Of the Papuan Islands. 577 



The Mammalia of New Guinea and the adjacent islands, 

 yet discovered are only seventeen in number. Two of these 

 are bats, one is a pig of a peculiar species (Sus papuensis), and 

 the rest are all marsupials. The bats are, no doubt, much more 

 numerous, but there is every reason to believe that whatever 

 new land Mammalia may be discovered will belong to the 

 marsupial order. One of these is a true kangaroo, very simi- 

 lar to some of the middle-sized kangaroos of Australia, and it 

 is remarkable as being the first animal of the kind ever seen 

 by Europeans. It inhabits Mysol and the Aru Islands (an al- 

 Ued species being found in New Guinea), and was seen and 

 described by Le Brun in 1714, from living specimens at Bata- 

 via. A much more extraordinary creature is the tree-kangaroo, 

 two species of which are known from New Guinea. These 

 animals do not differ very strikingly in form from the terres- 

 trial kangai'oos, and appear to be but imperfectly adapted to an 

 ai'boreal life, as they move rather slowly, and do not seem to 

 have a very secure footing on the limb of a tree. The leap- 

 ing power of the muscular tail is lost, and powerful claws have 

 been acquired to assist in climbing, but in other ?-espects the 

 animal seems better adapted to walk on terra Jirma. This 

 imperfect adaptation may be due to the fact of there being 

 no carnivora in New Guinea, and no enemies of any kind from 

 which these animals have to escape by rapid climbing. Four 

 species of Cuscus, and the small flying opossum, also inhabit 

 New Guinea ; and there are five other smaller marsupials, one 

 of Avhich is the size of a rat, and takes its place by entering 

 houses and devouring provisions. 



The birds of New Guinea offer the greatest possible con- 

 trast to the Mammalia, since they are more numei'ous, more 

 beautiful, and afford more new, curious, and elegant forms 

 than those of any other island on the globe. Besides the birds 

 of paradise, which we have already sufiiciently considered, it 

 possesses a number of other curious birds, which in the eyes 

 of the ornithologist almost serves to distinguish it as one of 

 the primary divisions of the earth. Among its thirty spe- 

 cies of parrots are the Great Black Cockatoo, and the little 

 rigid-tailed Nasiterna, the giant and the dwarf of the whole 

 tribe. The bare-headed Dasyptilus is one of the most singu- 



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