176 Prof. M'Coy on the Recent Zoology 



and bandicoots {Perameles obesula and P . fasciata) , di^ovA. abun- 

 dant food to the natives and wanderers lost in the bush. 



The gigantic red kangaroo [Osphranter rufus) is only found 

 towards the warm northern boundary of the colony, where it 

 occurs in immense numbers, along with the rather rarer sooty 

 kangaroo [Macropus fuliginosus) and the Macropus ocydromus of 

 Gould, which is certainly a good and distinct species. These 

 three species are replaced in the cooler southern part of Victoria 

 by the Macropus major — the great " Old Man," or " Boomer '' 

 kangaroo, as the male is termed by the colonists. Since the 

 new law increasing the fencing of the country taken up for 

 pastoral purposes, the number of individuals of those species of 

 kangaroo has increased prodigiously ; so that hundreds are on 

 occasions killed on some of the squatters' runs merely to save 

 the grass for the sheep. The extensive poisoning of the native 

 dog, or dingo, by strychnine also tends of late years to increase 

 very greatly the numbers of the plant-eating animals. The 

 wallabies of the southern part of the colony are the Halmaturus 

 uallabatus, chiefly of the islands in Bass's Straits, on some of 

 which H. Bennetti also occurs ; and, curiously enough, I find 

 that H. hrachyurus, looked upon by Gould as a rare species of 

 Western Australia, is the common species of the south-eastern 

 portion of Victoria. 



As some uncertainty seems to have been felt as to the occur- 

 rence of the genus Molossus in Victoria, it may be interesting 

 to state that I have lately got some additional examples of the 

 M. australis (now in the museum) from a hollow tree near Mel- 

 bourne ; so that there can be no doubt of the fact of the genus 

 extending to Victoria, although the habitat is so abnormal. 



Of seals two species are not uncommon — the eared seal {Arcto- 

 cephalus lohatus) and the large spotted " sea-leopard " {Steno- 

 rhynchus leptonyx) ; but they are so much less abundant than 

 formerly that sealing has been quite given up for many yoars. 

 The fur of the Victorian fur-seal is of good quality when pro- 

 perly dressed. Fur rugs of beautiful softness, close and warm, 

 and often of elegant appearance, are annually made in thousands 

 from the skins of the opossum and the " native cat '' {Dasyurus 

 viverrinus), not only as carriage- wraps, but for use instead of 

 blankets by the great number of people whose business leads 

 them to sleep in the open air. So abundant and easily obtained 

 are these skins that a profitable export trade might possibly 

 result from their becoming better known to the European 

 furriers. 



Of Cetacea, a great number of the smaller-toothed sorts, of 

 no economic value, may be seen on our coasts ; but also, occa- 



