40 GUIDE TO THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



are described in chapter XIY. Paleeontology ; our Australian 

 animals are in fact living representatives of races which in former 

 eras peopled the whole world. 



There are seven families of Marsupials, six of which are found 

 in Australia and New Guinea, and the remaining one on the 

 American Continent. 



The followintr table shows the Families and Genera into which 

 the existing forms of the Order BrARSUPIALIA are divided : — 



Family I. Macropodidae — Macropus; Osphranter; Hal- 

 maturus ; Petrogale ; Dendrolagus ; Dorcopsis ; Onychogale ; 

 Lagorchestes ; Bettongia ; Hypsiprymnus. 



Family II. Pleiopodidae— Hypsiprymnodon. 



Family III. Peramelidae — Perameles ; Peragale ; Chcero- 

 pus. 



Family IV. Phalangistidse — Phalangista ; Cuscus ; 



Petaurista ; Belideus ; Acrobata ; Dromicia ; Tarsipes. 



Family V. Dasyuridse — Thylacinus ; Sarcophilus ; Dasy- 

 urus. ; Phascologale ; Antechinus ; Podabrus ; Antechinomys. 



Family VI. PhaSCOlomyidaB— Phascolomys; Phascolarctos. 



Family VII. Didelpllidse — Didelphys; Chironectes (Ameri- 

 can). 



FAMILY 1.— :\[ACROPODID^ or Kangaroos. The mem- 

 bers of this family are distinguished by their long hind legs, very 

 short fore legs, and powerful tails ; their usual mode of progression 

 is by leaps in which only the hind legs touch the ground, and the 

 tail oscillates up and down as a balance or counterpoise to the 

 body ; they attain a considerable speed, and it requires a good 

 horse to surpass them ; a large kangaroo has been known to leap 

 25 feet in one bound. 



In the hind foot of the Kangaroos the first toe is wanting ; 

 the second and third are very slender and enclosed in a common 

 skin, appearing outwardly like one toe with a double nail ; the 



