THE TASMANIAN DEVIL 217 



stretched itself; then stood again in practically the 

 same position, stupidly resting its nose against the 

 cage front. Still quite silent, it moved waddling to 

 its water-vessel ; then took a drink with a loud 

 lapping noise. Next Weary Willie dragged himself 

 about on his stomach, with throat and jaw applied 

 to the floor ; after a very short settling down he lay 

 flat on his stomach, as if about to go to sleep. 

 Although silent, the creature on this occasion was 

 uneasy and restless, and it was quite depressing to 

 watch it ; there was plenty of food and water, so 

 that it could not have been hungry. The writer 

 finds in his note-book a record of this species active 

 at 6 p.m. on May n, 1906; about 7.20 it was 

 reared up against the bars, snuffing and occasionally 

 uttering a short coughing note. When irritated the 

 Tasmanian devil utters a ferocious sobbing growl 

 and bites severely. 



A specimen which lived for a year in the Calcutta 

 Zoological Gardens never took any exercise. It was 

 tempted with live prey which, however, it was never 

 noticed to kill. For about a fortnight before its 

 death it refused all food ; the autopsy revealed an 

 enormous diseased liver about six times the normal 

 size, which perhaps explained everything. 



