158 



Wild Life in Tasmania. 



V Vict. Nat. 



Lvt.i. XXXVI 



occupied Crown land, the writers of this paper being the only 

 permanent inhabitants. 



The climatic conditions vary according to altitude, and 

 from a meteorological point of view the locality falls within 

 the area of Tasmania's West Coast. The rainfall is copious, 

 the record for 1918 at Middlesex being 71.26 inches during 

 202 days, that, for Cradle Valley (3,000 feet above sea-level) 

 totalling 98.14 inches in 219 wet days, the bulk of the pre- 

 cipitation in both cases having been in the winter and spring 

 months. Thermometer readings only began at Cradle Valley 

 on ist January, 1919, and the monthly results of the first 

 year's observations are as under : — 



Readings taken at 9 a.m. 

 Snowfalls during the winter months are of frequent occur- 

 rence, and vary from a few inches to four feet (in July, 1919). 

 However, the landscape is rarely covered with it for longer 

 than a few days, subsequent warm rains generally disposing 

 of the greater part of it in relatively short time. Light falls 

 of snow may occur at any time during the year — six inches 

 even towards the end of last January. 



Phascolomys ursinus, var. tasmaniensis, Lord. 

 The Tasmanian wombat, commonly but erroneously called 

 " Badger," is the most stupid of all the animals of the bush. 

 Before the advent of man and his dogs the full-grown animal 

 probably did not possess any enemies, with the possible 

 exception of the marsupial wolf, which, however, does not now, 

 and very likely never did, frequent the comparatively open 

 bush land of these higher elevations. Under the circum- 



