AUSTRALIA. 



AUSTRALIA. 



too** of the martins and pole-oats of Europe ; they are nocturnal, 

 ami lira for the most part upon birda, reptiles, and other small prey. 

 Six or seven specie* hare been described. The Ursine Dasyure (D. 



i), or Native Devil, as it is called by the colonists, perhaps the 

 and most diagtuting looking quadruped in nature, is now 



d to Van Diemen's Land. The D. macrourut, D. vwerrimut. 





ad />. Jfaugti, are sometimes called native cats by the colonists, not 

 from any close resemblance which they bear to cats, but from some 

 slight similarity in their habits, as they climb trees readily in pursuit 

 of small birds, and capture their prey more by address than by open 

 force. The D. pmiciUaiut, called the Sugar Squirrel by the colonists, 

 a name which is also sometimes applied to the Pctaunu tciuirtw, is 

 about the sixe of a common rat, of a uniform light ash-colour, and 

 has the tail terminated by a pencil of long black hair. It resides 

 entirely among the branches of trees, chiefly of the sugar maple 

 specie*, from which it has acquired its colonial name, and appears to 

 lire for the most part upon the larger night insects, and probably 

 upon the eggs and callow young of small birda. The smallest known 

 species in the D. murintu, or Mouse Opossum of the colonist*, which 

 is not larger than the little animal whose name has been transferred 

 to it, and which, like the sugar squirrel, resides upon trees, and lives 

 principally if not entirely upon insects. The genus Thylacyntu 

 contains but a single known species, and that apparently confined to 

 Van Diemen's Land. 



The Australian Rodentia belong chiefly to the rat genus (Mvt), and 

 the genus Oydromyi. The former are but little different from the 

 common species of rats and mice in other parts of the world. The 

 Mt Ccrrinipet, or Buff-Footed Rat, which is rather widely distributed 

 over the eastern coast of New South Wales, differs however from the 

 other known members of the genus inhabiting Australia in having a 

 short soft furry coat, nearly uniform rufous colouring on its upper sur- 

 face, and a slender hairless reticulated tail. The latter (Hydromyt) are 

 merely distinguished by their larger size, long hairy tails, and palmated 

 hind-feet, which assimilate them in some measure to the beavers and 

 coypous of America. They ore aquatic in their habits, and are found 

 in most of the rivers both of Van Diemen's Land and New South 



The three Edentata, inserted in the table, belong equally if not 

 more properly to the marsupial order, partaking indeed of the 

 characters of both of these tribes, and forming the connecting link 

 by which they ore united. These animals are, without any question, 

 the most singular and anomalous quadrupeds that have ever been 

 discovered. Though they are certainly quadrupeds in the great 

 majority of their characters, yet their organs of mastication more 

 nearly resemble the bills of birds than the corresponding part* of 

 other quadrupeds. Of these extraordinary beings there are two 

 genera, Ornitkorkynou and Echidna. The former, often called the 

 duck-billed animal, from the form of its head and face, resides in 

 rivers and ponds, where in hot like ducks it lives principally by 

 searching for seeds and insects among the mud at the bottom. It 

 forms deep burrows along the banks of the rivers, which are provided 

 with two entrances, one above and the other below the level of the 

 stream, so as to afford it a ready means of escape from whatever 

 quarter it is assaulted. The genus Echidna, though it agrees in its 

 general structure, and in the very anomalous nature of its product ion, 

 with the OratMorAynctw, yet differs widely from that animal in it-* 

 external appearance, as also in its habitajmd economy. It is covered 

 with short stout prickles not unlike those of a porcupine, feeds upon 

 the eggi of ants as well as upon these insects themselves, rears its 

 young, resided in deep burrows of its own formation, and hybernates 

 or Bleeps during the winter season. Of this genus there are two 

 species, one without any hair, the other with long red hair intermixed 

 with the spines, and called respectively from this circumstance, K. 

 Ifmota and trton. 



The COMU of Australia hare been long known as the occasional 

 resort of immense ihoals of whales, dolphins, and other cetaceous 

 mH'"'l, and the enterprise of the rising colonies established in 

 that quarter of the globe has found a favourable and successful 

 outlet in the fishery for these animals. The seal fishery has also 

 been attended with considerable sucoos*, and the oil and skins of 

 them animals form very im|*>rtant items in the annual colonial 

 export*. 



The Ornithology of Australia, though scarcely no peculiar and 

 anomalous as its mammalogy, contains nevertheless many new 

 and very singular forms, and wants many of those which are most 

 familiar in other quarters of the globe. ' The Birds of Australia ' 

 form the subject of an elaborate and splendid work in sev. n folio 

 volumes by Mr. Gould, to which we refsr for a complete view of 

 Australian ornithology, contenting ourselves with a very general 

 sketch. Mr. Gould's personal researches, and those of Us assistants, 

 made him acquainted with upwards of 600 species of birds, being 

 rn..r- than twice as many as were before known to exist. Mr. Gould 

 observe*, a* * striking result of his researches, that "the birds of 

 Europe arc represented in a very remarkable manner by other 

 anted specie* of Australian birds, as if some particular law existed in 

 requeues to Uie subject, the specie* no represented being evidently 

 de*tind to fulfil the eatne office* in cither hemisphere. A* instance* 

 in point," be continue*, "1 may mention, among the Paleonida, the 



P. AjftwicttttU and F. metanoyrnyt, which represent the P. ulandtctu 

 and /'. pcrrgriiHH; our Merlin and Kestril are equally well repre- 

 sented by the P. fronlatut and TinHunftUut Cenckrotda of Australia ; 

 the Osprejr of Europe, also, is represented by the f. letuxeepkala ; 

 among the Wading Birds, the Curlew and the Whiiubn-l ..f Kun.].' 

 are beautifully represented by the Sfumeniut Atuiralii and .V. 

 wvpygiaiii ; and the Bar-Tailed and Black-Tailed God wits I 

 Limota uropygialu and L. mrlanunulri. Both Europe and Australia 

 have each one Stilted Plover, one Dotterel (Etnlrom i<u), an 

 Avocet Among the Water Birds, the Cormorants and Grebes of 

 Euroi>e are similarly represented by the Phalacrocorax Carboida, Ac., 

 and Podicept Auttralii, P. Neitor, and P. gularit; and other instances 

 might be noticed. Although so many curious instances of representa- 

 tion and of nearly allied species are found to occur, no country 

 ponetae* so many genera peculiar to itself as Australia, such as 

 jKgotholt$, Falcancuiut, Collurtfinda, Grallina, (Jymnorhinn. Slrrpera, 

 Cindoioma, ifauura, Ptophoda, Malunu, Sericornit, Ephlhianura, 

 PardalotHt, Chlamydera, Ptilonorkynckut, Struthidm, Licmetit, Calyp- 

 torhynckut, Platyctrau, JSufkema, Nymphiciu, Climaclerit, SfyOtnp$, 

 MytanlMa, TategaUa, Leipoa, Pedionomiu, dadorkyitdau, Tribonyx, 

 Cermptit, Anteranat, and Jiiziwa." 



Mr. Gould states that, "as far as is known, 385 species of Mr>!- 

 inhabit New South Wales, 289 South Australia, 243 Western Australia. 

 230 North Australia, and 181 Van Diemeu's Land ; and of these 88 are 

 peculiar to New South Wales, 16 to South Australia, 36 to Western 

 Australia, 105 to North Australia, and 32 to \ ;m Uinm'iiH 1.,-m.l. 

 The great excess in the number of species inhabiting New South 

 Wales," he continues, " is doubtless attributable to the singular belt 

 of luxuriant vegetation termed brushes, which stretches along the 

 southern and south-eastern coasts, between the ranges and the sea, 

 and which is tenanted by a fauna peculiarly its own. Although this 

 part of the continent is inhabited by a larger number of species than 

 any other, it is a remarkable fact that the species peculiar to North 

 AiiMtniliu ore much more numerous than those peculiar to New South 

 Wales. It is curious to observe, also, that while South Australia is 

 inhabited by a much larger number of species than Western Australia, 

 those peculiar to the former are not half so numerous as those peculiar 

 to the latter." 



Among Rapacious birds, eagles, falcons, and various species of hawks 

 abound throughout the continent, as well as owls of different kinds. 

 The common Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrin**), and the Barn-Owl 

 of Europe (Strix Jtammta), appear not to present any sensible 

 difference from the some species in England. But there ore no 

 vultures throughout the whole extent of Australia and its dependencies, 

 a fact probably to be explained by the absence of large gram inn 

 animals, upon the carcasses of which this tribe of birds support them 

 selves in other parts of the world, and which, as we have already 

 seen, are wanting in the animals of Australia. The number of - 

 of birds of prey is, indeed, remarkably deficient, with the exception 

 of the nocturnal owls, among which the members of the genus Strix 

 are more numerous than in any other part of the world a circum- 

 stance attributable, as Mr. Gould suggests, to the great abundance of 

 small nocturnal quadrupeds. 



Insessorial, or perching birds ore extremely numerous everywhere. 

 Among them are a great excess of /nucrlivortr , but the most remark- 

 able are the bower-birds (PhUonorhynchta and Chlamydcror), which 

 construct for themselves a bower or playing place. The Ptittacidtr 

 (parrots and cockatoos), are more numerous than in any other part of 

 the world ; and many of them surpass those of the Old World in \\-, 

 gaudinees and variety of their plumage. There are several ki< 

 kingfishers, the most peculiar being the Datrlo gigantto, called by the 

 colonists the Laughing Jackass, on account of its peculiar note ; this is 

 one of the forms which has the cm]. iwincnt- -peculiar to several 

 Australian birds, and admirably adapting them to sustain the 

 droughts of the country of being able to support life without a 

 supply of water. 



Of the order Ratorei there are 21 species. But it is a remarkable 

 fact in the ornithology of Australia that there is no large and t 

 form of gallinaceous birds. This is the tribe which among bird" 

 corresponds with the rumiimting animals among quadrupeds, and 

 which contains those species which ore beet adapted for human food 

 and the domestic economy of life. \Vc have already seen that the 

 analogous tribe of mammals is a stranger to this part of the world ; 

 and here again we find that it is deprived of the common fowl, 

 pheasant*, turkeys, guinea-hen*, Ac., which form no unimgwrtant 

 resource for the natives of other countries, and which have t.' 

 the farm-yards and filled the preserves of civilised nations. Doves 

 and pigeons of various species, indeed, abound in many parts of 

 Australia, and the Menura (Menttra tuptrba), approximates still more 

 nearly to the ordinary gallinaceous birds ; but these are by no means 

 common, and of too inconsiderable a sice to have furnished any 

 peculiar resources to the aborigines. 



'i?inf( to the Raton*, and most nearly allied to the flaUinacrtr, 



i in some of their actions and mode of flight resembling the 



, are the allied genera of mound-raising liirds, the T<ii<yiil/n, 



and MfffapwUtu, which arc iitn.mir tin: n. lin.-iry 



whii-h are met with even in this land of singular jininmls. For the 



first full and satisfactory account of these birds we are indebted to Mr. 



