176 Prof. M‘Coy on the Recent Zoology 
and bandicoots (Perameles obesula and P. fasciata), afford abun- 
dant food to the natives and wanderers lost in the bush. 
The gigantic red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) is only found 
towards the warm northern boundary of the colony, where it 
occurs in immense numbers, along with the rather rarer sooty 
kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) and the Macropus ocydromus of 
Gould, which is certainly a good and distinct species. These 
three species are replaced in the cooler southern part of Victoria 
by the Macropus major—the great “ Old Man,” or “ Boomer ” 
kangaroo, as the male is termed by the colonists. Since the 
new law increasing the fencing of the country taken up for 
pastoral purposes, the number of individuals of those species of 
kangaroo has increased prodigiously ; so that hundreds are on 
occasions killed on some of the squatters’ runs merely to save 
the grass for the sheep. The extensive poisoning of the native 
dog, or dingo, by strychnine also tends of late years to increase 
very greatly the numbers of the plant-eating animals. The 
wallabies of the southern part of the colony are the Halmaturus 
uallabatus, chiefly of the islands in Bass’s Straits, on some of 
which H. Bennetti also occurs; and, curiously enough, I find 
that H. brachyurus, looked upon by Gould as a rare species of 
Western Australia, is the common species of the south-eastern 
portion of Victoria. 
_ As some uncertainty seems to have been felt as to the occur- 
rence of the genus Molossus in Victoria, it may be interesting 
to state that I have lately got some additional examples of the 
M. australis (now in the museum) from a hollow tree near Mel- 
bourne ; so that there can be no doubt of the fact of the genus 
extending to Victoria, although the habitat is so abnormal. 
Of seals two species are not uncommon—the eared seal (Arcio- 
cephalus lobatus) and the large spotted “sea-leopard” (Steno- 
rhynchus leptonyx) ; but they are so much less abundant than 
formerly that sealing has been quite given up for many years. 
The fur of the Victorian fur-seal is of good quality when pro- 
perly dressed. Fur rugs of beautiful softness, close and warm, 
and often of elegant appearance, are annually made in thousands 
from the skins of the opossum and the “ native cat ”’ (Dasyurus 
viverrinus), not only as carriage-wraps, but for use instead of 
blankets by the great number of people whose business leads 
them to sleep in the open air. So abundant and easily obtained 
are these skins that a profitable export trade might possibly 
result from their becoming better known to the Kuropean 
furriers. 
Of Crracna, a great number of the smaller-toothed sorts, of 
no economic value, may be seen on our. coasts; but also, occa- 
