THE PENCILED BETTONG. 323 



CHAPTER XV. • 



BUILDERS. 



Building Mammalia. — Definition of the Title. — Inferiority of the Mammalia as 

 Architects. — The Brush-tailed Bettong. — Its Structure and Color. — The Nest 

 of the Bettong, and its Adaptation to the Locality. — Singular Method of convey- 

 ing Materials. — Its nocturnal Habits. — The Rabbit-eared Bandicoot and its 

 Habitat. — The generic Title. — Curious Form of the Ears and Feet. — Difficulty in 

 discovering its Nest. — The Musquash, or Ondatra. — Its general Habits. — Its 

 burrowing Powers, and Extent of its Tunnels. — The Musquash as a Builder. — 

 Form and Size of its House. — Mode of Killing the Animal by Spear, Gun, and 

 Trap. — Its Flesh and Fur. 



"We now take our leave of the Pensiles, and pass to those ani- 

 mals which build, rather than burrow or weave. The materials 

 used by the Builders are variable. In the most perfect examples, 

 earth is the material that is employed, but in many instances 

 other substances, such as wood, earth, and sticks, are used by the 

 architect. 



As a general rule, the mammalia are by no means notable for 

 their skill in the construction of their homes. In making bur- 

 rows they far excel all the other vertebrates both in the length 

 of the tunnels and in the elaborate arrangements of the subterra- 

 nean domicile. The mole, for example, is pre-eminent as a bur- 

 rower and as a subterranean architect, and there are many of the 

 rodents which drive a whole labyrinth of tunnels through the soil. 

 But they are very indifferent builders, and, with a few exceptions, 

 are unable to raise an edifice of any kind, or to weave a nest that 

 deserves the name. 



Our list of Building Mammalia will therefore be a short one, 

 comprising only three species, two inhabiting Australia and one 

 a native of America. 



The first example of the Building Mammalia is the Penciled 

 Bettong (Bettonrjia pencillala), sometimes called the Brush-tailed 

 Bettong, and often known by the name of Jerboa Kangaroo. 

 The word Bettong is a native name for a group of small kanga- 

 roos that are easily recognized by the shape of their heads, which 



