6 
feeds on bulbous roots principally, and is not so ferocious as these tusks would indicate. The upper end of the tail 
is black, the remaining half covered with long white hair; the under part of the body is whitish. This is the only 
member of the family which burrows in the ground. 
Habitat — New South Wales, Northern Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and West Australia. 
Genus Chceropus. 
Head very broad, skull much contracted between the orbits, as in the preceding genus ; teeth small, canines 
much reduced, with triangular base, and in form resembling a premolar; fore-limbs slender, with two functional toes, and 
a third one situated very much higher up, which is very rudimentary, and often overlooked ; young animals have this 
third toe well developed ; ears and tail long, like those of the Peragalea ; tail compressed, and with a crest of hair 
running from the base along the upper ridge, and ending in a tuft. 
Pig-footed Bandicoot ( Chceropus castnnotisj . 
Fur long, loose, and rabbit-grey, beneath whitish ; ears long, covered with small rusty hairs ; tail covered with 
short hair, and with longer on the upper edge ; eyes very large. The first specimen of this curious animal was 
discovered by the late Sir T. A. Mitchell, Surveyor General, near the junction of the Murrumbidgee River, on the 
1 6th June, 1836. This first specimen had accidentally lost its tail, and from this Sir Thomas concluded that it was 
a peculiar characteristic ; but all subsequent examples had the caudal appendage, which, in shape and the distribution of 
hair resembles the tail of Peragalea lagotis. The fur in both species is very soft, whilst all the true Bandicoots have 
very harsh fur. 
Genus Peramej.es. 
Feet, tail, and ears rather short ; _ the hind foot with a rudimentary inner toe or thumb. Fur composed of 
hairs of two kinds ; the one forming a soft under-fur, the other hairs coarse, flattened, and longitudinally grooved ; tail 
short, clothed with small adpressed hairs only. Five species are on record, of which three are found in New South Wales. 
Short-eared Peramels or Bandicoot ( Perameles obesulaj. 
Head moderately long ; fur very harsh to the touch, yellowish-brow#, mottled with black above, sandy below ; 
feet pale-yellowish, short, and rather thick ; the ears are very short, and the skull, as in all other Peramdida', is thin 
and delicate ; the teeth, even in young animals, appear always much worn, and the true form of the grinders can only 
be determined upon the examination of immature subjects. The dentition approaches to that of the Dasijinidce in the 
form and position of the molars, but their worn surfaces always enable the student to distinguish them from the sharp 
grinders of the “ Native Cats.” 
The present species has a verj wide distribution, and is found in almost every part of Australia, and in 
Tasmania. In the neighbourhood of Sydney, however, the animal has never been observed. The short-eared Bandicoot, 
when kept about a house, will soon destroy all the mice, though he does not eat many of them, and prefers roots, 
grubs, and insects, to a flesh diet. It has been noticed that when one of these animals was put into a large case 
with a number of mice, he would quickly destroy them in the following manner; — The victims were tumbled about 
with his fore-feet, and their limbs broken ; when the whole were disabled the Bandicoot began to devour a portion of 
each — generally the brain only. 
Long-nosed Bandicoot ( Perameles nasuta). 
Muzzle very elongate ; ears of moderate size ; general colour greyish-brown, beneath white, or yellowish-white. 
Habitat — New South Wales, more particularly the Coast district. The present species is excellent eating, and 
the largest of the tribe. 
Gunn’s Bandicoot (Perameles gunniij. 
Upper parts of body grey, pencilled with yellow and black; under parts white; hinder parts of back blackish, 
with lighter bands ; feet and tail white. This appears to be the next largest species ; it is closely allied to the other 
striped Bandicoots of the mainland, and inhabits Tasmania exclusively. 
Striped Bandicoot ( Perameles fasciataj. 
Fur rather long, and harsh to the touch; the hair composing it is grey at the root, pencilled with yellow, and 
tipped with black ; upon the back it is darker than on the sides ; three black stripes cover the loin. The present 
species, the smallest of the tribe, inhabits the interior of New South Wales, Northern Victoria, and South Australia. 
The West Australian Saddle-backed Bandicoot (Perameles myosurus) is probably a local variety, in which the markings 
are less distinct. The weight of the smallest species does not exceed 2 lbs. 
