THE POUCHED ANT-EATERS. 211 



anatomy, whilst unfortunately nothing particular was learned regarding its natural history and habits. 

 Subsequently the little creature, whose body is about nine inches and a half long, the tail measuring 

 in addition about four inches, was found in the interior of the country near the Swan River. It is an 

 active little animal, and a hunter of insects, but it will feed upon vegetable substances also. Mr. 

 Gould states that, like the Perameles, to which it is allied in many parts of its construction, 

 it forms a nest composed of leaves and other substances. The pouch is deep and runs upwards) 

 and not like that of the Kangaroo, and there are eight teats. At first there was much dis- 

 cussion whether the animal had a tail, but there is no doubt about its possessing one when in 

 the perfect condition. The slender fore limbs, no thicker than goose-quills, end in two very small 

 digits, and they are provided with small, compressed, and but little curved nails. They have a small 

 fleshy pad on their under surface, behind which is a smaller one. The hind legs are longer than the 

 front ones, and are almost as slender. The foot is long, and at first sight appears to have only one 

 large toe, for the others are very small and far removed from the end of the foot. The outer little toe 

 has a small nail, and the inner toes, joined, are almost as small, but they have hollow nails. The 

 greatly-developed toe has a conical and compressed nail, but beneath there is a large fleshy pad ; the 

 rest of the foot is hairy. Hence it appears that the heel is not put to the ground. The colour of the 

 long, loose, soft fur is brown-grey above, and yellowish-white beneath, the limbs and the fore feet 

 have a whitish tint, and the large toe is of a dirty white colour. So far as the skull and teeth are 

 concerned, the little Chceropus greatly resembles the other kinds of Marsupials which are classified 

 under the genus Perameles. Sir Thomas Mitchell noticed the broad head and very slender snout, 

 which, he stated, resembled the narrow neck of a wide bottle, in the specimen which the natives took 

 from a hollow tree after chasing it on the ground. In the construction of the skull and in the number 

 of the teeth, this long-eared creature resembles the rest of the genus Perameles. In the upper jaw 

 there are five incisor teeth on each side, and they are close, and the canine is small, and resembles a 

 premolar, and is slightly distant from the incisors. The first premolar is separated from the canine by 

 a space of one line and a half, and slightly from the second premolar ; and the second and third pre- 

 molars and the four molars form a continuous line. 



V. THE DASYURUS FAMILY. DAS YURID^E. 



These animals are all carnivoroiis, and prey upon small quadrupeds and the young of large ones, 

 as well as upon birds and insects. They are of different shapes and sizes, according to the genera to 

 which they may belong ; and whilst some resemble the Shrew Mice somewhat in outward appearance, 

 others are like the Marten, and one important group may be compared with Short-legged Wolves, or 

 Jackals. Varying in size from that of a Mouse to a small Wolf, the members of the different 

 genera of this family are equally variable in the number of the teeth, of the claws, and in the develop- 

 ment of the marsupial pouch and its bones. They all have rather long muzzles and furry tails, 

 which, however, are not prehensile. The second and third toes of the hind feet are disunited and well 

 developed, and the thumb-toe is small or absent. There are eight incisors in the upper jaw, and six 

 in the lower. 



GENUS MYRMECOBIUS. THE POUCHED ANT-EATERS.* 



The BANDED MYRMECOBIUS may be taken as an example of this genus. It is about the size of a 

 Rat, but it is more Squirrel-like in shape, and has a long and pointed muzzle. The tail is long and furry, 

 with long hairs also ; and the prevailing colour of the body is reddish, but posteriorly it becomes dark 

 or black. There are nine bands of light or white colour on the sides of the body, from the back over 

 the flanks, and the crupper is also marked with a band. The head is long, the ears are moderately 

 long, narrow, and pointed, the gape is considerable, and the small pointed snout has some rather long 

 smellers ; there are also some long hairs under the eye, A black mai'k runs on the cheek to the ear, 

 and has white hairs above and below it. The fur is somewhat remarkable. The under hair is scanty 

 and whitish-grey, and the upper hair is rather coarse, short, and depressed on the fore parts of the 

 body. It is long on the hind and under parts, and the hairs on the fore part of the back are black near 

 the skin and reddish at the tip. The fur of the head is short and brownish above, being composed of 



* Mi/rniecobiusfasciatus-fj.vf>fjin?,&ni; /3<ot, life. 



