DASYURES. 



271 



the animal's powerful claws at the root of a tree. In its gait and movements 

 it presents a considerable resemblance to a badger or small bear. Except those 

 which are too large to be attacked, living creatures of all kinds — whether vertebrate 

 or invertebrate — form the prey of the Tasmanian devil ; even sheep being 

 destroyed in large numbers by these comparatively small marauders. 



On the mainland of Australia the carnivorous Marsupials are 

 represented by the civet-like dasyures, or native cats (Dasyurus), 

 the largest of which are about ecpaal in size to an ordinary cat. They have the 

 same number of teeth as in the Tasmanian devil, but the cheek-teeth are less 

 massive and powerful. The general form of the body is also much longer 

 and more slender, and the tail more elongated ; wliile in all cases the body is 

 profusely spotted with white, upon a grey or brown ground-colour. The muzzle 



Dasyures. 



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11 ^ ■ ' ' ' 



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THE TASMANIAX DEVIL (i^ nat. size). 



is sharp, the ears long, narrow, and pointed ; and the long tail evenly and thickly 

 furred. In some of the species there is a rudiment of the first toe of the hind-foot. 

 The dasyures, of which there are five species, are common to Australia, Tasmania, 

 and New Guinea. The largest is the spotted-tailed dasyure (D. macidatus), from 

 Eastern and South -Eastern Australia, distinguished from the others by the tail 

 being spotted as well as the body; but the best known species is the common 

 dasyure (B. viverrinus), inhabiting both Australia and Tasmania. The dasyures 

 are arboreal animals, and in habits resemble the martens, of which they appear to 

 take the place in Australasia. They feed on small mammals, birds and their eggs, 

 and probably also lizards and insects, and are especially destructive to poultry. 



Far more numerous than the dasyures are the smaller phascolo- 

 asco og es. ^^ (Phascologale), the largest of which is not bigger than a good- 

 sized rat. They are distinguishable from the dasyures by" the absence of white spots 



