Popular SBtrtt'onarj) of glmmatrtf $atttre. 665 



Bleep, without tlie smallest recollection of 

 what had passed in liis paroxysm, or even in 

 his dancing." 



T ARSIPES. A singular genus of Marsu- 

 pial animals, found at King George's Sound, 

 in Australia, only one species of which is as 

 yet known. This has a longish muzzle, and 

 is not much bigger than a mouse. It derives 

 its name from the length of part of its hind 

 legs. 



TARSIUS. A genus of Quadrumanoiis 

 Mammalia, inhabiting the Moluccas. They 

 have the teeth and insectivorous regimen of 

 the Loris ; the tarsi elongated, which gives 

 to their hinder limbs a disproportionate ex- 

 tent ; tail very long and tufted ; large mem- 

 branous ears ; and great eyes, which indi- 

 cate a nocturnal life. Two species are 

 known, Tarsius fwcomamts of Fischer, and 



TAR8IDS BAMCA.NO8. 



T. bancanus of Uorsfield. These animals 

 have an aversion to light, and retire by day 

 under the roots of trees ; feed chieny_ on 

 lizards, and leap about two feet at a spring ; 

 ore easily tamed, and capable of some at- 

 tachment. They hold their prey in their 

 fore hands, while they rest on their haunches ; 

 produce one young at a birth, and live in 

 pairs. 



TASMANIAN CROW SHRIKE. (Gym- 

 norhina organ icum.) This animated and 

 elegant bird is a native of Van Dtemen'l 

 Land, inhabiting and enlivening by its pre- 

 sence the interior of the country. Mr. Gould 

 tells us that " it runs, and occasionally hops, 

 over the surface with great quickness, but 

 flies rather slowly, and upon alighting on a 

 branch raises and closes one wing several 

 times in quick succession, and in a verv 

 peculiar manner. When on the plains it 

 utters a loud ringing call, but when perched 

 on the dead branches of the trees soon after 

 day-break, it pours forth a succession of 

 notes of the strangest description that can 

 be imagined, much resembling the sounds of 

 a hand-organ out of tune, which has obtained 

 for it the colonial name of the Organ-Bird. 



It is very easily tamed ; and as it possesses 

 the power of imitation in an extraordinary 

 degree, it may be readily taught to whistle 

 tunes as well as to articulate words ; it con- 

 sequently soon becomes a most amusing as 

 well as ornamental bird for the aviary or 

 cage." The male has the crown of the head, 

 cheeks, throat, all the under surface, sca- 

 pularies, primaries, and tips of the tail jet 

 black ; nape of the neck, back, upper and 

 under tail-coverts, and base of the tail- 

 feathers white ; bill dark lead colour at the 

 base, passing into block at the tip ; legs 

 block ; irides bright hazel. In the female 

 the nape of the neck and back are gray. 

 It builds a round cup-shaped nest on the 

 topmost branches of the gum-tree, con- 

 structing it awkwardly of sticks interspersed 

 with strips of bark, &c., and lining it with 

 coarse grass, sheep's wool, and a few feathers, 

 felted together, and forming a dense and 

 warm receptacle for the eggs, which are of a 

 greenish ashy gray colour, spotted and 

 blotched with umber-brown and bluish- 

 gray. 



TASMANIAN HONEY-EATER. [See 

 MELIPHAOA AUSTKALASIAXA.] 



TATOU. The native name for the giant 

 armadillo of South AmericaC/'ruxfonta yiyas). 

 [See ARMADILLO.] 



TAXICORNE3. An extensive croup of 

 Heterimerous Coleoptera ; two or three ge- 

 nera of which are natives of this country. 

 The greater part of the beetles composing 

 this family live on fungi, and are either 

 found ui>on them, or beneath the bark of 

 trees which produces them. A few live on 

 the ground under stones. They arc dis- 



tinguished by having no corneous hook on 

 the inner edge of the maxillae : they are 

 generally furnished with wings : the an- 

 tenna: are usually inserted beneath the 

 margin of the sides of the head, and more 

 or less pcrfoliated, and gradually thickened 

 or ending in a club. We figure a species of 

 the genus IHajxris as an example of this 

 group. Most of the species are of a small 

 size. 

 TAXUS. [See BADGER.] 



TEAL. (Querqtiedula crecca.) The com- 

 mon Teal is a small species of duck that 

 frequents ponds, marshes, and the reedy 

 shores of creeks, inlets, and rivers, but rarely 

 visits the sea-shore. It is about fifteen 

 inches in length : the beak is dusky ; the 

 top of the head, cheeks, and neck are chest- 



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