DASVURES. 271 
the animal's powerful claws at the root of a tree. In its gait and movements 
it presents a considerable resemblance to a badger or small bear. Except those 
which are too large to be attacked, living creatures of all kinds—whether vertebrate 
or invertebrate — form the prey of the Tasmanian devil; even sheep being 
destroyed in large numbers by these comparatively small marauders. 
On the mainland of Australia the carnivorous Marsupials are 
represented by the civet-like dasyures, or native cats (Dasywrus), 
the largest of which are about equal in size to an ordinary cat. They have the 
same number of teeth as in the Tasmanian devil, but the cheek-teeth are less 
massive and powerful. The general form of the body is also much longer 
and more slender, and the tail more elongated; while in all cases the body is 
profusely spotted with white, upon a grey or brown ground-colour. The muzzle 
Dasyures. 




THE TASMANIAN DEVIL (y5 nat. size). 
is sharp, the ears long, narrow, and pointed; and the long tail evenly and thickly 
furred. In some of the species there is a rudiment of the first toe of the hind-foot. 
The dasyures, of which there are five species, are common to Australia, Tasmania, 
and New Guinea. The largest is the spotted-tailed dasyure (D. maculatus), from 
Eastern and South-Eastern Australia, distinguished from the others by the tail 
being spotted as well as the body; but the best known species is the common 
dasyure (D. viverrinus), inhabiting both Australia and Tasmania. The dasyures 
are arboreal animals, and in habits resemble the martens, of which they appear to 
take the place in Australasia. They feed on small mammals, birds and their eggs, 
and probably also lizards and insects, and are especially destructive to poultry. 
Far more numerous than the dasyures are the smaller phascolo- 
gales (Phascologale), the largest of which is not bigger than a good- 
sized rat. They are distinguishable from the dasyures by the absence of white spots 
Phascologales. 
