THE DASYURE TRIBE 



1443 



is the spotted-tailed dasyure (D. maculatus), from Eastern and Southeastern Austra- 

 lia, distinguished from the others by the tail being spotted as well as the body; but 

 the best-known species is the common dasyure (D. viverrinus}, inhabiting both Aus- 

 tralia and Tasmania. The dasyures are arboreal animals, and in habits resemble 

 the martens, of which they appear to take the place in Australasia. They feed on 

 small Mammals, birds and their eggs, and, probably, also lizards and insects, and are 

 especially destructive to poultry. 



Far more numerous than the dasyures are the smaller phascologales 



{Phascologale} , the largest of which is not bigger than a good-sized 



rat. They are distinguished from the dasyures by the absence of white spots on the 



fur, and by the presence of an additional premolar in each jaw, thus bringing up the 



^1 *-%i^te^ \>%^^Ai}; 



< &Mti*&^ - ^. ' . 



THE TASMANIAN DEVIL. 

 (One-tenth natural size.) 



number of cheek-teeth to seven on each side. The crowns of these teeth are more 

 minutely cusped, and the canines relatively smaller than in the dasyures. The muz- 

 zle is rather long and pointed, the ears moderately rounded and nearly naked, and 

 the feet short and broad; the hind-foot always having a distinct, although nailless, 

 first toe. The long tail is subject to considerable variation in the different species, 

 being in some cases bushy, in others furnished with a crest of hair, and in others 

 nearly naked. The pouch is rudimentary, being represented merely by a few loose 

 folds of skin. Probably these animals produce a larger number of young at a birth 

 than any other Australasian Marsupial, seeing that in some species the number of 

 teats may be as many as ten. There are altogether thirteen distinct species of the 

 genus, distributed over Australia and New Guinea, and also ranging into the Am 

 islands. Of these thirteen, nine are distinguished by the absence of any stripe down 



