THE TASMANIAN DEVIL. 75 I 



tapers rapidly toward the nose. The Yapock has large cheek-pouches, 

 extending far backward along the sides of the mouth, and capable of 

 containing a large supply of food. 



The family Dasyurid^E forms a group of Carnivorous and Insectivo- 

 rous Marsupials ranging from the size of a wolf to that of a mouse. 

 They are found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and are placed 

 in ten genera. They all possess sharp-edged and pointed teeth. 



GENUS ANTECHINUS. 



The Uvelve species are distributed over all Australia and Tasmania, 

 and are the most common of Australian quadrupeds. They are all small, 

 hardly exceeding the size of a common mouse. 



The Yellow-footed Pouched Mouse, Antcdmitis fiavipes, is a very 

 pretty little creature. The face, head, and shoulders are dark-gray, the 

 sides of the body a warm chestnut. The chin, throat, and abdomen are 

 white, the tail black, and often tufted. They are arboreal animals, and 

 run up and down a perpendicular trunk with singular activity. 



GENUS SARCOPHILUS. 



The Tasmanian Devil, Sarcophilus ursinus (Plate LXIII), is the only 

 species. Its fur is of a deep dead-black, without any glossiness, and 

 there is a conspicuous white mark across the breast. The body is heavy 

 and thick-set, the muzzle blunt, the mouth wide. Its length, exclusive 

 of the tail, is about twenty inches. It is a creature of unparalleled 

 ferocity and stupidity, and lives in a state of passionate and purposeless 

 anger. It is incapable of fear, and more than a match for most dogs. It 

 is now nearly exterminated, as it plays sad havoc in the poultry-yard. 

 It burrows in the ground. 



GENUS DASYURUS. 



The Dasyure or Native Cat, Dasyurus viverinns (Plate LXI1) is 

 of a dark brown, almost black color, diversified with many spots of 

 white scattered at random over the whole of the body. The tail is 

 moderately long, but not prehensile, and is thickly covered with hair. 

 They make their abodes in the hollows of decayed trees. This is the 

 best known of the four species. 



