MARSUPIALIA. Ill 



spot in front of each eye. These animals are called Water 

 Moles by the colonists. Their favorite resorts are the borders 

 of some stream covered with aquatic plants, where the banks are 

 steep, shaded, and convenient for burrowing. They burrow in 

 a serpentine direction, sometimes to the distance of fifty feet, 

 and ending in a small chamber. In this chamber they place 

 their nest made of dry grass. 



QUESTIONS ON THE MARSUPIALIA. 



From what is the term MARSUPIALIA or MARSUPIATA derived ? Into what 

 two sections is this order arranged ? How are these sometimes regarded ? 

 What does Cuvier remark respecting the animals of this order ? Which 

 of the two sections deviates least from the general type of mammalia? 

 What is their most striking peculiarity ? To what part of the globe are 

 these mammals confined ? What is the ground of their division into fami 

 lies ? What is said of the first family, SARCOPHAGA ? How many genera 

 of this family does Prof. Owen enumerate? What peculiarities do they 

 show ? Describe the Dog-headed Thylacinus or Zebra Wolf? What rela 

 tion does it bear to the other animals of the group? What is said of the 

 Dasyurus ? What species of this animal is mentioned ? On what does it 

 feed ? How does it appear in confinement ? What is said of the Phasco- 

 galc? What species is named? Give the names and characters of the 

 second family. What three branches or sub-families does this include ? To 

 which of these does Myrmecobius belong ? How many teeth has it ? What 

 species of this genus is named? What genus of the leaping section is 

 mentioned? What link do the animals of this genus form? In what re 

 spects do they agree with the opossums? What species is named and 

 what is said of it ? What animals do the Scansoria include ? How many 

 species of them ? To what region are they confined ? How is the term 

 Didelphis compounded ? What sub-genus is named ? How are the Opos 

 sums characterized and described ? Describe the best known and only spe 

 cies found in the United States. Give the general character of Fruit-eaters, 

 or the third family. How are they linked to the Kangaroo ? What genera 

 and species are mentioned ? Describe and characterize the Kangaroos, or 

 grass-eaters. Which is best known ? Where is it found ? Which of the 

 Root-eaters is mentioned ? How Is it described ? How do the MARSUPIALS 

 rank among mammals ? Why are the boundary lines of this order carried 

 round next Cetacea ? What is peculiar in the MONOTREMATA, and what is 

 their general rank ? How many genera do they include ? Where found ? 

 What is said of the Spiny Ant-eater ? Particularly describe the Ornithor 

 hyncus. 



What is said of this order along the branches of the Chart ? Mention 

 the animals of this order named or figured on it, tracing each. 



