282 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



free from tliese marsupials, until recently when they were 

 introduced from the western island. Reports are also frequent 

 of animals having been occasionally met with, which were 

 entirely different from the ordinary marsupials to which the 

 laj-man has been accustomed. Although such reports fire not 

 always to be relied upon in their entirety, it has been my 

 experience, in different parts of the world, that where a lay- 

 man without an}' special scientific knowledge or even a. native 

 (as in the case of the Oliupi of central Africa) has noted some 

 peculiarities in animals he has either killed or seen, which 

 seemed to him to distinguisli them from others he has been 

 acquainted with, it is always judicious to bear the fact in 

 mind and endeavour if possible to prove or dis[)rove it as 

 occasion offers. At any rate tliis subject must inevitably be 

 dealt with as it is one of the most interesting in the physical 

 geology of the Australiaii continent. 



In their Memoir " A Collection of Sub-fossil Bird and 

 Marsupial Remains from King Island, Bass Sti-ait," Prof. W. 

 B. Sftencer and Mr. J. A. Kei-shaw, the Director and Curator 

 respectively of the National Museum, MeIl)oui'ne, described 

 the remains of an PiUiu (Dr(h)i(Piis uiiuor) fii-st found on Kan- 

 garoo Island, or He Deci'es, discovered by Admiral Baudin's 

 expedition in the ships Gt''Ogra[)he, Naturaliste and Casiiarina, 

 in 1802, of small size, and " possessing when young a grevish 

 plumage that became quite black when the bird reached 

 maturity" ; to the osseous remains of a bird (believed fo be 

 identical) found on King Island, the above authoi-s applied 

 the name of Dronnvns )iti)i(ir. The Phascolomine or 

 Wombat remains found on King Island enabled Messrs. 

 Spencer and Kershaw, supplemented by bones from other 

 islands in the Strait, and historical data, to show that the 

 name rhicscoloiinis ursiiiKs, Sliaw, must be restricted to the 

 " Wombat of the Bass Strait Islands." Amongst the other 

 osseous remains obtained and described, were those of two 

 " Native Cats " (Dasi/urKs), a larger and a smaller species ; 

 to the larger of these tlie name Dai^ynnts hoivlimji was applied. 

 In addition to these fossils portions of six otlier existing 

 Marsupials were obtained. 



