ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 
By Clive E. Lord, F.L.S. 
As regards general zoology, the vicinity 
of the ramp did not yield a large per¬ 
centage of the higher forms. This is 
doubtless due to the advance of settle¬ 
ment and its resultant effects upon the 
fauna. 
The foregoing thought leads one to 
recall the fact that our marsupials arc 
a steadily decreasing race, and it be¬ 
hoves students to take every oppor¬ 
tunity they can in order to study the 
species as they exist to-day. The fate 
of the Tasmanian emu and the rareness 
of our forester kangaroo serve to recall 
the serious nature of the position. It 
must not be forgotten that the Austra¬ 
lian realm is unique in the Zoogeographi¬ 
es 1 sense: in fact, it has been termed 
"“the fossil continent." There exist to¬ 
day in Tasmania animals which are 
found only in a fossil state in other 
parts of the world. Between such diver¬ 
gent types as the marsupial wolf (Tliyln- 
einus eyivocephalusl. which still roams in 
small numbers amidst the rugged wilds 
of our western highlands, and the moun¬ 
tain shrimp (Anp.spides tnsmaniea), which 
is to he found in our alpine tarns, there 
exists a range Of .unique speeies of ab¬ 
sorbing interest to the scientist. 
The entire Tasmanian land mammalian 
fauna is composed of marsupials, the only 
exception being the cosmopolitan hats 
{( hiroptern) and fine species of indigen¬ 
ous rodents. The monotremes, of course, 
also stand apart, but they only serve to 
accentuate the unique character of our 
fauna. Where else except in the Aus¬ 
tralian realm are found such primitive 
animals? Mammals which lay eggs! 
When we recall the fact that the first 
record of a mnnotreme being taken in 
Tasmania is that made by Thigh's expedi¬ 
tion to Adventure Bay in 1702 our in¬ 
terest is quickened. X o wonder that 
the jmreupine ant eater (Tacliyglossus) 
which was secured hv 'l.ieut. Guthrie on 
February 7, 1702, appeared to puzzle the 
sailors, and was referred to as “an ani¬ 
mal of very odd form.” -Had BliglTs 
men secured a platypus (Ornithorliyn- 
<-Tm«)—the second and only other repre¬ 
sentative of the monotremata class— 
they would have doubtless been still fur¬ 
ther puzzled at the strange animals 
which occurred in the land of Van Die¬ 
men. 
It is impossible within the limited space 
available to describe in detail any mem¬ 
ber of the species met with, considering 
the fact that the title of these notes 
opens up the whole field of the Zoologi¬ 
cal cosmos. Xo attempt will he made 
to do so, but a few outline notes on the 
higher marsupials of the Tasmanian zone 
may prove of interest and serve to arouse 
interest in our decreasing indigenous 
fauna. 
The existing forms of our marsupials 
fall readily into two sections—the Dipro- 
todontia, which have two large incisoi 
teeth in the lower jaw, and the Poly- 
protodontia, which have numerous in¬ 
cisors in the mandible. The kangaroos, 
wallabies, and rat kangaroos, together 
with the wombats and the so-enlled Aus¬ 
tralian opossums (Plmlangeridae), con¬ 
stitute the dlprotondonts. The polypro- 
todonts which occur in the island are 
the native cats, the marsupial wolf, the 
Tasmanian devil, the bandicoots, and the 
marsupial mice. 
Of the kangaroos, it is regrettable to 
note that these have so far decreased in 
numbers as to lie almost forgotten by 
tbe average Tasmanian. The largest 
of the wallabies (M. bennetti) is the 
common "kangaroo.” The scrub wal¬ 
laby is the only other large member of 
the Macropodidae which occurs in Tas¬ 
mania. The bettong (B. eunietilus) and 
the rat kangaroo (T. tridactylus) are 
fairly common species in most districts 
suitable for their methods of life. 
The wombats (Phaseolontys)—thoso 
massive “underground engineers”—are 
still common in many jiarts. These ani- 
■mals are often called “badgers,’ because 
they happen to resemble, in a super¬ 
ficial manner, a rarnivorous animal of 
the old world which has totally different 
economic habits. The phahmgers, which 
are generally called “opossums,” owing 
to tlie superficial resemblance to the true 
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