22 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Opossums, 



graceful, and their leaps apparently desperate. The 

 Squirrel Petaurus is one of the most beautiful of the 

 genus. It is a native of New South Wales, and is 

 called by the colonists the Sugar Squirrel and 

 Norfolk Island Flying Squirrel. We have seen 

 two of these animals in captivity : during the day 

 they remained in a state of torpidity, rolled up in a 

 bed of wool and soft hay. At night they became 

 animated, and traversed their cage with great rapi- 

 dity, leaping from one part to another, and gambol- 

 ling in the exuberance of a sportive disposition. 

 At the same time they were timid and by no means 

 remarkable for intelligence. While leaping, the 

 lateral membranes are expanded so as to form a 

 parachute. The following anecdote serves to prove 

 both the daring extent of the leaps taken by these 

 animals, and the power they certainly possess of 

 turning or altering their course : — " On board a 

 vessel sailing off the coast of New Hollar,*' 

 Squirrel Petaurus, which was permitted to 

 about the ship. On one occasion it reached the 

 mast-head, and as the sailor who was dispaiched 10 

 bring it down approached, it toad g from 



aloft to avoid him. At tin- moment th ship gave 

 a heavy lurch, which , direction of 



the little creature been continued, must 



have plunged ji into *hfi sea. All who witnessed the 

 scene wen j wji tol safety; but it suddenly 



appe?- , and so to modify its career, 



thai lely on the deck." 



The Sfj'j; t etaurus is about 8 inches long in 

 "; -. body, and as much in the tail. The fur 

 liiarly delicate and soft; the general colour 

 E is fine grey, somewhat darker on the head, 

 sad white beneath. A black line passes from the 

 point of the nose along the back towards the full 

 furred tail ; and the lateral folds of skin are bounded 

 in front, and on the sides by a similar band, which 

 confounds itself gradually with the grey of the 

 body: the outer margins of these expansions are 

 fringed with white. The thumbs of the hind feet 

 are strong, distinctly opposable to the sole, and des- 

 titute of a claw. The eyes are full and large. 



89. — The Koala, 



Phascolarctos cinereus {Lipurus cinereus, Goldf. ; 

 Phase, fuscus, Desmar.; Phase. Flindersii, Less. ; 

 The Ashv Koala). 



The Koala, or Ashy Koala, is the only species of 

 the genus which has been discovered. 



This extraordinary animal is thick and stoutly 

 made, with robust limbs and powerful claws : there 

 is no tail. The head is large, the muzzle blunt, and 

 the naked space in which the nostrils are situated is 

 continued along the nasal bones, till it nearly attains 

 the level of the eyes. The ears are large, standing 

 out from the sides of the head, and tufted with long- 

 full fur: the eyes are small. The fore feet have 

 each five toes, armed with large sharp claws : these 

 toes are divided into two sets ; the first two forming 

 a pair by themselves, and antagonizing with the 

 other three. The hind feet have also five toes, viz., 

 a large and powerful thumb destitute of a nail, and 

 well padded beneath, and four strongly clawed toes, 

 of which the two first, as in the phalangers, are 

 united together as far as the last joint. It may be 

 here remarked that in some of the phalangers (as 

 Cook's phalanger, &c.) there is a decided tendency 

 in the first two fingers of the fore paws to remain 

 distinct and separate from the rest. The dentition 

 approaches closely to that of the phalangers. 



6 . 1-1 



Dental formula :— incisors, — ; canines, 



0-0' 



false molars, 



1-1 



1-1 



4-4 

 true molars, TZT± - 30 - 



The Koala is a native of New South Wales, but 

 does not appear to be very abundant ; at least it 

 is seldom seen in collections of natural objects from 

 that country. In its habits it is nocturnal and arbo- 

 real ; it climbs with great facility, and in passing 

 along the branches suspends itself like a sloth by 

 its claws, which in adults are very powerful. The 

 female carries her young one, when able to leave the 

 pouch, clinging to her back, and long continues her 

 care of it. & The Koala however does not live exclu- 

 sively on the trees : it visits the ground, and there 

 burrows, and that with facility. In the cold season 

 it is said to make a nest in its underground retreat, 

 and retiring to it there to lie dormant. Its food is 

 entirely vegetable, and consists, in part at least, of 

 the young leaves of the gum-trees {Eucalyptus). 

 It laps like a dog when drinking, and uses its fore 

 paws in laying hold of the branches while it feeds. 

 Its voice is a soft barking sound. On the ground 

 its gait resembles that of a bear. Length of head 

 aad body, about 26 inches. The fur is compact, 

 woolly, and of an ashy grey, patched with white 

 over the crupper : the inside of the thighs is rusty- 

 grey. 



The colonists term this animal native bear or 

 monkey. By the Yas natives it is called goribun. 



90.— The Wombat 



{Phaseolomys Wombat, Peron and Lesueur ; Didel- 

 phis ursina, Shaw.) 



The Wombat is the only known species of the 

 genus to which it belongs. It is found in New 

 South Wales, South Australia, and Van Diemen's 

 Land, as well as in some of the islands in Bass's 

 Straits. 



In its general figure this animal is heavy and 

 clumsy : the limbs are short ; the muzzle blunt ; the 

 eyes very small ; the ears short and pointed ; the 

 nostrils widely separated ; the tail a mere tubercle. 

 The feet art broad ; the fore feet have five toes with 

 strong l) ; r burrowing. The hind feet have also 

 6 ■ inner is merely a little nailless 



tubercle, The teeth are formed for grinding roots 

 -igetable matters. (Fig. 91.) 



Denial formula : — incisors, -^- ; canines, — — ; mo- 



5-5 



0—0' 



lars, £r— -= = 24. All the teeth are deeply implanted, 



and hollow at the base. 



The fur is moderately long and very coarse, indeed 

 almost bristly ; the general tint is grizzled-brown, or 

 grey mottled with dusky black ; the feet are black ; 

 the under parts of the body dirty white. The tip of 

 the muzzle is naked. Length of head and body, 

 upwards of three feet. The first account is m 

 Lieut.-Col. Collins's work ('Account of the English 

 Colony in New South Wales,' 1802), where there is 

 an excellent description, an error as regards the den- 

 tition of the animal excepted. The details were 

 furnished by Mr. Bass, and drawn up from a speci- 

 men obtained at Preservation Island, and sent to the 

 Newcastle museum. 



As might be conjectured from its clumsy form and 

 heavy squat proportions, the Wombat is slow and in- 

 dolent. It. lives in burrows, which it excavates to a 

 considerable depth, and in which it quietly reposes 

 during the day, being nocturnal in its habits. Its 

 food is exclusively vegetable. Its temper is placid ; 

 but its intelligence is at a low ratio. When pro- 

 voked it utters a hissing sound. Its flesh is said to 

 be excellent. 



In captivity the Wombat is perfectly contented ; 

 it passes the day in sleep, covered over by straw or 

 other materials ; it feeds during the night, and in 

 the morning resumes its tranquil slumber. Mr. G. 

 Bennett, in his ' Wanderings,' notices one of these 

 animals which was kept at Been, in the Tumat 

 country, in a state of domestication. "It would re- 

 main in its habitation till dark; it would then come 

 out and seek for the milk-vessels, and should none 

 be uncovered it would contrive to get off the covers, 

 and bathe itself in the milk, drinking at the same 

 time. It would also enter the little vegetable gar- 

 den attached to the station, in search of lettuces, for 

 which it evinced much partiality. If none could be 

 found, it would gnaw the cabbage-stalks without 

 touching the foliage. Although these animals were 

 numerous in the more distant parts of the colony, 

 they are difficult to procure, from the great depth to 

 which they burrow." According to Mr. Bass, 

 though its disposition is gentle, yet it bites and is 

 furious if provoked, and then utters a low cry be- 

 tween a hissing and a whizzing sound. Mr. Bass 

 chased one of these animals, and lifted it off the 

 ground, carrying it for upwards of a mile, without 

 its exhibiting any discomposure, though it was 

 often shifted from arm to arm. When however he 

 proceeded to secure the animal by tying its legs, 

 while he left it in order to cut a specimen of a new 

 wood, it became irritated, whizzed, kicked, and 

 scratched with all its might, and snapped off a piece 

 of Mr. Bass's jacket with its powerful incisors. The 

 creature, whose temper was now ruffled, continued 

 during all the rest of the way to the boat to kick 

 and struggle, and only ceased from exhaustion. Ac- 

 cording to the natives, the Wombat among the 

 mountains westward of Port Jackson never comes 

 out of its burrow to feed till night, but in the islands 

 it is seen to feed during all parts of the day. The 

 stomachs of such as Mr. Bass examined were dis- 

 tended with coarse wiry grass, but these specimens 

 were living on the islands : and as such grass is not 

 found in the hilly districts of the mainland, he con- 

 cludes that the animal lives upon the sorts of vege- 

 table that circumstances present to it. He observed 

 this animal on some occasions among the dry ricks 

 of seaweed thrown up upon the shores, but could 

 never discover what it was in search of. Its pace 

 is a sort of hobble, something like the awkward gait 

 of a bear. There is little doubt but that the Wombat 

 might easily be naturalized in our island and other 

 parts of Europe. 



92. The Echidna, or Porcupine Anteater 

 {Echidna Histrix. Myrmecophaga aculeata, Shaw r ; 

 the Hedgehog of the colonists at Sydney). The 

 Echidna constitutes the only known example of the 

 genus which it represents. It is characterised by 



the utter want of teeth. The body is stout; the 

 limbs are extremely short and thick : the fore-paws 

 are compact, and the toes undivided to the claws : 

 these are five in number, large, flat, and blunt ; the 

 inner claw is the smallest. The hind-feet are 

 directed obliquely backwards, and are furnished 

 with five claws, of which the first is shorf, and rises 

 like a thumb at the junction of the foot to the limb. 

 The hind limbs of the male are furnished with a 

 sharp stout spur, situated internally on the tarsus. 

 The head is small, the muzzle elongated into a pro- 

 jecting narrow, beak-like snout, cleft transversely 

 by a very small mouth at. the apex. The nostrils 

 are above the mouth, minute and oval. The eyes 

 are small and placed low on the sides of the head ; 

 the iris is blue. There are no external ears. The 

 upper surface of the body and also of the short stout 

 tail is covered by a compact mass of thick sharp 

 spines more or less intermingled with coarse hairs. 

 Under ordinary circumstances these spines are 

 directed backwards, converging obliquely to a cen- 

 tral line down the back; but^they are capable of 

 being elevated, and when attacked the animal rolls 

 itself up like the hedgehog, presenting at all points 

 an array of levelled speai's. 



The limbs and under surface are covered with 

 brown hairs. 



As might be inferred from the strength of its 

 limbs and size of its claws, the Echidna is a burrow- 

 ing animal. Its food consists of ants and their 

 young, which it takes by means of a wormlike 

 tongue capable of being protruded to a great dis- 

 tance. It appears to be nocturnal in its habits. 

 Mr. G. Bennett states that the native names of the 

 Echidna are ' Nickobejan' and ' Jannocumbine.' It 

 is found in New South Wales, the islands of Bass's 

 Straits, and in Van Diemen's Land. According to 

 the writer last quoted, it inhabits the mountain 

 ranges of Australia, and produces its young in 

 December. It burrows with great celerity, and 

 will even work its way under a pretty strong pave- 

 ment or base of a wall, removing the stones with its 

 claws. " During these exertions its body is stretched 

 •>r lengthened to an uncommon degree, and appears 

 very different from the short plump aspect which 

 it bears in its undisturbed state." 



The Echidna is eaten by the natives, and is said 

 to taste much like young sucking-pig. 



In the ' Proceed. Zool. Soe. Lond.' for 1834, p. 

 23, will be found the substance of a note from 

 Lieutenant Breton, respecting an Echidna which 

 lived with him for some time in New Holland, and 

 survived part of the voyage to England. The ani 

 mal was captured by him on the Blue Mountains, 

 and is now very uncommon in the colony of New 

 South Wales. He regards it as being, for its size, 

 the strongest quadruped in existence. It burrows 

 readily, but he knows not to what depth. Previ- 

 ous to embarkation it was fed on ant-eggs and milk, 

 and when on board its diet was egg chopped small : 

 with liver and meat. Its mode of eating was very 

 curious, the tongue being used at some times like 

 that of the chameleon, and at others in the manner 

 in which a mower uses his scythe, the tongue being 

 laterally curled, and the food, as it were, swept into 

 the mouth : there seemed to be an adhesive sub- 

 stance on the tongue by means of which the food 

 was secured. This individual died suddenly, but 

 Lieutenant Breton agrees with MM. Quoy and Gai- 

 mard in the opinion that with a little care and 

 attention the animal might be brought alive to 

 Europe. 



The skull of the Echidna (see fig. 93) is remark- 

 able for the convexity of the cranial portion and the 

 extreme prolongation and tenuity of the maxillary 

 bones. The orbit is bounded by an oval rim, the 

 lower portion of which consists of the zygomatic 

 arch. The lower jaw is extremely slender. The 

 structure of the sternal apparatus is the same as in 

 the Ornithorhynchus (see fig. 102). 



94, 95, 96, 97. The Ornithorhynchus, or Water- 

 Mole of the Colonists 



{Ornithorhynchus Paradoxus, Blumenb. ; Platypus 

 anatinus, Shaw ; Mallangong and Tambreet of the 

 natives of the borders of the Yas river, Murrurn- 

 bidgee, &c). The genus Ornithorhynchus is per- 

 haps the most singular of any contained in the class 

 Mammalia, and certainly one of the most interesting, 

 especially to the physiologist. It contains those 

 remarkable creatures (perhaps more than one spe- 

 cies) furnished with a duck-like beak and webbed 

 feet, which would seem, even from their external 

 organization, to partake in some degree of the 

 nature of a bird — creatures, the first discovery ci 

 which excited the most lively astonishment. 



On looking at the Ornithorhynchus we are imme- 

 diately struck with the configuration of the head. 

 Instead of a muzzle gradually continued as we see 

 in other Mammalia generally, it abruptly assume 

 the appearance of the bill of a duck, being broad, 

 .flat, rounded, and covered with a leathery mem- 

 brane. The outer surface of the upper mandible is 



