24 



on hands and knees, or crawling along on face and hands, as you 

 near his subterraneous abode. A treacherous twig snaps, and away 

 he scuttles with a motion peculiar to himself to the mouth of his 

 hole, where he remains for a few moments with ears erect, until 

 fear gives way to hunger, and he again makes his appearance. 

 Anxious moments these for the sportsman! The heart beats high 

 — one single rustle and all hopes are gone — but gently, and more 

 gently still, the gun is brought to the shoulder, cocked noiselessly, 

 but not before the timid animal has observed the glittering of the 

 moonbeams on the barrel, and off he scuttles again ; but too late 

 this time, his head being pierced through by a bullet, and the 

 sportsman just manages to rush to the hole in time to prevent his 

 crawling into his burrow to die. 



In every adult individual we have seen, the spinal extenuation — a 

 tail to all intents and purposes — has been between three or four inches 

 in length. We have skinned several, and noticed the almost entire 

 absence of fat, particularly in the female ; and the idea of boiling 

 down and making candles is really too absurd to notice. So far 

 from being " very slow in its motions," its pace when disturbed is 

 remarkably rapid, so as to defy a flying shot; and one old fellow, 

 almost white with age, for some considerable time eluded us by his 

 agility. 



We cannot reconcile the statement of Mr. Blandowski (" Phil. 

 Soc. Trans.," vol. i. p. 687), that "the natives object to skin this 

 animal, owing to the pernicious effect which the fat in its raw state 

 has on the phosphorus of the bone of the hand," with our own 

 experience. The blacks have always an objection to skin any 

 animal whose flesh they use as food — simply, we imagine, because 

 the skin is used to protect the flesh whilst cooking — yet, as far as 

 our own observations go, confirmed by those of others even better 

 able to judge than ourselves, they never manifest any reluctance 

 to skin it when required. 



These animals are very numerous on the coast about Warrnam- 

 bool, Port Fairy, etc. 



