MAMMALIA. 301 
or rudimentary; the tail is long, powerful, and not pre- 
hensile. The thumbs of the hind-feet are either wanting 
or rudimentary ; the back is strongly marked with parallel 
bars of black. They are nocturnal in their habits, and 
confined to Australia and Tasmania. The Tasmanian 
devil (Fig. 328) has similar habits. 
The Bandicoots (Peramelide).—The bandicoots of 
Australia and Van Diemen’s Land are small, insectivorous 
marsupials, somewhat resembling kangaroos. The Chae- 
ropus is a remarkable little creature, resembling a pygmy 
deer (Fig. 325). All the toes but the fore ones are ex- 
tremely minute, and it is the only animal that walks upon 
two toes of each foot. It burrows. Allied to these forms 
is the Myrmecobius, a beautiful animal with a long, bushy 
tail and no pouch, the immature young clinging to the 
téats, protected only by hair. It preys upon ants, and 
only one species is known. 
Kangaroos (Macropodide).-- The kangaroos are re- 
markable for the development of the hind-limbs, by which 
they take enormous leaps of twenty-five feet or more. 
When resting, the hind-legs (Fig. 326) and tail form a 
Fic. 326.—A hind-foot of kangaroo. 
tripod. The tail is not used in leaping, as is generally 
supposed. The fore-legs are short. They attain a height 
of six feet, and are extremely fleet and powerful. The 
young are carried in the. pouch, and often feed on grass 
from it as the mother moves along (Fig. 327), presenting 
a curious appearance. In the tree-kangaroo the limbs are 
