42 



EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



netted in in order to prevent total extermination. ... If funds were available 

 an area in the National Park might well be considered for such a reserve. 



"The Tasmanian Tiger is now only to be met with in a very few 

 numbers. This animal is causing great concern in Tasmania at 

 the present time. It is thought by many to be extinct, but this is 

 not so. I have obtained authentic reports regarding its presence 

 as having been seen as recently as January 1937 on the West 

 Coast of Tasmania. 



\ 



FIG. 3. Tasmanian Wolf (Thylacinus cynocephalus) 



11 The former range of the Tasmanian Tiger must have been very 

 great as I know of one Tasmanian, who with his brother, killed as 

 many as twenty-four of these animals during one day, and received 

 a reward of 1. 0. per head for each animal. 



"The Tasmanian Tiger is now wholly Protected." (R. Boswell, 

 in litt., May 13, 1937.) 



"The significance of the mainland elimination, prior to settlement, 

 of the largest living marsupial carnivore (Thylacinus) has already 

 been noted, and latest reports from Tasmanian authorities indicate 

 grave doubts for the insular survival of this unique example of 

 parallelism" (Troughton, 1938, p. 408) . 



However, the latest news from Tasmania is distinctly encouraging. 

 It comes in the form of a paper by Sharland (1939), which gives 

 an account of several recent expeditions that have been sent to 

 mountainous areas in the western part of the state by the Tasmanian 

 Animals and Birds' Protection Board. From this account the fol- 

 lowing information is derived: 



"The Thylacine exists to-day as but a remnant of the numbers 



