66 Zoological Society :— 
nostrils ; the tail is naked and rudimentary ; the feet are black, as 
are the hairs of the fur covering them above; the claws are black, 
and are longer and more powerful than those of P. latifrons. The 
general aspect of P. Wombat is more bear-like than that of P. lati- 
frons. In standing it arches its back considerably, and does not hold 
its head so erect as the latter animal ; the expression of the eye, too, 
is decidedly fierce, and lacks the good-natured twinkle of the South 
Australian species. Next to the form of the skull, one of the most 
striking specific differences manifests itself in the colour, character, 
and texture of the fur; in sleeping it rolls itself almost into a ball, 
burying its nose between its fore paws. The measurements I made 
of the adult male of the P. Wombat are as follows :— 
in. lin. 
xtreme Tenbthy 520. 22.5 ks eS EE 33 (0 
Keneth of head 2.650. 0) 5G. 3.20) OR 
Breadth between tips of ears.......... 6 9 
Breadth between eyes .........,.... 3.0 
BenotiaroG ears: 0/5. 00. 6204.05 Ge ee ee 
Girth round centre of body .......... 29 6 
Height, middle of back.............. 15°90 
The specimen of P. /atifrons in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens 
is the only one I have yet seen. It was caught some twelve months 
since, near the Gawler River, about thirty miles north of Adelaide. 
It is kept in an enclosure, where it is secured with a strong chain and 
collar to prevent its escape by burrowing ; it is perfectly docile, and 
never attempts to bite like the Common Wombat ; it is fed artifi- 
cially on bran and weeds, and drinks freely of water. The only 
sound it emits is a short quick grunt when annoyed; it sleeps a 
good deal during the day, and appears impatient of heat and rain, 
as in its wild state it is entirely a burrowing animal, living in large 
holes in the limestone districts, and only leaving its habitation towards 
dusk for the purpose of obtaining food. The specimen in the Gar- 
dens is fond of lying on its back like a bear, the feet are thoroughly 
plantigrade, and on the inner hind toe the claw is quite rudimentary. 
He will burrow 3 or 4 feet into the soft ground of his enclosure, and 
scratches alternately with his fore paws. When worried he will turn 
his hind quarters to the enemy, and, suddenly turning round, make 
a charge at his legs, evidently for the purpose of throwing him 
down ; otherwise he is perfectly harmless. He runs fast for a short 
distance in a sort of gallop, but soon tires, and is easily caught. 
Although in some parts of the colony, especially on Yorke’s Penin- 
sula and about Port Lincoln, the holes of these Wombats are verv 
numerous, yet the animals are but rarely seen. Many of the oldest 
colonists have informed me that they never saw a Wombat alive. 
The blacks on the Murray describe two kinds of Wombats ; one (evi- 
dently P. latifrons) they speak of as ‘big yellow fellow,”’ the other 
as being smaller and dark ; they also say that the impressions of 
their feet in the sand-tracks leading to their burrows bear a striking 
resemblance to those of the foot-prints of a young child. The flesh 
