276 



POUCHED MAMMALS. 



anteater inhabits Western and Southern Australia, and lives mainly on the ground, 

 although it will sometimes ascend trees. Its nutriment consists entirely of insects, 

 and chiefly of ants and termites, which are collected by the long extensile tongue. 

 Its favourite haunts are sandy regions, where there are numerous hollow tree-stems 

 and ant-hills. 



The Pouched-Mole. 



UNDER SURF. 



rHE pouched-mole (3 nat. size).— After Stirling. 



Family NoTORYCTIDjE. 



In general bodily conformation the pouched-mole (Xotoryctes typhlops) is a 



mole-like creature, measuring about 3 inches in total length, and covered with long, 



soft and silky hair of a 

 light fawn colour, deepen- 

 ing in parts to golden. 

 There are no external 

 ears, and the eyes are 

 represented merely by 

 small black dots buried 

 in the skin. The nose 

 and upper lip are pro- 

 tected by a peculiar 



quadrangular leathery shield, the use of which to a burrowing animal is sufficiently 



obvious. The short limbs, which are covered with hair down to the claws, are very 



remarkable in structure. Both pairs are 



of nearly equal length, powerfully made, 



and furnished with five toes. In the 



fore-paws the third and fourth toes are 



enormously enlarged tJnd furnished with 



huge triangular claws of great power; 



while in the hinder-pair the first toe is 



small and furnished with a small claw, and 



the others decrease in size from the second 



to the fifth. The short, cylindrical, and 



stumpy tail is hard and leathery, and 



marked by a series of distinct rings. The 



pouch opens backwards, and contains two 



very small teats. The teeth are small and 



weak.and appear to be forty in number. Of 



these three pairs in each jaw are incisors, and 



seven are cheek-teeth ; the molars having 



triangular three-cusped crowns, and much 



resembling those of the golden mole. This 



mole appears to be a very rare and locally 



distributed animal, restricted to the deserts 



of Northern South Australia, tying to the north-east of Lake Eyre. Here it inhabits 



flats and hills of red sand, upon which grow porcupine-grass(2Viod*'ffl)and acacia* Dr. 



1'EET OP THE POUCHED-MOLE (about j nat.. size)i 



1. Outer aspect of left fore-foot. 2. Profile view of 

 same. 3. Inner aspect of same. 4. Upper surface of 

 left hind-foot 5. Palmar surface of same. — After 

 Stirling. 



