rs 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



rOPOSSOMS 



the limestone c«ve« of Wellineton Valley, where, 

 from iU very nineular form, I nupposed it to beloiuf 

 to loaie extinct specie*. The chief peciiliaritv then 

 obterved was the broad head and ver>- lone slender 

 •noiit, which resembled the narrow neck of a wide 

 bottle ; but in the living animal the absence of a 

 tail was still more remarkable. The feet, and espe- 

 cially the fore-le?8, were also sin^larly formed, the 

 latter reteroblini? those of a pie ; and the marsupial 

 openinjc was downwards, and not upwartls, as in the 

 kanearoo and o'hers of that class of animals. Tliis 

 nuadruped was discovered by the natives on the 

 pound, but on beinft chased it soueht refuge m a 

 hollow tree, from which they took it alive, all of 

 them declarinsr that they had never before seen an 

 animal of the kind. This was where the party had 

 commenced the journey up the left bank of the 

 Murray, immediately after crossing that river." 



The' specimen was presented to the museum at 

 Sydney. 



'The drawin)? of the fore-foot very closely resem- 

 bles that of the pig : two toes are represented short 

 and of equal length, with hoof-like claws ; but there 

 is a swelling at the base of the first phalanges, 

 which renders it probable that there may be two 

 nidimentarv ones also present. The form and cha- 

 racters of the hind-feet are perfectly similar to those 

 of Perameles, as are also the teeth, as far as Mr. 

 Ogilby could judge from the drawing, except that 

 the canines appeared much smaller. The ears are 

 long, elliptical, and nearly naked ; the head broad ; 

 the muzzle long and pointed ; the body is described 

 as being about the size of that of a small rabbit, 

 and the fur much of the same colour and quality as 

 tn that animal. (See Proceed. Zool. !<oc. Lond.. 

 Mareh, 1838.) Most probably, in its habits and 

 manners, the animal resembles the bandicoots, but 

 wc must wait for definite information before we 

 can speak positively. 



74. The Banded Myrmecobius 

 {Mijrmecnbitiis fasciatus). This elegant little crea- 

 hire is the example of a new genus recently de- 

 scribed by Mr. Waterhouse. It is thus chai-acter- 

 U!e<l : — Fore-feet with live toes, hind-feet with four 

 toes, all free ; head elongated, snout produced ; 

 ears moderate, subacute ; body slender ; tail rather 

 long. 



...8.1-1 

 Dental formula : — incisors, - ; canines, r— y ; 



4-4 , 4-4 _ 



false molars, ^—z ; true molars, j— j = 52. The 



teeth are minute and insectivorous in their charac- 

 ter ; and the branch of the lower jaw fsee fig. 75) is 

 twisted in such a manner, that the outer surfaces of 

 the true molar» come in contact with the mastica- 

 ting surface of those of the upper jaw. The toes 

 are armed with strong curved claws. 



The banded Myrmecobius is about the size of a 

 squirrel. The fore part of the body is reddish, gra- 

 dually blended into the black, which is the prevail- 

 ing colour of the posterior half, and which is 

 adorned with nine white bands. Fur of two kinds. 

 Under hair scanty and whitish grey ; upper hair 

 rather coarse, short, and adpressed on the anterior 

 parts ; long on the pgsterior and under parts ; hairs 

 on the anterior part of the back generally black at 

 the base and fulvous at the apex ; those on the 

 head very short, brownish above, being composed 

 of a mixture of black, fulvous, and a few white 

 haiis: a few black haire spring from the sides of 

 the muzzle and under each eye ; hair of the tail 

 long and rather bushy ; most of the hairs on the 

 under part fulvous at t)ie base and white at the tip; 

 those on the under bide of the tail generally black 

 at the base and white at the apex. Length from 

 nose to root of tail, ten inches ; length of tail to the 

 end of the hair, seven inches. 



It is a native of the district bordering the Swan 

 River. 



"This beautiful and interesting little animal," 

 observes Mr. Waterhouse, " was tii-st discovered by 

 Lieut. Dale whilst on afi exploring party in the in- 

 terior of the country at the Swan Kiver settlement, 

 and was discovered about 90 miles to the south-east 

 of that river. Two of these animals, says Lieut. 

 Dale, were seen within a few miles of each other ; 

 they were first obsei-ved on the ground, and on being 

 pursued, both directed their fiight to some hollow 

 trees which were near. We succeeded in capturing 

 one of them ; the other was unfortunately burnt to 

 death in our endeavour to dislodge it by lumigating 

 the hollow tree in which it had taken refuge. The 

 country in which they were found abounded in 

 decayed trees and ant-hills. A second specimen 

 has since been brought to England and placed in 

 my hands for examination. I was informed this 

 <vas brought from Van Diemen's T^nd; but Mr. 

 Alexander Gordon, who had sent the specimen to 

 England to be stutTed, has since assureil me that 1 

 was misinformed, he having himself procured the 

 •nimal at Swan River." 



76. 77. — The Great Kangaroo 

 (Maeroput major, and M. Giganteut, Shaw). The 

 general aspect of the kangaroos is very pecu- 

 liar : the anterior parts of the body are light and 

 flexible, and the fore limbs are small. In contrast 

 with these characters is the vast development of the 

 hinder quarters, the haunch, hind limbs, and tail ; 

 ports of the frame in which the muscular power of 

 the animals is concentrated. 



The hinder limbs are voluminous and long : the 

 metatarsus is produced, and furnished beneath with 

 a naked callous pad, running from the toes to the 

 heel. The ordinary attitude of the kangaroos is 

 upright, with a forward inclination, the weight rest- 

 ing on the nmd limbs, the long sole (or metatarsus) 

 of which is applied to the ground, and also on the 

 tail, which with the limbs forms a tripod for the sup- 

 port of the body. The chest is contracted, the body 

 tapering from the haunches to the neck, tlie con- 

 tour being pyramidal. The head is well proportioned 

 and delicately turned. The fore-paws have 5 toes 

 armed with strong sharp claws ; the hind feet are 

 divided into four toes ; of which the two innermost 

 are very small, and compacted together so as to 

 appear as one ; but the slender bones of each and 

 the claws are distinct. The third or middle toe is 

 large and powerful, well padded beneath, and armed 

 with a strong hoof-like nail. The outer toe is less 

 than the middle, but larger than the two inner toes 

 together; its nail is in proportion. The eyes are 

 full ; the ears rather large ; the upper lip is cleft. 

 There are perfect clavicles, and the arm enjoys 

 considerable freedom of motion. 



The skeleton of the Great Kangaroo (fig. 78) well 

 displays the difference in the development of the 

 limbs, and the solidify of the osseous structure of 

 the tail, which is clothed with voluminous muscles. 



The dentition in the genus Macropus is as fol- 

 lows : — The incisore of the upper jaw are 6 in num- 

 ber ; the lateral one on each side being the largest 

 and furrowed. Between the incisors and the molars 

 there exists a large unfilled space. The molars ...e 

 five on each side, but the first is a false molar, and 

 often wanting, being pushed out by the advance of 

 those behind as the posterior ones rise from their 

 sockets. In the under jaw the incisors are 2, long, 

 powerful, and pointed ; thev advance horizontally 

 forwards, and have a sharp oblique external edge op- 

 posed to the edge of the upper incisoi-s. 



The molars as in the upper jaw, and also 

 rough, with two transverse sharp prominences, which 

 wear gradually down, showing a fold of enamel en- 

 circling an osseous centre. Fred. Cuvier divided 

 from the genus Macropus those kangaroos which had 

 shorter ears, and a nearly naked tail, though, as in 

 fig. 79, their dentition is the same. He placed them 

 in a genus which he termed Halmaturus. 



. . 6 0-0 



Dental formula : — incisors 5- ; canines, jT— r ; mo- 



5-5 

 lars, _ — J = 28. 

 5 — 5 



The ordinary mode of progression in these ani- 

 mals, as well as their flight from enemies, is by a 

 series of bounds, often of prodigious extent. They 

 spring from their hind limbs alone, neither the tail 

 nor the fore limbs being in requisition. In feeding 

 they assume a crouching hare-like position, resting 

 on the fore-paws as well as on the hinder extremi- 

 ties while tf\ey browze on the herbage. In this at- 

 titude they hop gently along, the tail being pressed 

 to the ground. On the least alarm, however, they 

 rise on their hind limbs and bound to a distance 

 with gieat rapidity. Sometimes, when excited, the 

 old male of the Great Kangaroo stands on tiptoe 

 and on his tail, and is then of prodigious height. In 

 fighting he balances himself for a moment on the 

 tail, and strikes fonvard with both the hind legs, 

 using his fore paws at the same time. The blows 

 given by the hind feet are terribly effective. 



The diet of the kangaroo is exclusively herbace- 

 ous ; the stotnach is very large and sacculated, and 

 balls of hair, similar to those so often occurring in the 

 stomach of cows and oxen, have in a few instances 

 been ibund in it. These balls, as was observed by 

 Mr. Owen, are entirely composed of the hairs of the 

 animal matted together, and agglutinated by the 

 mucus of the stomach. With the complexity of the 

 stomach of the kangaroos is associated the act of ru- 

 mination. The kangaroo ruminates while in its 

 erect attitude ; bnt this act by no means takes 

 place with the same frequency and regularity as in 

 the true ruminants, viz., the ox or deer. 



The Great Kangaroo (the Boomer, Forester, and 

 Old Man Kangaroo of the colonists ; Bundaary of 

 the aborigines) is extensively spread in New Hol- 

 land, in the intermediate country between New 

 South Wales and South Australia, and also in Van 

 Diemen's Land. It was first discovered by the cele- 

 brated navigator Captain Cook in 1770, while sta- 

 tioned on the coast of New South Wales. 



The Great Kangaroo is not strictly speaking gre- 

 garious ; more than six or eight are seldom seen to- 



gether; most frequently it is met with singly or in 

 pairs. The kind of country which it prefers con^ists 

 of low grassy hills and plains skirted bv thin open 

 forests of brushwood, to which Mr. Gfould says it 

 resorts for shelter from the oppressive heat of the 

 mid-day sun. That it would bear, if naturalized, the 

 severities of our winter, is beyond a doubt, since in 

 Van Diemen's Land, among other places, it resorts 

 to the bleak, wet, and frequently snow-capped sum 

 mit of Mount Wellington. 



The male greatly exceeds the female in size 

 measuring 7 feet 10 inches from the nose to the 

 extremity of the tail, the length of the latter being 

 little more then 3 feet. Instances have occurred ol 

 the weight being 220 pounds. The general colour 

 is uniform greyish brown, grizzled on the aim 

 and under suri'ace. A whitish mark runs above 

 the upper lip, and is faintly traceable along the 

 sides of the face. The hands, feet, and tip of the 

 tail are black. 



Tlie kangaroo readily takes to the water, and 

 swims well. It often resorts to this mode of es- 

 caping from enemies, among which is the dingo, or 

 Australian dog. Man, however, is the most unre- 

 lenting foe of this inoftensive animal. The native 

 employs several modes of obtaining it. Sometimes 

 he steals upon it, under the covert of the trees and 

 bushes, till within range of his unerring spear. 

 Sometimes numbers of men unite in a large party, 

 and, forming a circle, gradually close in upon the 

 animals with shouts and yells, by which the animals 

 are so terrified and confused, that they easily be- 

 come victims to the bommerengs, clubs, and spears 

 which are directed from all sides against them. 

 The colonist employs the gun, and a breed of dogs 

 between the greyhound and bulldog, fierce, power- 

 ful, and very fleet, for the course. Many of these 

 dogs, says Mr. Gould, are kept at the stock-stations 

 of the interior for the sole purpose of running the 

 kangaroo and the emu. The latter is killed solely 

 for the supply of oil which it yields, and the former 

 for mere sport, or for food for the dogs. " Al- 

 though," he adds, " I have killed the largest males 

 with a single dog, it is not advisable to attempt 

 this, as they possess great power, and frequently 

 rip up the dogs, and sometimes cut them to the 

 heart with a single stroke of the hind leg. Tliree 

 or four dogs are generally laid on, one of su- 

 perior fleetness to pull the kangaroo, while the 

 others rash in upon and kill it. It sometimes adopts 

 a singular mode of defending itself by clasping its 

 short but powerful arms around its antagonist, leap- 

 ing away with it to the nearest water-hole, and there 

 keeping it beneath the surface until drowned. With 

 dogs the old males will do this whenever they have 

 an opportunity, and it is also said they will attempt 

 the same with man." 



In Van Diemen's Land the Great Kangaroo is re- 

 gularly hunted with foxhounds, as the deer or fox 

 in England. The sport is said to be excellent. Mr. 

 Gregson says, in a letter to Mr. Gould, " I recollect 

 one day in particular when a very fine boomer 

 jumped up in the very middle of the hounds, in the 

 open. He at first took a few high jumps with his 

 head up, and then, without a moment's hesitation 

 he stooped forward, and shot away from the hounds 

 apparently without elibrt, and gave us the longest 

 run I ever saw alter a kangaroo. He ran fourteen 

 miles by the map, from point to point, and if he had 

 had fair play, 1 have little doubt that he would 

 have beat us. But he had taken along a tongue 

 of land that ran into the sea, so that on being 

 hard pressed, he was forced to try to swim across 

 the arm of the sea, which cannot have been less 

 than two miles broad. In spite of a fresh breeze, 

 and a head-sea against him, he got fully half-way 

 over ; but he could not make head against the 

 waves any farther, and was obliged to turn back, 

 when, being quite exhausted, he was soon killed. 

 The distance he ran, taking the different bends of 

 the line, was not less than eighteen miles." He 

 wa.s fai- before the hounds, and quite fresh when he 

 took to the water. His hind quarters weighed nearly 

 seventy pounds. " We did not measure the distance 

 of the hop of this kangaroo, but on another occasion, 

 in which the boomer had taken along the beach, 

 and left his prints in the sand, the length of each 

 jump was found to be fifteen feet, and as regular as 

 if they had been stepped by a sergeant. When a 

 boomer is pressed, he is very apt to take to the water, 

 and then it requires several good dogs to kill him ; 

 for he stands waiting for them, and a.s they swim 

 up to the attack, he takes hold of them with his 

 fore feet, and holds them under water. The buck is 

 very bold, and will generally make a stout resist- 

 ance ; for, if he cannot get to the water, he will 

 place his back against a tree, so that he cannot be 

 attacked from behind, and then the best dog will 

 find him a formidable antagonist. The doe. on the 

 contrary, is a very timid creature ; and I have even 

 seen one die of fear." 



The period of gestation in the kangaroo is thirty 

 nine days. The appearances presented by the 



