ORDER MARSUPIALIA: MARSUPIALS 



39 



indeed the most destructive of our indigenous quadrupeds, the 

 Thylacinus being much scarcer" (Gunn, 1838, p. 104). 



"It has now become so scarce in all the cultivated districts, that 

 it is rarely, if ever, seen there in a state of nature; there are yet, 

 however, large districts in Van Diemen's Land untrodden by man; 

 and such localities, particularly the rocky gullies and vast forests 

 on the western side of the island, afford it a secure retreat. . . . 



"In its disposition it is untameable and savage in the extreme, 

 and is not only destructive to the smaller kangaroos and other 

 native quadrupeds, but assails the sheep-folds and hen-roosts when- 

 ever an opportunity occurs." (Gould, 1863, vol. 1, p. 55.) 



FIG. 2. Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) 



"The Devil is far commoner than the Tiger and more widely dis- 

 tributed through the island .... Like the Tiger it destroys sheep, 

 making a single meal off each capture." (G. Smith, 1909, p. 97.) 



Lord (1928, p. 22) says of it: 



The Tasmanian Devil will probably survive for many years. Its hardy 

 nature both in captivity and in its wild state cause [s] one to wonder how it 

 came about that this species became extinct on the mainland within com- 

 paratively recent geological times. It cannot be considered a pleasant animal 

 to have much to do with, and numbers are killed by trappers in the course 

 of their work. In the rougher sections of the country this species exists in 

 fair numbers and there is every prospect of it remaining an inhabitant of 

 such places for years to come. 



One or more Tasmanian Devils will often follow a Thylacine on its hunting 

 excursions. The Thylacine will kill a wallaby or other small animal, select a 

 few choice morsels, and pass on. The Devils will carry on the feast and 

 consume the remnants, bones and all. 



According to R. Boswell (in Hit., May 13, 1937), it still exists 

 in large enough numbers to enable it to be out of immediate danger 



