THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 193 



only get filled by surface drainage when a heavy thunderstorm 

 passes over. 



Kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, do not seem to be plentiful 

 anywhere, and personally I saw none wild. I was told of one that 

 had been shot which only possessed half a tail, and that very 

 small and shrivelled in appearance, having probably been so from 

 birth ; in trying to travel fast it frequently tumbled, especially in 

 trying to turn, as it could not balance itself properly. Wallabies 

 were much more plentiful, and in the thick undergrowth near the 

 coast were the Short-tailed Wallabies, Macropus brachyurus, and 

 in the more open country further inland the Black-gloved 

 Wallaby, Macropus irma, then the Dama Wallaby, Macropus 

 eugenii, and Crescent Wallaby, Onychogale lunata, locally called 

 Tamraa. They are naturally more numerous near permanent 

 water, and in the thick scrub their runs are very noticeable. 

 Bandicoots, especially Peragale lagotis, or Rabbit Bandicoot, are 

 very plentiful in places, but in parts of the country where formerly 

 they were numerous none are now to be seen ; ringing the timber 

 and cultivation have driven them away. The burrows of these 

 animals are very similar to those of rabbits, and when these 

 rodents come along they will find homes ready prepared for 

 them. At one place where I was staying the head of the house- 

 hold generally had eight cats by his chair at meal time, on the 

 lookout for tit-bits, which they knew they would receive from 

 their indulgent master, and if food was not forthcoming quickly 

 enough they would stand up on their hind legs against his chair 

 and tap his arm with their fore paw as a gentle reminder that they 

 were there. When I expressed my surprise at their number, my 

 friend said, " It is better to be forearmed in case the rabbits 

 come." Dingoes are met with everywhere, but they fortunately 

 do not seem very plentiful. It is a curious fact that about four out 

 of every five you obtain are females. The specimens here are as a 

 rule darker in colour than those found on the eastern side of- 

 Australia. They have to eat what they can get, and become expert 

 in catching ground birds, jumping on them suddenly from behind 

 a bush or tussock, and often catching them before they can get 

 away. The beautiful little Myrmecobius fasciatus, or Banded 

 Anteater, is much sought after on account of its skin, but it is not 

 often seen, as, like almost all other Australian animals, it remains 

 under cover during the day, and comes out to feed in the 

 evening. 



Opossums, Tricliosurus vulpecula, are plentiful, except in 

 settled districts ; there they have been nearly all shot and snared. 

 They are the same as the Victorian species, although forms of 

 melanism seem more often to occur, and these specimens have 

 been erroneously called T . fuliginosus ; but I do not think that a 

 true specimen of the latter has ever been found out of Tasmania. 



