A Naturalist’s Notes from the Bush 207 
muscular arms the soft but root-bound earth as though intentionally posing as an 
experienced believer in conservation of energy where necessity demands severe physical 
exertion. 
The animal works alternately at each side of the newly-forming burrow, first 
resting upon one side then slowly reversing its position in order to commence operations 
upon the other, even stretching upon its back to remove the more satisfactorily any 
object likely to bar its progress. Should an obstructive root or stone prove of great 
size, the burrow is slightly deviated in order to avoid it, the deviation almost invariably 
trending towards the left rather than to the mght, beneath the obstruction rather than 
above it. Under all crcumstances with which I am acquainted, the tendencies of the 
burrow are horizontal. 
The necessity for short, thick-set limbs im an animal so constantly burrowing and 
digging will be readily understood (throughout the animal world long limbs are foreign 
to burrowers); and in its physical formation or structure will at once be recognised 
its suitability, or adaptation, to its environment. 
From a profile pot of view the wombat appears to haye no neck, its head 
seeming to project straight from the broad, deep-set shoulders. Though I have spent 
many hours in watching these marsupials in their woodland homes, 1 can remember 
no instance where a wombat, desirous of examining any object in close proximity to 
itself or listening to any familar or unusual sound issuing from behind or even beside 
it, turned its head without also turning its body. This is clearly another instance of 
“structural form in relation to environment.’ By way of contrast, take the koala, or 
native bear, which is capable of moving and directing its head to face all positions, 
and this without the necessity of also turning its body. It needs no elucidative 
comments to show how essential it is that the tree-cliimbing animal should possess 
all possible advantages 
in this respect, since, 
entirely dependent 
upon given situations 
among the branches 
offering little or per- 
haps no scope for 
movement, the animal, 
if deprived of this 
essential, would in no 
way be adapted to 
lead a climbing life 
among the tree-tops. 
In the quiet, se- 
cluded life of the 
wombat, however, 
always imoving upon 
the ground or buried 
beneath the surface in 
the impenetrable black- 
ness of its retreat, the 
possession of sinuous 
joints and supple limbs 
would be superfluous ; 
not only out of keep- 
ing with the animal’s SKULL OF A BUCK WOMBAT, 
