THYLACINUS CYNOCEPHALUS. 127 



the tail. Mr. Harris, who saw the animal alive, says 

 the eyes are large, full, and of a black colour, that 

 the tail is much compressed and tapering to a point 

 and that the sides and under parts are bare as if 

 worn by friction, not prehensile. As regards the 

 compressed form of the tail, my observations confirm 

 those of Mr. Harris ; I have, however, only seen one, 

 in which the flesh was dried. Mr. Gunn, in the 

 Magazine of Natural History, says the tail is not 

 compressed. The apical portion appears much com- 

 pressed, but this arises from the long hairs with which 

 it is furnished on the under side. 



The Tkylacinus inhabits Van Diemen's Land where 

 it is called the Tiger, Hyaena, and used formerly to 

 be known among the colonists by the names, Zebra- 

 Opossum, and Zebra- Wolf. 



Of the habits of this animal Mr. Harris states, 

 " It inhabits amongst caverns and rocks in the deep 

 and almost impenetrable glens in the neighbourhood 

 of the highest mountainous parts of Van Diemen's 

 Land, where it probably preys on the Brush Kan- 

 garoo, and various small animals that abound in 

 those places. That from which this description, 

 (Mr. Harris's,) and the drawing accompanying it, 

 were taken, was caught in a trap baited with Kan- 

 garoo flesh. It remained alive but a few hours, 

 having received some internal hurt in securing it. 

 It from time to time uttered a short guttural cry, 

 and appeared exceedingly inactive and stupid ; hav- 

 ing, like the owl, an almost continual motion of the 

 nictilant membrane of the eye. 



