///A' A'/ i /.. i. ,/; 11 >//; I// IN /.7.-.I/.'. , 1 



\\hentheyaivuiiderthe inllueiK <-f Mini.- |H,i,-iit M ii.'in.'iii. iln-\ can seldom refrain from 

 chasing :in |'<>-MIIII." cv.-n though they liav.- l-eii well f. d b\ tin- white ^-(tlers. When 

 tin- flesh bod\ ,.f a \ ulpine I'lialaii-ist is o].ened, a kind of campli-n-tl^l odor i> diffused fi<.ni 

 it, which il.|\ occasioned liy the foliage of tin- eamphor-jierfuiiied trees in which it 



dwells, aii-l tin- leaves of which it eats. 



Tin- fur of this aniina! i- n<-t valued M- highly a.s tliat of tli.- Taj MCI, probably because it is 

 <>f more ciiiiiiin.il <<. -iii-renc.', for th> color of the hair is much more elegant, and its qualit\ 

 -.-. rus i<i I-- realh xcelli n r Bom* 1 few \i- i iii i- nt- httre l>een made up-n the cajuibQitlM <' 

 this fur. an-'., as far as has yet been accomplish. -.1. wiih very -i-ai success. Good judges 

 !...-. <: ' i .. ; ' article* which have ' n made from thfa hi ]''- "', I ;i pwl mMOUMM 

 to thorn* which had been made from Angola wool, but appeared to be of superior quality. 

 Thf hat-makerVhave a Ireiidy discovered the value of the fur, and are in the habit of employ - 

 ing it in tlleir trade. 



The natives eiu|.l..\ the skin <>f the "opossum 1 ' in the manufacture of their scanty mantles. 

 as well as fi.r sundrj AMI (NDpOM t, tad | N|TC 'I"- -Kin- in a rather in-'-ni-'ii- manner. A- 

 soon as the skin is stri|>i-<l fn-m the animal's I.IM!\. it is laid >n the^rouml. with the hairy 

 si<le downwanls, and secured from shrinking by a numl>er of little JM-^S which are fixwl around 

 its edges. Tlie inner side is then continually scrajH-d with a shell, and I <y degrees the skin 

 becomes perfectly clean and pliable. When a sufficient numlxT of skins an- prejMinHl, they 

 are ingeniously sewn together with thread that is made from the tendons of the kangaroo, 

 which, when dried, can be separated into innumerable filaments. A shar^m-d piece of bone 

 stands the sable tailor in place of a needle. From the skin of the same animal is also formed 

 the "kumeel," or badge of manhood, a slight l>elt, which no one is i-ermitted to wear until he 

 has been solemnly admitted among the assembly of men. 



In its color, the Vulpine I'halangist is rather variable, but the general hue of its fur is a 

 crayish -brown, sometimes tinted with a ruddy hue. The tail is long, thick, and woolly in its 

 diameter, and in color it resembles that of the body, with the exception of the tip. which is 

 n.-aily black. The dimensions of an old male are given by Mr. Bennett as follows: Total 

 length, two feet seven inches : the head lieing four inches in length, and the tail nearly a foot. 



Tun oj-AiNT-LOOKixii animal which is popularly known by the native name of KOALA, or 

 the AUSTRALIAN BEAK, is of some importance in the zoological world, as its serves to fill up 

 the gulf that exists between the phalangistines and the kangaroos. 



It has been well remarked that this creature, arboreal in its habits, and really ursine in its 

 ireiienil as|K-ct. is the representative of the sun-bears of the Indian Archipelago, or of the sloths 

 of America. The Koala is nocturnal in its habits, and is not very frequently found, even in 

 the localities which it most affects. It is not nearly so widely spread as most of the preceding 

 animals, as it is never known to exist in a wild state except in the south-eastern regions of 

 Australia. 



Although well adapted by nature for climbing among the branches of trees, the Koala is 

 by no means an active animal, proceeding on its way with very great del iteration, and making 

 sure of its hold as it goes along. Its feet are peculiarly adapted for the slow but sure mode 

 in which the animal progresses among the branches by the structure of the toes of the fore-feet 

 or paws, which are divided into two sets, the one composed of the two inner to<-<, and the 

 other of the three outer, in a manner which reminds the observer of the feet of the scansorial 

 binls and the chamel.-oii. This formation, although well calculated to ser\e the animal when 

 it is moving among the branches, is but of little use when it is ti|H.n the ground, so that the 

 terrestrial progress of the Koalo is especially slow, and the creature seems to crawl rather than 

 walk. 



As far as is yet known, its food is of a vegetable nature, and consists chiefly of the young 

 leaves, buds, and twigs of the eucalypti, or gum-trees, as they are more popularly called. 

 When it drinks, it laps like a dog. 



1 1 seems to be a very gentle creature, and will often suffer itself to be captured without 

 offering much resistance, or seeming to trouble itaelf about its captivity. But it is liable, a 



