NOBTH AUSTRALIAN MAMMALIA. 195 



my mind indicates that the Dingo is not a breed of domestic 

 dog gone wild — a very common belief — but undoubtedly a distinct 

 canine species peculiar to Australia, a fact which is moreover 

 amply proved by the occurrence of fossil Dingoes in the pleisto- 

 cene formations of Australia. 



The Dingo, as a rule, is shy and very cunning, and a European 

 is seldom able to kill the animal in its lair. The stealthy aborigine, 

 on the contrary, very often succeeds in killing it with a spear 

 when asleep. The flesh is not much esteemed, though some old 

 men eat it. 



The traveller will, as a rule, only be able to shoot the dog with 

 a rifle. Occasionally it will, at a respectful distance, follow a 

 man on horseback, apparently from curiosity. 



In the month of August some recently-caught pups, hardly a 

 month old, were brought to me by the natives. They were very 

 playful, and soon got used to my company, but were great thieves, 

 and would on the least opportunity break their confinement, and 

 escape to the aborigines or to the bush. 



Conilurus hlrsutus. " Nunjala " ; " Dombot " ; " Kalambo." 

 During my sojourn in Arnhem Land I first met with this 

 species on an expedition to "Hermit Hill," south of the Daly river. 

 The hollow trunks of the dwarf Eucalypti, which chiefly form the 

 open scrubs of these desert-like sandy plains, were the chief resorts 

 of this animal, whose habits are strictly nocturnal. 



Judging from my list of specimens from this locality, the 

 females outnumber the males by far, amongst eleven specimens 

 only two being males. On several other localities the species 

 was met with — in fact it is common nearly everywhere in 

 Arnhem Land ; but my series of specimens from these places 

 are too small to admit of any conclusive comparison as to the 

 proportionate numbers of the sexes. Nowhere, at all events, 

 the number of males exceeded that of females, and in the total 

 comparison the scale turns strongly to the female side. From 

 this it may be inferred that the species is polygamous, a theory 

 which I consider strengthened by the fact that the males were 

 always found separately. 



The number of young was invariably found to be two. They 

 are suckled by the mother until they reach a considerable size, 



