MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES, 
PART I. 
THE MARSUPIALS—ORDER MARSUPIALIA, 
INTRODUCTION, 
DIFFERING widely from all other regions of the globe as regards 
both its fauna and flora, the great island-continent of Aus- 
tralia, together with certain of the South-eastern Austro-Malayan 
islands, is especially characterised by being the home of the 
great majority of that group of lowly Mammals commonly 
designated Marsupials, or Pouched Mammals. Indeed, with 
the exception of the few species of the still more remarkable 
Monotremes, or Egg-laying Mammals, nearly the whole of the 
Mammalian fauna of Australasia consists of these Marsupials, 
the only other indigenous Mammals being certain Rodents and 
Bats, together with the native Dog, or Dingo, which may or may 
not have been introduced by man. All the other Orders, such 
as the Ungulates, or Hoofed Mammals, the Apes and Lemurs, 
and the Carnivores are conspicuous by their absence from the 
Australian landscape, where their respective places are taken 
by the numerous representatives of the Marsupial order, which 
have adapted themselves to all modes of life. We have, for 
instance, both terrestrial and arboreal types, while one form 
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