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GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



beak with which it catches worms and insects under water. 

 The male has poisonous spurs on the heels of his hind legs. 

 /Order 2. Marsupialia. The marsupials occur chiefly in 

 the region of Australia, where they show considerable diver- 

 sity. The dasyures and Tasmanian devil are carnivorous; 

 the kangaroos (-Fig. 107) and wallabys are vegetarians; the 

 pouched moles burrow underground for insects; the pha- 

 langers live in trees and have prehensile tails. Yet, despite 

 such variations in habits, with corresponding structural 

 adaptations, all marsupials agree in possessing a pouch, 



Fia. 107. Duckbills, and kangaroo with young. 



or marsupium, supported by a pair of marsupial bones 

 which extend forward from the hips. The young are born 

 in a very immature condition, transferred to the pouch, 

 and attach themselves to a teat by means of a sucking 

 mouth. 



The opossums are confined to America, where they are the 

 most important of the marsupial animals. Only one species, 

 the Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is commonly 

 found in the United States, chiefly in the south and middle 

 west. This animal usually sleeps during the day and comes 



