MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA 197 



by her ; if she neglected to notice it, sometimes the Bear would grunt 

 and groan in the most alarming manner until taken up and caressed. 

 It came to an untimely end. One day the owner took his pet for 

 an outing in a park near his city home, and gave it the freedom of 

 the shrubs and trees ; and the simple little mammal ate what proved 

 his bane, the leaves of some plant which Nature had not ordained 

 to be the food of Koalas. The Bear died in agony two days later, 

 despite all the efforts made to save it. 



Like many another Australian mammal, the Koala suffers greatly 

 from parasites; its body is infested with hideous ticks which suck 

 the blood of their unwilling host. The Bears frequently die from 

 this cause, and their bodies may sometimes be found lying on the 

 tracks through the bush. 



CUSCUSES. — Five species of Cuscuses are known to naturalists; 

 one kind is found in Northern Australia, as well as New Guinea 

 and the Austro-Malayan islands, the remaining species being con- 

 fined to the two last-named regions. They are nocturnal animals, 

 and dwell in trees. Like the Koala, the Cuscuses are slow-moving 

 and sleepy, but they are beautiful in appearance. 



SPOTTED CUSCTJS.— The best-known species is the Spotted 

 Cuscus (Fig. 153) (Phalanger maculatus), which ranges over 

 Northern Australia, Southern New Guinea, the Moluccas and 

 Waigion. The Spotted Cuscus is curiously coloured. The upper 

 surfaces of the body display various combinations of white, rufous 

 and black, frequently spotted ; under-parts white, tinged with rufous 

 or yellow. The tail is of a deep yellow colour, and is about nineteen 

 inches in length ; the head and body measure about twenty-six 

 inches. The fur of the body is soft, and the small ears are covered 

 on both sides with soft woolly hair. The eyes are small, and red in 

 colour. The Cuscus is credited with a bad temper; it is said that 

 in captivity they are very quarrelsome, and will fight like cats if 

 two are placed in the same cage. The Spotted Cuscus feeds on 

 fruits and tender shoots, but the colonists bear it ill-will because 

 they think that it raids the poultry-roost. Be that as it may, it is 

 known that the species under consideration does not confine itself 

 to an exclusive vegetable diet. 



OPOSSUMS. — As mentioned in the introduction to the family 

 Phalangeridse, the name "Opossum " as applied to these Marsupials 

 is erroneous, for both in structure and habits they differ markedly 

 from the true Opossums, a carnivorous family confined to America. 



