130 KOALA OR COLA. 



for the purpose of ablution. Similar to most 

 native tribes, the females are married at a very 

 early age. I saw one in the Tumat country, 

 whom I regarded as a mere child, and was sur- 

 prised on being told that she had been married 

 for eight months. 



At " Dabee' I had an opportunity of viewing 

 the native animal, called Koala or Cola,* and 

 it immediately occurred to me (this being the 

 first living specimen I had seen) how inaccurately 

 the published representations of the animal were 

 delineated, being probably, like most of the 

 drawings of Australian animals, as well as many 

 of other countries, taken from stuffed instead of 

 recent specimens. The very peculiar droll-look- 

 ing physiognomy of this little beast was entirely 

 lost in the ?m5-representation. This animal, the 

 Phascolartos genus of Blainville, was a young spe- 

 cimen, and covered over the body with a fine grey 

 fur, having a reddish tinge, no tail, ears short and 

 erect, and covered with thick long fur of a light 

 greyish colour, eyes small, iredes brown, nose 

 naked and pointed, upper lip divided, upper jaw 

 projecting over the lower, hind feet like the opos- 

 sum, the thumb wanting the nail. This animal 

 laps when drinking, like a dog, and is very fond of 



* This animal is called " Goribun" by the Yas natives. 



