84 HORN KXPEDITION— NAliltATIVE. 



Rifliat;' on .-ill day loiii; we kept mountiin; one sandhill at'tcr another, all 

 covered with tussocks of Porcupine ^rass, amongst which the kaiiL^ai-ooi'ats, 

 Jn'/foi/i^ia /cs!ict/n\ kept dodi;ing in and out with rcniaikahle speed and agility. 



Whilst we were I'iding' along in this part of the country oui' attention was 

 di'awn by Mr. Cowle to a small ratdike creature which was i-unning aliout, and 

 dismounting we cajitured it aftei' a smart chase, during which it ran acr'oss from 

 tussf)ck to tussock. Tt turned out to Ije one of the most interesting of the new 

 animals found during the Expedition. It is a new species of the genus 8min- 

 thopsis, which includes the pouched mice, most of wliich are ground animals, in 

 contrast to those of the closely allied genus Phascologale which are usually 

 described as being arboreal in theii' habits. In reality this is only partly true as 

 there are species of PJiascologale such as the crest tailed Phascologale (Z'. cristi- 

 caitda) and the fat-tailed pouched mouse (/". macdDniuiknsis)^ which are undoubtedly 

 fossorial in habit ; as a general rule also the species of Phascologale in addition 

 to having somewhat more stoutly built feet than those of Sminthopsis, have 

 a numl:)er of striated pads on the sole which are doubtless of use to them in 

 climbing. The little animal now captui'ed for the first time has from its 

 living amongst the sandhills been called Siitiutliopsis psaiiuiiopliilus. It must 

 evidently be able to exist without any supply of water other than what it 

 gets either from the moisture in its food or else perhaps fi'om the heavy dews 

 which fall dui'ing certain seasons of the year, and it was the only small marsupial 

 which we saw running about during the day time, for most of thcMii .are strictly 

 nocturnal. 



Between the sandhills, some of which were a hundred feet high whilst all i-an 

 in a general north-east and south-west direction, were small flats co\ered with 

 funereal-looking Desert oaks, and where the harder surface of the ground afforded 

 some little relief to the horses, whose feet and legs were tired and soi-e with toiling 

 (iver the heavy sandhills on which the Porcupine could not be avoided. 



This Porcupine grass, which is often incorrectly spoken of as " Spinifex " in 

 the writings of many of the explorers of Central Australia is one of the most 

 serious obstacles met with in travelling across the dtvsert region of the southern 

 part of the interior. Each tussock when young resembk^s moie than anything else 

 a gigantic pincushion with the pins represented by long knitting needl<\s radiating 

 in all directions. As the tussock grows older and increases in size the inner parts 

 die away leaving a cii'cular rim the diameter of which may be as much as nine or 

 twelve feet. The young leaves are flat, but as they gradually dry each rolls up 

 into a stifT, needle-like cylinder. In one species i^Triodia piingois) they are covered, 

 as described before, with a, very sticky varnish. Not only do these tussocks of 



