M A M M A L I A. 



199 



which they leap about among the branches with 

 great agility. 



The genus Phalangista (the phalangers), as already 

 hinted, are not confined to New Holland, but consist 

 of two sections, one with the tail naked, but prehen- 

 sile, and the other with the tail hairy, but prehensile 

 as well as that of the other. 



These animals, and indeed the whole of this divi- 

 sion, are chiefly vegetable in their feeding, though 

 there is perhaps none of the marsupial animals exclu- 

 sively vegetable. These animals have, however, 

 their intestines longer, and more furnished with csecal 

 appendages than those formerly noticed ; and thus it 

 follows that their general food is more difficult of 

 digestion. They have the thumbs large and directed 

 to the rear, something in the same manner as the 

 hind toes of birds. This thumb is without any claw, 

 and two of the toes of their feet are often united as 

 far as the second phalange. It is this which caused 

 them to get at first the name of phalangers ; but it is 

 not a very happy name, inasmuch as the last men- 

 tioned genus, though without thumbs, have the toes 

 united in a similar manner; and the Malay name 

 " pelandor," which resembles this one, and is some- 

 times mistaken for it, is one which we would translate 

 rabbit, though it is said in many of the oriental islands 

 to be applied to a small leaping animal having many 

 of the characters of a kanguroo. 



The character of these phalangers, and of another 

 genus or subgenus closely allied to them, as depen- 

 dent on the mouth, are : two very long and strong 

 incisive teeth in the under jaw, acting against six 

 smaller ones in the upper. This produces a slight 

 resemblance to the rodentia ; but the edges of the 

 cutting teeth are of a more tearing and less gnawing 

 structure than those of the rodentia. They differ 

 from these animals also in having the upper jaw 

 always furnished with long and pointed canines; but 

 the canines in the under jaw are not longer than the 

 false grinders. 



The chief distinction between them, which is de- 

 cidedly different from the allied genera, is the want 

 of parachute membranes along the sides. Still they 

 are expert climbers, and search the trees with great 

 diligence and rapidity ; and they are exceedingly 

 dexterous in suspending themselves by the tails from 

 the branches of trees. They have a rank and offen- 

 sive odour ; but, notwithstanding, they are eagerly 

 sought after as food by the inhabitants of those coun- 

 tries in which they are found ; and in New Holland 

 they are eagerly hunted, both by the natives and the 

 colonists. The trees of New Holland are remark- 

 ably well adapted to the habits of animals of this 

 description. Very many of them are hollow ; and 

 as soon as the central wood of a tree begins to decay, 

 the wood-consuming insects, known by the general 

 name of white ants, come in countless myriads to 

 clear it away. Such animals as those of which we 

 are speaking come first to levy their contributions 

 upon the insects, and then to take possession of the 

 cavities, so that the hollows of the trees form ready- 

 made burrows for these animals. The natives are, 

 however, very expert at scaling the trees and draw- 

 ing them out or dislodging them by means of smoke. 

 The species which inhabit the Oriental Archipelago 

 do not live so much in hollow trees as those of 

 New Holland ; because the trees there are not so 

 subject to decay, and the animals are in consequence 

 more among the branches. 



These animals, from the possession of the pouch, 

 have been called by the general name of opossums ; 

 but the individuals have been named after any animal 

 which it struck the fancy of the namer that they 

 nearly resembled. The largest of them is about the 

 size of a full-grown cat, the others are smaller. 



The allied genus Petaurus (the flying phalangers 

 or those with the lateral membranes) differ from the 

 others in these membranes, in the greater pointedness 

 of the nose, in having the feet more capable of cross 

 motion, and in the tail not being prehensile. They 

 are very active animals among the trees, and can 

 support themselves for some little time in the air by 

 means of their parachutes, though they are of course 

 quite incapable of gaining a fresh impulse from that 

 element. The teeth of these animals are very insec- 

 tivorous, their molars next the canines being very 

 pointed, arid the ones further back in the mouth ter- 

 minate in four sharp points, so that no part of the 

 mouth of the animal is adapted for bruising vegetable 

 matter. 



The most characteristic, or at all events the 

 largest animal of this section or genus, is the great 

 flying phalanger. The total length is about twenty 

 inches. The head is small and very pointed at the 

 muzzle ; the ears are large, of an oval form, and 

 covered with hair ; and the tail, which is round at 

 the basal parts, though flattened in the length, is 

 very thickly and finely beset with hairs. The gene- 

 ral colour of the body is of a greyish brown colour, 

 paler on the sides of the lateral membrane; and 

 the head is nearly the same colour, with bright 

 yellowish brown hairs down the middle of the fore- 

 head. It inhabits the woods on the eastern coast 

 of New Holland, especially the rich district between 

 Port Jackson and Botany Bay. 



Another species, the long-tailed flying phalanger, 

 is about a fourth larger than a common rat, with the 

 tail slender and half as long again as the body. It 

 is greyish brown above, and whitish on the under 

 part. The tail is black for the greater part of its 

 length, but paler towards the body. 



Another species, of a greyish brown colour, and 

 with the toes furry, having a black tail with a white 

 tip, also inhabits New Holland. The most remark- 

 able of the whole, however, is the little flying pha- 

 langer, which is not more than two inches long in 

 the body ; and yet by the help of its parachute it can 

 leap to a very great distance as compared with its 

 size. The most remarkable character of this little 

 animal is the tail, which is formed with hairs regularly 

 disposed on each side, arranged like the webs of a 

 quill ; and there is no doubt that this form of the 

 organ assists the animal greatly in performi.ig its leaps. 



There are some other species found in New Guinea 

 and the adjacent isles ; but it does not appear that 

 any of those which are furnished with parachutes are 

 found so far to the northward as the species which 

 are without this appendage. They differ consider- 

 ably in size and colour ; but there is a strong likeness 

 among the whole of them, and it does not appear 

 that there is any very great difference in their man- 

 ners. The genus Petaurus is known by the name of 

 the kanguroo rat. The cutting teeth are the same 

 in number as those of the last, with those of the 

 under jaw very long. The canines are also wanting 

 in the under jaw, but those in the upper are long and 

 pointed. Immediately behind the canine they have 

 a large molar with a trenchant edge, though the 



