﻿THE RAT-KANGAROOS. 63 



sought to save their offspring was truly admirable. Although 

 wounded, they fled with thie young in their pouch, and never 

 left them, until, overcome with fatigue and loss of blood, they 

 could no longer carry them ; then they stopped, and, squatting 

 themselves on the hind legs, helped the young to get out of the 

 pouch by means of the fore feet, and sought to place them in a 

 situation favourable for retreat. 



THE RAT-KANGAROOS. GENUS POTOROUS. 

 Fotorous, Desmarest, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat.^ vol. xxiv., Tabl. 

 Method., p. 20 (1804). 



The Rat-Kangaroos, often incorrectly spoken of as Kangaroo- 

 Rats, are represented by several genera, and constitute the second 

 Sub-family {Potoroince) of the Macropodidce, which is distin- 

 guished from the Macropodince. by the following characters : — 



Size small ; claws of fore feet very long, those of the three 

 median toes disproportionately larger than those of the other 

 toe ; hind foot with only four toes ; tail long and hairy. Canine 

 teeth always present, and generally well-developed ; inner 

 upper incisor taller than either of the other two ; the fourth 

 premolar set in the same general line as the molars, or slightly 

 bent outwards in front, and of great relative length from front 

 to back ; molars more or less tuberculate, decreasing in size 

 from front to back of the series. The group is confined to 

 Australia and Tasmania. 



The following distinctive features apply to the genus under 

 consideration, dividing it from the other members of this 

 group : — 



Size variable ; nose naked ; ears very short, rounded ; fore 

 claws long and rather slender ; hind limbs not disproportion- 

 ately longer than the front pair ; hind feet very short, less than 

 the length of the head, with the soles naked and coarsely 

 granulated; tail tapering, hairy, without crest. Fourth pre- 



