HABITS OF THE KOALA 65 



myself. It is certain that the animal is not an intelligent 

 one ; yet I am not prepared to admit that its low type of 

 brain-organisation is responsible for this, and in its 

 peculiar habitat it is not without a certain intelligence 

 that shows it to be well fitted for its mode of life. It 

 chooses only the largest trees, where the leaves are in 

 greatest luxuriance, in which to live and feed ; and it 

 moves from branch to branch with adroitness, never 

 stripping more than a small part of the leaves from any 

 one portion of the tree. These leaves it does not eat as 

 it gathers them, but they are stored in its large cheek- 

 pouches which are capable of holding more than a pint. 

 The food is consumed while the koala is sitting quietly 

 in the top of the tree. The red-gum is the species it 

 prefers ; but it is always a gum-tree of some kind in which 

 it feeds and rests. 



The sharp and strong claws of the koala seem to be 

 of no use to it except for pulling down the branches upon 

 which it cannot trust its weight. It is one of the most 

 harmless of all animals, and never makes even a show of 

 defence against either men or dogs, while it is quite as 

 tenacious of life as the sloth. I have witnessed some cruel 

 scenes when unfortunate koalas have fallen into the hands 

 of blackfellows. " Him no good waddy ; so cut heart out" 

 The meaning is that it is useless to strike a koala with a 

 waddy (club) ; so the poor animal is ripped open while 

 alive and the heart pulled out. 



The female has only one young one at a birth, which 

 is of very slow growth. At the proper stage of develop- 

 ment, she transfers it from her pouch to her back, where it 

 clings so firmly, and digs its claws into her woolly coat 

 with such vigour, that the lower part of her back is often 

 rubbed not only hairless, but sore also. In this way she 

 carries her young one until it is about half-grown, when it 

 begins to shift for itself. 



The young koala is much esteemed as an article of 

 food by the blacks, who climb the trees and knock 

 mother and young one together from the branches. 

 Though they often fall more than a hundred feet to the 



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