132 A NATURALIST IN TASMANIA ch. 



into three distinct sub-regions differing from one 

 another both in physical characters and in their 

 living inhabitants. There is, first of all, the damp 

 tropical and sub-tropical region, including New 

 Guinea and the North Queensland coast, charac- 

 terized by the luxuriance and tropical character 

 of its vegetation, by the wonderful development of 

 the Birds of Paradise which are confined to this 

 region alone, by the presence of the Cassowary, 

 which here replaces the Emu of the south, and by 

 the comparative poverty and specialized nature 

 of its Marsupial fauna, of which the curious Tree- 

 climbing Kangaroo (Dendrolagus) may be men- 

 tioned. 



Sharply distinguished from this region is the 

 Desert Region of central, northern, and western 

 Australia, characterized by its dry climate, and by 

 the very peculiar nature of its animals and plants, 

 of which we need only mention the peculiar Mar- 

 supials, viz. the Ant-eater (Myrmecohius) and the 

 extraordinary Marsupial Mole (Notoryctes), 



Bounded on the north and west from the desert 

 by the Dividing Range of mountains, we have a 

 strip of country including Victoria and the coastal 

 parts of New South Wales and Tasmania which is 

 characterized by its temperate climate, a moder- 

 ate and, in parts, even excessive rainfall, and 

 a number of animals and plants which are able 

 to withstand a very considerable range of tem- 

 perature. Certain features in this region, though 

 few actual species, are of course shared in common 



