38 
GUIDE TO GARDENS. 
A large number of beautiful Australian Parrots are 
to be seen in cages at each corner (of the Monkeys' 
buildings), and several animals, such as the Silver Jackal 
(Ganis Mesonielas), the Native Dog {Canis Bingo), and 
some fine specimens of the Marsupial Wolf or Native 
Tiger {Thylacinus Cynocephalus) from Tasmania. Like the 
Dingo, these animals are very destructive to sheep, and 
they have in consequence been destroyed by the settlers, 
and are now becoming scarce. A pair of those hideous 
animals, the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophihcs Ursinus), 
are also accommodated here, in a cage made additionally 
strong to prevent their escape ; for there are few animals 
in the world which possess the same strength in pro- 
portion to their size. Several other smaller animals 
are also confined in these buildings. 
Still proceeding along the same path to the north, 
the next building reached is the Lions' house, No. 8. 
The specimens at present in the Society's possession 
from South Africa are splendid animals; they have 
hardly attained their full size, being only five years 
old. They were captured as whelps by a Dutch Boor, 
and purchased from him by Mr. Frank Thompson, now 
of the Zoological Gardens, Philadelphia, who sold them 
to the captain of a vessel leaving for Melbourne. 
Ultimately they were purchased by the Society, and 
now form the greatest attraction of the Gardens. They 
are fed daily at half-past three. 
Their next door neighbour, in a cage under the 
same roof, is a Hunting Leopard or Cheetah (Felis 
Jubatd). Close by are two small buildings, Nos. 9 and 10, 
one of which contains a pair of small Monkeys, and the 
other a collection of Opossums. There are several fine 
specimens of the short-eared variety {Phalangista Canina), 
