

BURROWING MARSUPIALS 



WOMBATS 



The Zoological Gardens are rarely, if ever, without 

 these fat somewhat uncouth marsupials, suggestive of 

 an overgrown marmot. They are coarsely hairy, and 

 waddle when unexcited, though when needs must they 

 can run with some rapidity. The stumpy tail heightens 

 the likeness to the European marmot, as do also the 

 strong and rodent-like incisor teeth in the front of 

 the jaws. In fact, as has been often pointed out, the 

 wombat is an excellent example of what is known as 

 convergence ; starting from a totally different place in 

 the order of nature it has arrived at much the same 

 goal as has the marmot or some such burrowing rodent. 

 It walks heavily on the flat of the feet, and eats roots 

 for which it digs. In the burrows there is some degree 

 of sociability exhibited ; and this again is a rodent- 

 like character. One has only to recall the prairie mar- 

 mots, and the vizcachas of North and South America. 

 It has, however, the pouch of the ordinary marsupial 

 pattern ; and its young are doubtless born in imper- 

 fection as those of other marsupials, though that matter 

 is for the present shrouded in some obscurity. Although 

 nocturnal in their native Australia and Tasmania, the 

 wombats at the Zoo show themselves during the day 

 like other nocturnal beasts do in that institution. Like 

 many other marsupials, the " pouched mouse," to trans- 

 late its scientific name of Phascolomys is for the most 

 part silent ; it is not without interest that silence 

 is apt to be an attribute of primitiveness and chatter 

 due to higher specialization. We all of us know the 

 silent man whose few recorded words were not in- 

 dicative of great brain power. Anyhow newts are silent 

 and so are reptiles and many of the older types of birds, 

 while the marsupials and rodents and insectivores carry 

 on the generalization into the mammals. At times, 

 however, the wombat hisses ; one species is said to 



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