Opossums.! 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



19 



young one twelve hours after birth, and adhering to 

 the teat of the mother, within the pouch, are. thus 

 described by Mr. Owen : — " It resembled an earth- 

 worm in the colour and semi-transparency of its in- 

 tegument, adhered firmly to the point of the nipple, 

 breathed strongly but slowly, and moved its fore- 

 legs when disturbed. Its body was bent upon the 

 abdomen, its short tail tucked in between the hind 

 legs, which were one-third shorter than the fore- 

 legs, but. with the three divisions of the toes now 

 distinct. The whole length from the nose to the 

 end of the tail when stretched out did not exceed 

 one inch and two lines." 



Outline of the kangaroo about twelve hours after birth, showing 

 its natural size ami external development at this period, a, the upper 

 nipple of the left side, to which it was attached ; b, the lower nipple 

 of the same side. 



Though enabled by means of its lips to grasp 

 the nipple with considerable firmness, the unaided 

 efforts of the young one could not draw nutri- 

 ment thence, and consequently the mammary gland 

 is acted upon by a peculiar muscle, which, com- 

 pressing it, forces out the milk into the mouth of 

 the young. Mr. Owen remarks, that it can scarcely 

 be supposed that the efforts of suction should always 

 be coincident with the successive jets of milk, and 

 that there might arise danger from the flow of milk 

 into the little creature's larynx. To remedy this 

 there is a special contrivance, first described by 

 Geoffroy, but which w r as not unnoticed by Hunter, 

 as evidenced by preparations of the larynx and 

 throat of two young kangaroos in the museum of 

 the Royal College of Surgeons. (Fig. 79.*) 



" Thus aided and protected by modifications of 

 structure," continues Professor Owen, "both in the 

 system of the mother and in its own, designed with 

 especial reference to each other s peculiar condition, 

 and affording, therefore, the most irrefragable evi- 

 dence of creative foresight, the feeble offspring con- 

 tinues to increase from sustenance exclusively de- 

 rived from the mother for a period of about eight 

 months. The young kangaroo may then be seen 

 "requently to protrude its head from the mouth of the 

 pouch, and to crop the grass at the same time that 

 the mother is browsing. Having thus acquired ad- 

 ditional strength, it quits the pouch, and hops at 

 first with a feeble and vacillating gait, but continues 

 to return to the pouch for occasional shelter and 

 supplies of food till it has attained the weight of ten 

 pounds. After this it will occasionally insert its 

 head for the purpose of sucking, notwithstanding 

 another foetus may have been deposited in the pouch, 

 for the latter, as we have seen, attaches itself to a 

 different nipple from the one which had been pre- 

 viously in use." 



80. — The Kangaroo Rat, or Potoroo 



{Hypsiprymnus murinus, Pander and D'Alton). 

 The Bettong of the natives of New South Wales. 



It is principally in their dentition, and in the 

 elongated narrow form of the head, that the little 

 animals of the genus Hypsiprymnus differ from the 

 kangaroos. There are canines in the upper jaw. 

 The dental formula is as follows (see figure 81) : 



incisors, - : canines, ; molars, Z— — 30. 



2 0—0 5—5 



Figure 82 represents the skull, the elongated con- 

 tour of which is very conspicuous. 



The Potoroo (the Macropus minor of Shaw, H. 

 setosus of Ogilby ; H. Peronii, Quoy and Gaimard) ; 

 is about the size of a rabbit, measuring fifteen inches 

 from the nose to the root of the tail, "the latter being 

 ten inches and a half in length. The general colour 

 of the fur is brown ; on the back blackish, pencilled 

 with brownish-white. Lips, chin, throat, and under 

 parts of the body dirty-white ; fore-feet brown ; 

 ears rounded, and well covered with hair; tail 

 scaled, and sparingly clothed with short decumbent 

 hairs, which (excepting at the base and extreme 

 point) are of a black colour on the upper part and 

 sides of the tail. The hairs on the under side are 

 brown ; and at the tip there are a few dirty-white 

 hairs. 



The Potoroo is common in New South Wales. 

 It is timid and inoffensive, feeding on vegetables, 

 and proceeding in the manner of the kangaroo. 

 Of its habits little is known. It frequents the pre- 

 cincts of scrubs and patches of brushwood, and 

 scratches up the ground in quest of roots. These 

 animals are found to be very destructive to the 



potato crops, and are very readily caught by baiting 

 traps with this vegetable. 



Several other species have been described. 



83.— The Sooty Tapoa 



{Phalangista fuliginosa). This animal presents us 

 with the example of a group termed Phalangers 

 (genus Phalangista) ; but they are often, but erro- 

 neously, called opossums in the writings of travellers 

 and persons not conversant with natural history. 



The Phalangers of Australia have six incisors 

 above, of which the two middle are the largest; 

 and in the lower jaw are two long obliquely pro- 

 jecting incisors, which are met by the corresponding 

 incisors of each side. There is a small canine on 

 each side in the upper jaw only. The molars on each 

 side, above a.nd below, are five, of which the first 

 is a false molar. These are the constant teeth, but 

 besides there are in some species little additional 

 molars, sometimes canine-like molars, in front of 

 the contiguous and constant series. The number 

 of these additional teeth varies in the same indivi- 

 dual on different sides of the jaw. Dental formula : 



5—5 



incisors, -; canines, 



'2' '0-0 



; molars, 



addi- 



5—5 



!— 1 ™ 2—2 _ 1—1 



, or , or , 



2—2 3—3 1—1 



The head is somewhat 



tional inconstant molars, - — n , or _ — -, or - — - 



or 3 !!" 3 . (See figure 84.) 



elongated, the forehead slightly arched ; the mouth 

 moderate. The feet have five toes ; those of the 

 fore-feet are armed with strong hooked claws ; 

 those of the hind-feet consist of four true toes, and 

 a large thumb destitute of a nail, and very distinct 

 from the rest, of which the two innermost are 

 shorter than the two outermost, and are united 

 together to the base of the claws. The tail is long 

 and prehensile, well furred, excepting at the ex- 

 treme point and part of the apical portion beneath, 

 which is bare to a greater or less extent. We may 

 here observe that the Phalangers form three sec- 

 tions or subgenera. The first {Phalangista) is 

 exclusively Australian, and has the tail naked be- 

 neath only at the tip. The second section compre- 

 hends a group {Cuscus) distinguished by having the 

 tail throughout the greater part of its extent be- 

 neath naked, scaly, and highly prehensile. The 

 ears are short and close. These animals inhabit 

 the Celebes and Moluccas, where they are called 

 Couscous, or Coescoes. The third group {Pseudo- 

 cheirus, Ogilby) has the tail less densely clothed 

 than in Phalangista proper : the apical portion is 

 naked beneath ; the fore-feet, with the two united 

 inner toes, slightly opposed to the others. 



Besides these, are the Flying Phalangers, consti- 

 tuting a distinct genus, Petaurus. The true Pha- 

 langers, of which we figure the Sooty Tapoa and the 

 Vulpine Phalanger (Ph. vulpina), are animals of 

 arboreal habits, residing almost constantly among 

 the branches. Their food consists principally of 

 fruits, buds, leaves, &c, but insects, eggs, &c. are 

 also eaten. Night, is their season of activity ; during 

 the day they conceal themselves in the hollows of 

 trees, or lie close on the branches, hidden by the 

 foliage. The number of young which the females 

 produce at a birth appears to be two, at least if 

 the account of Mr. Bennett (see 'Wanderings in 

 New South Wales ') is to be taken as a criterion. 

 He states that on one occasion he was present when 

 a number of flying squirrels (viz., flying phalangers), 

 opossums (phalangers), bandicoots, snakes, &c, 

 were caught by the natives during what he terms 

 a hunting expedition, and that one of the opossums 

 among the game was a female, and had two large- 

 sized young ones in her pouch. 



Though the Phalangers are at ease among the 

 branches, the motions of these animals, generally 

 speaking, are not distinguished by that nimbleness 

 and rapidity which we so much admire in the 

 squirrel. On the contrary, their motions are slow 

 and cautious, and they use their prehensile tail as 

 an additional security. When in danger of dis- 

 covery, they are said to suspend themselves by 

 the tail, hanging, head downwards, motionless as if 

 dead : and this is more remarkably the case with 

 the Couscous of the Moluccas. It is, indeed, re- 

 ported, that if a man fix his eyes on one thus coun- 

 terfeiting death, it will continue to hang till, no longer 

 able to sustain the weight, the muscles of the tail 

 relax with extreme fatigue, and the animal falls to 

 the ground. Few animals have more soft and deli- 

 cately woolly fur than the Phalangers ; their 

 skins are consequently highly prized by the abori- 

 gines, as well as their flesh, which is eaten with 

 avidity, and doubtless is not inferior to that of the 

 kangaroo. 



Like many of the Marsupials, the Phalangers have 

 an unpleasant smell, owing to a fluid secreted in 

 certain glands ; but this does not affect the delicacy 

 and flavour of the flesh. 



In captivity the Phalangers are not very attractive : 

 during the day they slumber concealed among the 



hay or other bedding of their cage, shrouding them 

 selves from observation, and are impatient of inter- 

 ruption ; they do not, however, attempt to bite, and 

 appear as stupid as they are sluggish : their form, 

 however, is graceful, and their fur sets them off to 

 much advantage. When feeding they sit up like 

 the squirrel, holding the article of which they are 

 partaking between the fore-paws. During the night 

 they traverse their cage, take their food, and en- 

 joy the active hours of their existence. We know 

 of no instance in which they have bred in Europe : 

 but as the kangaroo produces young in our climate] 

 it is not improbable that under favourable circum- 

 stances these animals also might, multiply in our 

 extensive menageries, especially as they appear to 

 bear our climate very well, care being taken against 

 their exposure to the severities of the weather. 



The following description of the Sooty Tapoa was 

 taken from a living specimen : — " The shape and 

 proportions of Phalangista fuliginosa are those of 

 the Phal. vulpina: the ears are also of similar 

 shape and size, hairy on the outsides, but naked 

 within. The colour is a uniform sooty-brown over 

 all parts of the head and body, not even excepting 

 the belly and the inner surface of the thighs. The 

 hair has a frizzled appearance, but it is not so close 

 nor so fine as in Phal. vulpina. The tail is long 

 black, and rather bushy ; the naked slip underneath, 

 as well as the nose and soles of the feet, which are 

 also naked, is of a bright flesh colour. The mous- 

 taches are large, stiff, and black." The individual 

 was said to have been brought from Sydney. In 

 the museum of the Zoological Society are seven or 

 eight distinct species of this genus. 



85. — The Vulpine Phalanger 



{Phalangista vulpina). Of all the species the 

 Vulpine "Phalanger is probably the most carnivorous. 

 The female is destitute of a true pouch, and the 

 teats are two in number. The Vulpine Phalanger is 

 about the size of a cat ; in captivity it displays but 

 little to interest ordinary observers, the day being 

 passed in sleep ; nor, when roused up by the ap- 

 proach of night, is it remarkable for activity or 

 alertness. Its fur is soft, fine, and woolly ; the pre- 

 dominating tint is greyish brown, passing into a 

 yellowish-grey on the shoulders ; the tail is covered 

 with long black fur, excepting along a line on the 

 under side at the tip, which is naked. It is a native 

 of New South Wales, and also of Van Diemen's 

 Land, where it is common. The tint of colouring 

 is subject to considerable variation as respects 

 intensity, intermediate shades being observable 

 between the ordinary grey specimens and the Sooty 

 Tapoa, which is regarded as a distinct species. The 

 native name of the Vulpine Phalanger, according to 

 White, is Wha tapoa too. 



86. — The Spotted Couscous 

 {Cuscus maculatus. Cuscus Amboinensis, Lacep, ; 

 Phalangista macidata, Geoffr.). This species is a 

 native of the Islands of Amboina and New Guinea, 

 where it is called Couscous or Coescoes. M. Lesson 

 found it at Waigiou, where it is called Scham-scham. 

 It is arboreal, and its flesh is in request, being 

 esteemed as delicate food by the natives. In 

 colouring this animal is subject to much variation ; 

 generally the ground-tint is whitish, ornamented 

 with isolated brown spots ; these sometimes blend or 

 run into each other. The fur is thick and woolly. 



87. — The Squirrel Petaurus 



{Petaurus sciureus). This creature belongs to a 

 group of beautiful animals, bearing the same rela- 

 tionship to the phalangers that the flying squirrels 

 do to the ordinary squirrels. They constitute the 

 genus Petaurus, subdivided into three minor sections, 

 according to certain modifications of dentition. In 

 the section termed Belideus to which the Squirrel 

 Petaurus belongs the dental formula stands thus 

 (see fig. 88) : 



6 1-1 



Dental formula : — Incisors, - ; canines, — - ; 



3—3 4—4 



false molars, . — - ; true molars, -. — 7 = 40 

 4—4 4—4 



In the figure of the teeth, from F. Cuvier, the 

 number of lower molar teeth (false and true) only 

 amounts to five on each side ; in other points also 

 he is erroneous. 



The Petauri, or Flying Phalangers, are characterized 

 by a broad expansion of skin on either side of the 

 body between the anterior and posterior limbs ; the 

 tail is free, long, and destitute of prehensile power ; 

 it forms a balancer to the body in the flying leaps 

 which these animals take, and perhaps assists them 

 in modifying the direction of their career. These 

 animals are nocturnal in their habits, and feed upon 

 fruit, leaves, and insects. During the day they con- 

 ceal themselves in hollow trees, and are said gene- 

 rally to associate in small flocks. Their aerial 

 evolutions, when the shades of evening have rouseu 

 them to activitv, are described as being peculiarly 



PS 



