AUSTRALIA 143 
from my eyes, there was only one consolation—the mystery of the 
overcoat was solved! 
I found Melbourne a beautiful city, and in spite of its population 
of over a million people it seemed open and well provided with 
parks. The Botanical Gardens must be among the finest in the 
world, and a lovely spot in which to laze. The Zoo was interesting 
not only for its exhibits, but for the fact that the English sparrow 
seemed to have taken charge. 
I made friends with many aviculturists who showed me things 
of interest in the surrounding country—the most memorable being 
some koala bears that were kept at liberty on an estate. However 
much one may look at pictures of these harmless, cuddlesome 
creatures, they will never convey the feeling that one gets on seeing 
them for the first time in life. Like the Giant Panda, or like a 
natural clown in a circus, they have a personality which endears 
them to one on sight. The koala is a slow-moving, tree-loving 
animal with large head and ears and a comical face, and is the 
origin of the teddy-bear toys. It is really an arboreal wombat that 
has become so highly specialized in its feeding requirements that 
it is almost impossible to transport it away from its native land. 
Its diet consists almost entirely of leaves of eucalyptus trees. These 
abound in Australia, but those of all but a few species are obnox- 
ious to the koala. On this account it is difficult to keep in districts 
away from its natural haunts, for the same species of eucalyptus 
growing in a different soil will produce leaves disagreeable to the 
koala, and even under the right conditions it has to have freedom 
of choice, for the young leaves have toxic properties which are 
fatal. It is found only in eastern Australia. 
The single young one, like those of all marsupials, is born in 
an undeveloped state and crawls like a caterpillar into the female’s 
pouch, where it is nourished by muscular control from the teats 
until old enough to suckle of its own accord. When well developed 
it leaves the pouch and travels on its mother’s back. 
Another exciting experience was a visit to a well-wooded garden 
where the owner had trained dozens of honey-eaters of several 
different species to come, on hearing a whistle, to a bench on 
which he had scattered sugar. The sight of wild birds shooting 
