturalists'- Club of Victoria, Sth Dec, 1919.) 

 (Continued from page 160.) 



The wombat is one of the few busli animals that roam the 

 country at any time of day, especiahy if the weather be wet 

 or overcast, though as a rule it prefers the night for feeding 

 and exercise. Unlike so many other bush animals, it refuses 

 to be " hypnotized " by the glare of an acetylene lamp, and 

 the reflection of the light of their eyes is only accidental. The 

 wombat would seem to rival the cat in its tenacity of life, and 

 still makes efforts to escape even after experiencing the 

 severest injuries. 



The impression prevails that the wombat does not use its teeth 

 as a means of defence. This is, perhaps, in one sense true, as 

 the shortness of its neck does not allow it to turn its. head side- 

 wise, and any movement in the direction of its assailant must 

 be followed out by its whole body simultaneously. This 

 circumstance makes the animal too slow for the quick move- 

 ments of the dog, and, knowing its disability, it does not waste 

 any valuable time in trying to defend itself, but makes for 

 cover as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, when circum- 

 stances were favourable, the wombat would, no doubt, use 

 its teeth with formidable power. One caught in a hollow log, 

 on being poked with a two-inch stick, promptly seized it with 

 its teeth and bit it in pieces. 



Amongst the animals of the bush the wombat is easily the 

 most powerful. A young wombat which still finds refuge in 

 its mother's pouch, if held as firmly as possible between the 

 hands, will, with all its four legs simultaneously, work hard 

 to get away, and will eventually free itself. To extricate a 

 full-grown, unwounded wombat from a burrow, even with a 

 rope attached to one of its hind legs, is impossible ; and 

 yet, as powerful as the animal may be as a whole, with one 

 front paw caught in a springer snare it is rendered helpless. 

 Under such conditions it does not attempt to burrow, neither 

 does it attempt to escape ; but let it be caught by one of its 

 hind legs, and the chances are that in a short time springer 

 and snare will have disappeared. 



Like most animals, the wombat is an excellent swimmer, 

 though no cases are known where it deliberately took to deep 

 water. When worried by dogs, a creek or small water-hole 

 will always appeal to it as one of the best means of escape. 

 To test its swimming powers, one weighing about 50 lbs. 

 was thrown into about 15 feet of water. Nearly 10 seconds 



