290 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



partly on the sides of its hands and partly on a pad-like cushion 

 in their palms. In the Aye-Aye we find the middle digit to be 

 exceptionally slender ; in the Great Ant-eater it is most excep- 

 tionally thick and strong. 



Australia is the great home of those pouched beasts, called 

 Marsupials, one genus of which, however, inhabits America, and 

 in ancient times was found in Europe. 



The American forms {Didclphus), and certain Australian 

 forms also (Dasyarus, Phascogalc, and Myrmecohim), have the 

 four outer digits of proportions similar to those of the majority 

 of clawed, or unguiculate, beasts. Other Australian forms, as 

 the Phalangers {Phalangista), the native Bear * (Phascolarctus) , 

 the Wombat {Phascolomys), and others, have the second and 

 third digits very singularly reduced in size. 



This disproportion is still more marked in the Kangaroos 

 {Macropus). In that animal each foot has but two large and 

 conspicuous toes, the inner one of which is much the larger, and 

 bears a very long and strong claw, a formidable defensive 

 weapon when the creature stands at bay. On the inner side of 

 this is what appears to be one very minute toe, but it is furnished 

 with two small claws. An examination of the bones of the foot 

 shows us, however, that it really consists of two very slender 

 toes united together in a common fold of skin. These very 

 minute toes are the same as the less reduced ones in the 

 marsupials before mentioned, and correspond with our own 

 second and third toes, there being no representative of our great 

 toe. 



In a small and very singular kind of Bandicoot (Chceropus) 

 the fifth toe is also extremely reduced in size, so that the animal 

 is supported and progresses on one toe only, namely, that which 

 correspondB with our fourth toe. The hand of this animal is 

 also greatly reduced in the number of its parts, though there it 

 is supported not on one but on two digits, which correspond with 

 the second and third digits of the human hand. 



The Elephant has extremities each provided with five short 

 digits enclosed in a plump fleshy mass, with the nails apparent, 



* In the hand of this animal the pollex and index are slightly opposable 

 to the other three digits : in the foot a nailless hallux is opposable to the 

 other four digits. 



