Marsupials and Monotremes 



345 



BLACK-STRIPED WALLABY. 

 Female with half -grown youDg in her pouch. 



and anciently founded marsupial order 

 we have an epitome, as it were, of 

 many of the more important group.s 

 of an equivalent classificatory value 

 that are included among the higher 

 mammalia previously described. In this 

 relationship we find in the so-called 

 Tasmanian Wolf, the Tasmanian Devil, 

 and the " Native Cats " carnivorous 

 and eminently predatory forms whose 

 habits and general conformation are 

 immediately comparable to tliose of 

 the typical Carnivora. The Bandicoots, 

 Banded Ant-eater, and Bhascogales 

 recall in a similar manner the higher 

 Insectivora. In the tree-frequenting 

 (Jpossums and Phalangers the external 

 likeness and conformity in habits to 

 the arboreal rodents is notably apjmrent, 

 several of the species, moreover, possess- 

 ing a parachute-like flying-membrane 

 essentially identical with that which is 

 found in the typical Flying-squirrels. 

 An example in which the ground- 

 frequenting or burrowing rodents are 

 closely approached is furnished by the 

 Australian Wombat, an animal which 

 may be appropriately likened to an 

 overgrown and lethargic INIarmot. In 

 this form, moreover, the rodent^like 

 character of the dentition is especially 

 noteworthy. The higher grass-eating 



mammals find their counterparts 

 in the family group of the 

 Kangaroos, in which, in addition 

 to their essentially herbivorous 

 habits, the contour of the head 

 and neck, together with the ex- 

 pressive eyes and large expanding 

 ears, are wonderfully suggestive of 

 the various members of the Deer 

 Family. The Cuscuses of New- 

 Guinea and the adjacent islands, 

 both in form and habits, some- 

 what resemble their geographical 

 neighbours, the Dorises, belonging 

 to the Demur Tribe, compared 

 with which higher mammals, how- 

 ever, they possess the advantage 

 of an eminently serviceable pre- 

 hensile tail. The Australian 



riwlo by J. T. Jfcirman] IBerHiaimted. 



BENNETT'S WALLABY AND THE GREAT GKEY KANGAROO. 



This photograph illustratea the relative sizes of these two species, 



44 



