1440 



THE POUCHED MAMMALS, OR MARSUPIALS 



and under parts are white, and the feet pale gray or white, with a yellowish tinge. 

 This animal inhabits the greater part of Australia, with the exception of the extreme 

 north, northeast, and east; its favorite haunts being open grassy plains, where it 

 constructs nests like those of the ordinary bandicoots. 



THE DASYURE TRIBE 

 Family DASTURID^ 



Dasyures are distinguished from the members of the preceding family by having 

 the second and third toes of the hind-foot perfectly separate from one another, and 



as well developed as the fourth and 

 fifth; the first toe, if present at all, 

 being small and without a claw. 

 The dentition differs from that of 

 most of the bandicoots in that there 

 are four in place of five incisor 

 teeth on each side of the upper jaw; 

 both groups having three pairs of 

 these teeth in the lower jaw. 



In all the members of the 

 family the fore and hind-limbs are 

 of approximately equal length, and 

 the fore-feet have five well-developed 

 toes, all armed with claws. The 



FRONT VIEW OF SKULL OF THE TASMANIAN DEVIL. tail which be ith ^j 



(From Sir W. H. Flower, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xxiv.) 



or long, is hairy, and without the 



power of prehension, and the pouch, when present, opens downward, and forward. 

 In the more typical forms the incisor teeth are small, and the tusks large, as shown 

 in the figure on this page; the number of cheek-teeth being either six or seven on 

 each side of both jaws. At the present day the family is confined to Australia, Tas- 

 mania, and New Guinea, although in the Tertiary period it was represented in 

 South America, where some of the extinct forms appear to have been very closely 

 allied to the existing thylacine. While the larger species are purely carnivorous, 

 catching and killing their own prey, the smaller representatives of the family are 

 mainly insect eaters. In structure these animals are the most generalized of all 

 Marsupials, and come nearest to the extinct forms from the Secondary rocks. 



The largest of the carnivorous Marsupials, is the animal commonly 

 known in Australia as the Tasmanian wolf, but better designated the 

 thylacine ( Thyladnus cynocephalus} . In appearance this creature is extraordinarily 

 wolf-like, and the unscientific observer \vould probably at first sight regard it as a 

 member of the Canine family. Nevertheless, the female has a well-developed 

 pouch; although the marsupial bones are wanting, being represented merely by car- 

 tilages, of which the position is indicated by the * in the figure on opposite page. In 

 size the thylacine is rather smaller than the European wolf; from which it is readily 



Thylacine 



