SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 



19 



consists of small wallabies, rats, ground birds, and lizards. The 

 animals are cunning, intractable, and savage but if caught 

 very young make docile and amusing pets. They are found 

 now only in Tasmania, but formerly inhabited the Australian 

 mainland. 



The Marsupial "Cats" or "Tiger Cats" or Dasyures (Dasy- 

 urus), which comprise several species, look more weasel-like than 



*- ^.-iJT 



Fig. 7— Marsupial ''Cat'' 



cat-like. They are the size of a small cat or the American little 

 spotted skunk — about nineteen inches in total length, including 

 the tail which is about nine inches. They are reddish brown 

 or olive-brown in color, marked with white spots on the head 

 and body. A well-developed pouch is present in females, which 

 may contain four to six young. The dasyures feed largely on 

 rats, birds, and insects. Around settlements they are disliked 

 because of their fondness for poultry. The marsupial "cats" 

 or dasyures are widely distributed in Australia. One species 

 occurs on New Guinea but does not extend to the adjacent 

 islands. 



