THE PHALANGER FAMILY. 



203 



present day it is restricted to the mountainous 

 districts of the interior, and is, in fact, nearly- 

 extinct. It is fierce, but stupid, and its pur- 

 suit and destruction are accordingly easy. 



All other marsupials are to a greater or 

 less extent vegetable-feeders; and the modi- 

 fications of their cheek-teeth, the reduction 



of their canines, and the form of their incisors 

 bear witness to this kind of diet. The in- 

 cisors are present in large number only in the 

 upper jaw; in the lower jaw there are no 

 more than two in each half, and these are 

 mostly directed horizontally forwards. In 

 this section we distinguish several groups 

 and families. 



THE FRUIT-EATING MARSUPIALS 



(CARPOPHAGA). 



In this group there are in all six vertical 

 incisors in the upper jaw, three in each pre- 

 maxilla. In the same jaw canines are always 

 present, but these are sometimes absent in 

 the lower. The number of the molars is 

 four, that of the premolars varies. The 

 great toe of the hind-foot (the hallux) is 

 opposable. The second and third digits on 

 these feet are weak and united in a kind of 

 sinewy sheath as in the dasyures. The fore- 

 feet are five-toed. Looking to their nocturnal 

 and arboreal mode of life and their general 

 habit we may say that the Carpophaga hold the 

 same position among the marsupials as the 

 Prosimii among the placental mammals. 



THE PHALANGER FAMILY 



(PHALANGISTIDA). 



This is a family very rich in species. The 

 genera and sub-genera have been distin- 

 guished according to the presence or absence 

 of a flying membrane, and in accordance 

 with slight modifications in the dentition. 

 All the members of this family^ have canines 

 in both jaws, but in some, as in cuscus, these 

 are, at least in the upper jaw, sharp and 

 prominent, while in others they may be 

 scarcely distinguishable from the premolars. 



' The opossums of the Australian colonists. — Tr. 



The upper molars are quadrangular, the 

 lower ones oblong; they are all composed 

 of transverse ridges which project in the form 

 of a half-moon both to the exterior and the 

 interior. Premolars and canines are often 

 difficult to distinguish. From this family we 

 select only a few representatives. 



The Squirrel Flying-phalanger {^Belideus 

 or Petaurus sciureus), fig. 257, belongs to the 

 genus Petaurus, of which Belideus is a sub- 

 genus, distinguished by having a third pre- 

 molar in both jaws, while the other sub-genera 

 have only two. The shape of the head, which 

 is round, short, and much expanded behind 

 the snout, the large round eyes, the short 

 erect ears, the soft fur, the long bushy tail, and 

 the patagium, or flying-membrane stretched 

 out between the limbs, give to these creatures 

 a marvellously close resemblance to the flying- 

 squirrels, so that the two might from their 

 external appearance be confounded with each 

 other. An examination of the dentition, or 

 a glance at the pouch, or at the feet, would 

 at once enable us to distinguish the former 

 from the latter. The slightly developed great 

 toe of the fore-feet (the pollex) is opposable, 

 and so also is the great toe of the hind-feet 

 (the hallux), which, however, is very powerful 

 and is provided with a flat nail. The second 

 and third digits are short, weak, and united 



