THE CLIMBING MARSUPIALS— COOSOOS. 



585 



them, are among the queerest members of the Weasel 

 tribe on Amboina. "The head bears much resem- 

 blance to that of a Rat or a Fox. The end of the 

 tail is bare and prehensile; with it they cling so 

 firmly to branches that one can pull them off only 

 with a great effort. On the Moluccas also they do 



KOALA OR AUSTRALIAN POUCHED BEAR. Combining many 



■characteristics of the Bear and tiie Sloth, although a true Marsupial, the 

 Koala, with its short, thickset body, short snout and large head is one of the 

 most singular and interesting arboreal animals of Australia and Tasmania. 

 {Phascolarctus cinereus.) 



not live in burrows, but on the trees, in the woods, 

 especially where there are tree -nuts. There are 

 more of them on Ceram and Buru than on Amboina, 

 for on the latter island they fear the people, who 

 catch them in a peculiar way and eat them; for they 

 are a delicacy for the natives, and when fried, the 

 flesh tastes like that of a 

 Rabbit. To capture one 

 of these animals the hunt- 

 er must stare fixedly at it 

 when it is suspended by its 

 tail; this will cause it to let 

 go in fear and it will fall 

 from the tree. However, it 

 is not given to every one 

 to be able to 'look a Cus- 

 eus off a tree.' The animals 

 eat green leaves, the outer 

 shells of canary nuts, pisang 

 and other succulent fruits. 

 While eating they sit like 

 Squirrels. Between the 

 hinder legs is a pouch, in 

 which from two to four 

 young are kept." In the 

 forests all known species 

 feed on fragrant fruit; in 

 confinement they also eat 

 raw meat, in default of 

 vegetable food. Their 

 conduct in the cage or in 

 a room is as little prepos- 

 sessing as their looks. 



They are slow, quiet, sleepy and peevish; they eat 

 greedily and drink very much. They do not live at 

 peace with each other, but often strike one another, 

 accompanying the blows with growls and yelling 

 cries; they spit like Cats, hiss and pull one another 

 about. During the day their large carmine-red eyes, 

 the pupils of which contract into narrow slits, look 



particularly stupid and dull; at night the eyes glow 

 like those of other nocturnal animals: then they re- 

 semble the Loris in many respects. 



THE COOSOOS. 



The Coosoos {Trichosurus) are seen mi ch more 

 commonly in Europe; they are nearly alln_d to the 

 Cuscus, have a similar dentition and are distin- 

 guished from the latter by reason of the roundish 

 pupils, large ears, smooth fur, and a tail which is 

 hairy for its entire length, except on the ui.der sur- 

 face of the tip. 



The Vulpine Pha- One of the best-known species of 

 longer— Its Habits, this genus is the Vulpine Phalanger 

 Range, etc. ( Trichosurus vulpecula or Phalangista 



vulpina), an animal which appears to combine the 

 graceful form of the Squirrel with that of the Fox. 

 The body is twenty-four inches long, the tail eight- 

 een inches. The upper surface of the body is of a 

 brownish gray hue, with a fallow reddish tinge, very 

 marked in places; the under parts are light ochre 

 yellow, the throat and chest are generally of a rusty 

 red, and the back, tail and whisker-hairs are black. 



The Vulpine Phalanger inhabits Australia and Tas- 

 mania, and is one of the most common of all Aus- 

 tralian Pouched Animals. Like its relatives, it lives 

 exclusively on trees in the woods and its habits are 

 thoroughly nocturnal. Its food is for the most part 

 of a vegetable nature, but it by no means despises a 

 little bird or some other vertebrate. 



Only two young ones are born to the female and 

 they are carried in her pouch for a considerable 

 time, but later she carries them on her back, until 

 the little ones can dispense with maternal care. 

 They are readily tamed. Of late, living Vulpine 

 Phalangers have frequently been exported to for- 

 eign countries, and most zoological collections pos- 



THE VULPINE PHALANGER OR COOSOO. This animal, which looks like a relative both of the Fox 



and the Squirrel, is one of the most common of the tree-inhabiting Marsupials of Australia. It sleeps during the 

 day but is lively at night, although its food is principally vegetable, with a preference for fruit. ( Trichosurus vul- 

 pecula.) 



sess several. Captive specimens are gentle and 

 peaceable: that is, they do not bite; but they are so 

 stupid, listless and lazy that they afford the ob- 

 server but little pleasure. The natives pursue the 

 animal diligently and consider its flesh an excellent 

 delicacy, in spite of the repulsive odor which it gives 

 forth, and they also find many uses for its skin. 



