CHAPTER XIII 



THE ORDER OF POUCHED MAMMALS 



MARSUPIALIA 



An animal is said to be "low" in zoological rank according to the distance of its position 

 below the highest types of animal life. Thus, a hairless, fish-like mammal, with very simple 

 teeth, like a porpoise, is far lower than the monkeys and carnivores. 



As we approach the Orders of mammals which we have been taught to place at the end of the 

 list, we encounter some very strange forms, which are of greater interest to the special student 

 than some higher forms which are duplicated many times over. Fortunately for our purpose, 

 all the Orders of living mammals, save two, are represented in North America. 



Although the Order Marsupialia is too extensive, and the majority of its members too far away, 

 to justify its full exposition here, it is desirable to mention all its Families: 



FAMILIES. HABITAT. 



■ K ANGAR oo S ,. . . . , A - CR o- P o», D , E j^SSftK*. 



Phalancers, . . . phal-an-ger'I-dae, . . . Australia. 

 Wombats, .... piias-co-lo-my' dae. . . S. Australia. 



' Caenolestes, . . . E-PAN-OR' thi-dae South America. 



ORDER , v , ,- i v 



MARSUPIALIA. ( Bandicoots, .... per-a-meui-dae Australia and -New 



( Guinea. 



Dasyukes and Tas- / . , ,. 



manian Wolves, . \ das-y-U'ri-dae Australia. 



~ j North, Central and 



Opossums, .... di-del-PHY'I-dae \ gou^ America. 



Marsupial Moles, . no-to-rycti-dae Australia. 



Of these eight Families, only two, the first 

 and seventh, will be specially noticed. 



Marsupials are distinguished from all other 

 mammals by the fact that the female possesses 

 in the skin of her abdomen a large, flexible 

 pocket, or pouch, in which the nursing glands 

 are situated, and in which the young are carried 

 for a time after birth, until more fully de- 

 veloped. They differ from ordinary mammals in 

 being without what is called a pla-cen'ta, which 

 is an arrangement of veins by which the blood 

 of the mother circulates through the veins of 

 the unborn young. In other words, in a marsu- 

 pial, the blood of the mother does not circulate 

 through the veins of the unborn young. As a re- 

 sult, at the time of its birth, the young marsupial 



is a tiny creature, hairless, blind, and utterly 

 helpless. Even the young of a large kangaroo 

 looks more like a little lump of jelly than a 

 highly organized living creature. One which I 

 saw in the London Zoological Gardens was less 

 than an inch in length, and no thicker than a 

 lead-pencil. 



The newly born young is taken by the mother, 

 in her front paws, and placed in her pouch ; and 

 the half-formed creature, with a mouth specially 

 formed for suction, attaches itself to the nursing 

 gland, and so remains for many days, or even 

 weeks. Slowly it grows, until it develops hair, 

 and its eyes open. At length it becomes large 

 enough so that it ventures to stick its little head 

 out, and view the world. By and by it climbs 



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