588 



THE POUCHED ANIMALS. 



Cbe Carnivorous fiDarsupials. 



SECOND SUBORDER: Polyprotodontia. 



The second suborder of the Pouched Animals is 

 constituted by the carnivorous forms (^Polyprotodon- 

 tia), which are distinguished from the members of 

 the first suborder by reason of the great number of 

 incisor teeth — from fourteen to eighteen — of which 

 eight or ten are found above and six or eight below. 

 These teeth are small and of nearly uniform size, 

 and are greatly surpassed in size by the long, pointed 

 canine teeth. 



^be BanMcoots. 



FOURTH FAHILY: Peramelid^. 



Even an inexperienced, amateur naturalist will 

 readily recognize the members of the first family of 

 the Carnivorous Marsupials, namely the Bandicoots 

 {Peramelidce) . The corvsiderably lengthened hinder 



peculiar and tolerably quick, as their pace consists 

 of a series of leaping steps of varying length. Their 

 diet consists mainly of plants, especially of succu- 

 lent roots and tubers; but they also eat insects, 

 worms and seeds. 



The Long-nosed The Long-nosed Bandicoot {Peram- 

 Bandicoot and its eles nasutd) belongs to the Bandi- 



Characteristics. coots proper, indigenous not only to 

 Australia but also to New Guinea. It is an animal 

 of peculiar physical structure, having many points 

 of resemblance to a Rabbit and also to a Shrew. 

 Adult animals measure rather more than twenty 

 inches, including the tail, which is nearly five inches 

 long. 



Zbc lprebaceou0 flDar0upial0. 



FIFTH FAMILY: Dasyurid^. 



The predaceous Pouched Animals {Dasyunda) 

 form the second family of their suborder. Fore and 



THE BKOAD-FBONTED WOMBAT. This inhabitant of the forests ot South Australia subsists on grass, herbage and roots. It lives in deep 



burrows which it makes for itself and is a persistent digger, and when it is not scooping out a home it is generally busy digging for roots. {Phascolomys 

 Jatifrons.) 



legs and the deviating toe formation constitute fea- 

 tures likely to be noticed by anybody. Of the five- 

 foretoes only the two or three middle ones are large 

 and well developed, and they are armed with strong, 

 curved claws. The second and third toes of the 

 hinder feet are grown together; the great toe is 

 absent or rudimentary; the fourth toe is very long. 

 The body is, on the whole, stout, the head very 

 pointed, especially the nasal extremity ; the tail 

 usually very short and sparsely grown with hair, but 

 in exceptional cases long and bushy; the ears are 

 strikingly large in some species. 



The Bandicoots live in Australia and New Guinea, 

 in burrows which they excavate in the ground, and 

 to which they repair in great haste on the slightest 

 alarm. Occasionally they are found in the vicinity 

 of plantations or settlements, but generally they 

 keep aloof from the arch-enemy of all animals: Man. 

 Most species seem to be gregarious and to have ex- 

 clusively nocturnal habits. Their movements are 



hind legs are of nearly the same length, the former 

 bearing five toes, the latter sometimes five, or only 

 four. The hairy tail is long and not prehensile. 



THE DASYURINES. 



The sub- family of the Dasyurines {Dasyurimz) 



occupies the first rank among the animals of this 



group. All species belonging to it now live only in 



the Australian belt, from New Guinea to Tasmania. 



General Charac- The Dasyurines inhabit woodlands as 



teroftheDasy- well as rocky localities or the shores 

 urincB. of the ocean, and live either in deep 



burrows and holes, under roots of trees, in rocky 

 clefts, or in hollow trees. Some move only on the 

 ground, others are excellent climbers and some live 

 exclusively on trees. Their tread is stealthy and 

 deliberate, and they are classed among the planti- 

 grades, as they step on the entire sole. 



Nearly all are nocturnal anipials, sleeping by day 

 in their holes and sallying out to prey by night. On 



