THE TASMAXIAX DEVIL. 579 



by the chief officer of the vessel that " the passengers were much 

 alarmed as there were children on board, and someone went about 

 with a revolver." Later I came across the butcher who was in 

 charge at the time, and he appeared to have been rather amused 

 than otherwise, and told me the missing one was discovered at 

 last quietly sleeping under the berth of one of the sailors ! I 

 don't wonder, with the reputation that the devils have, that the 

 passengeis were alarmed. 



Part II. 



Having written so much in the first part about the keeping 

 and breeding of Tasmanian Devils, I fear I have not many fresh 

 facts to relate for 1914. The season arrived a month earlier, and 

 Billy released his little mate from retirement on the 20th of 

 March. She was just as disagreeable to him afterwards as she 

 had been on the former occasion, biting and snarling whenever 

 he approached her, and on the 8th of July I removed him from 

 the enclosure. There was nothing of importance to note until the 

 30th of the month, when a little tail was seen sticking out of the 

 pouch, and on the following day a foot and thigh were visible. 



I will now give my observations on certain days following. 

 August 3rd — Little ones partly hanging out of pouch. I must 

 not forget to state that about this time, or a little later, Truga was 

 observed carrying bundles of straw about in her mouth, with 

 which to make her bed, and finally took them behind the fern logs 

 that we had thrown down, but unfortunately I omitted to note the 

 exact date. 4th, 5th, and 6th — Sometimes saw three tails only. 

 7th — A little one lying on its back, feet in air and head in pouch. 

 On the 9th, for the first time, the man saw one standing alone on 

 a fern log, when it immediately scrambled down to the mother. 

 10th, 11th, and 12th — Mother frequently seen, sometimes with 

 only three tails observable, at other times little ones exposed, 

 bodies resting on the ground with the heads hidden. From 

 these observations, I may point out how difficult it is to know 

 exactly when the young are able to leave the pouch, it being 

 coincident, I think, with the making of the bed by the mother. 

 On the morning of the 13th Truga ran out to meet me, jumping 

 over fern logs, and left a little one whining behind, having the 

 tails of the other two and a foot showing outside the pouch ; 

 she went back at once to the young one, when it immediately got 

 on her back. 14th — Mother came out with two dangling from 

 her, leaving a little one behind crying ; she at once ran back and 

 returned with all three in her pouch. ISText day when she came 

 forward to meet me, only two tails and a foot could be seen. 

 16th — All three were hanging out, and instead of jumping over 

 ferns as usual, she had scraped away the straw and earth and 

 came out from an opening underneath them. By this time they 

 were getting quite covered with hair, white markings distinct, and 

 sometimes when disturbed they would make a faint attempt at 



