340 DIVISION I. VEETEBr.AL AKIMALS. — CLASS I. MAMMALIA. 



body; tlie fur is short, ;iik1 of a pale Ijrown color, witli numerous transverse 

 black marks on tlic back and liaunches. 



The D. vijnijcvphula^ is a nati\e of Van Dieuiea's Land, \vhere it is 

 called the tiger, or liycna. It dwells amongst caverns and rocks in the 

 deep and almust impenetrable glens in tlie neighborhood of liigli mount;iins, 

 where it proi)ablv preys upon the busli-kangaroo, and various small animals 

 tiiat abound in those places. According to Mr. Harris, it is exceedingly 

 stupid and inactive. 



IJ. Ur^'uiua. — This species has a very stout form, and is about twenty- 

 one inches in length, exclusive of the tail. The fur is somewhat lung and 

 coarse, of a black color, with .•x liroad wliite band across tlie chest, and rmi- 

 ning backwards over tlie base of the fore legs. This wiiite mark, iiowever, 

 is sometimes wanting. 



The inhabitants of Van Dicmen's Land call this animal the "JJcril.'' It 

 is of nocturnal haliit, extremelv fierce, and a match for an ordinary dog. 



^Mr. Harris states that "these animals were very common on our first 

 fcttHng at llobart Town, and were particularly destructive to poultry, &c. 

 'i hey, liowc\cr, furnished tlie convicts with a fresh meal, and the taste was 

 said to be not unlike veal. As the settlement increased, and the ground 

 became cleared, tiiey were driven from their haunts near the town, to the 

 deeper recesses of the forests yet unexplored. They are, however, easily pro- 

 cured by setting .a trap iu the most unfrefpiented parts of the woods, baited 

 with raw llesh, all kinds of whicli they cat indiscriminately and voraciously. 

 They also, it is probable, prey on dead fish, blubber, &c., as their tracks 

 are frequently found on the sands of the sea shore." 



1>. Mdcfourus. — The iSpotted-tailed Dasyurus. The length of this 

 s[)ecles, aside from the tail, is about seventeen inches. Tiie fur is rather 

 short and harsh, of a dee[» rich chestnut-brown above, somewhat rusty over 

 the haunches, and darker over the shoulders, and white beneath the head and 

 body. The sides, also, arc spotted with patches of white. It is a native of 

 Van Dicmen's Land. 



D. (ri-cjjrui/i. — This animal is sixteen inches long, aside from the tail. 

 TIio color of the upper parts of the body and head is a yellowish-brown, 

 slightly inclined to greenish, by the admixture of rich fulvous yellow and 

 black. It is a native of New South Wales. 



D. 3/itiir/c'i. — Mange's tlasyurus is about the size of a rabljit, of a yel- 

 lowish-gray color. It appears, however, that the color varies, as one variety 

 is perfectly black. 



Z). T'euicil/iiOts. — This species is found throughout the colony of Xcw 

 South Wales. It is about the size of a rat, and is distinguished for its 

 large cars and brush_y tail. The color of the upper parts of the body is gray ; 

 of the under parts, wdiite. 



