i6o Wild Life in Tasmania. [voT"xxxvi 



in its l)ack. To illustrate the way the wombat defends itself, 

 no better example can be mentioned than that of a young: 

 man whose first acquaintance with a wombat cost him the 

 entire skin of the upper part of his right hand. Desiring to 

 capture the animal, he inserted his hand in the comfortable- 

 looking opening above the animal's back, with the object of 

 getting hold of and extricating it from its hiding-place. To 

 his surprise and consternation the comfortable opening closed 

 with lightning rapidity — the wombat having risen on its hind 

 legs — and with a lateral to-and-fro motion of the hind quarters 

 the young man's hand received a severe mauling against the 

 sharp rock. Needless to say, the advice to insert the other 

 hand below the animal and thus cause it to reverse its tactics 

 was promptly acted upon, and the quick, simultaneous with- 

 drawal of both hands left the wombat master of the situation, 

 and saved further damage to the hand. 



A wombat worried by dogs in an opening suflficiently big 

 to cover its armpits will always make good its escape, for, 

 while its hindquarters are busy with defence, its front legs are 

 not idle. In an incredibly short space of time a quantity of 

 earth is dug up and passed under its body by the front legs, 

 and delivered outside by the hind ones with such force as sends 

 the material flying for yards, and very much discourages the 

 attentions of the dogs. Its efforts are accompanied by a 

 growling not unlike that preceding, a dog-fight, and the 

 strenuous proceeding is continued until the body of the 

 harassed animal quite disappears under the surface. When 

 this occurs it becomes impracticable for it any longer to throw the 

 soil out with its hind legs, and the material is pushed behind 

 with the aid of its whole body, and the entrance closed. 



{To be continued.) 



National Parks.— A movement is on foot for the permanent 

 reservation of sufficient land surrounding Mallacoota Inlet to 

 make it both a scenic reserve and a game sanctuary, and as a 

 means of furthering interest in the movement a free public lec- 

 ture night will be held at the Melbourne Town Hall (reception 

 room), on Friday evening, 26th March, when illustrated lectures 

 will be given by Sir James Barrett, K.C.M.G., on Mallacoota : 

 Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., on Wilson's Promontory : and Dr. 

 J. A. Leach, on the Fauna and Flora of Victoria. Members of 

 the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria are specially urged to 

 attend and support the resolutions which will be submitted to 

 the meeting, with the view of strengthening the hands of the 

 National Parks Section of the Town Planning Association in 

 the effort. 



