﻿THE KOALAS. 79 



I. THE KOALA. PHASCOLARCTUS CINEREUS. 



Lipurus cinereiis^ Goldfuss, Isis, 1819, p. 274. 



Fhascolarctos fuscus, Desmarest, Mamm., vol. i., p. 276 (1820). 



Phascolarcfos koala, Gray, in Griffith's Anim. Kingdom, p. 205 



(1827). 

 Phascolarcfos cinereus, Fischer, Syn. Mamm., p. 285 (1829); 



Thomas Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 210 (1880). 



(Plate X.) 

 Characters. — General colour grey; under-parts white or yel- 

 lowish-white. Nose thinly clothed with minute hairs ; ears 

 rounded, white, save the hairs on their hinder surface, which 

 are black with white tips ; rump dirty white, sometimes irregu- 

 larly spotted ; feet white. Length of head and body about 

 32 inches. 



Distribution. — Eastern Australia. 



Habits. — Having a superficial resemblance to a small Bear, as 

 is especially shown by the absence of a tail, the broad furry 

 ears, short and wide head, and stout and short limbs, the Koala 

 is commonly spoken of by the Australian colonists as the 

 " Native Bear ; " while its sluggish habits have occasionally given 

 rise to the title of " Native Sloth." Nevertheless, the creature 

 is a true Marsupial, and also one of a most lazy and sluggish 

 disposition, moving about on the stems of the gum-trees in the 

 most deliberate manner, and feeding chiefly upon leaves and 

 grasses. Its favourite haunts are the hollow stems of trees, 

 from which it issues forth by night, and occasionally also by 

 day, in search of food. In the evenings, more especially 

 during the autumn, one of these animals may frequently be 

 observed crawling slowly along the topmost branches of some 

 giant Eucalyptus ; while if it is a female, it is as likely as not 

 to have its solitary offspring perched securely on its back. 

 Always, apparently, a solitary creature, the Koala moves awk- 



