ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 
By Cuvii E. Lord, (Curator of the Tasmanian Museum. 
The near vicinity of the camp to areas 
that had become cleared for settlement 
served to decrease the varitey of species 
that were available for observation. The 
historical associations of the locality, 
however, served to make up for any 
deficiency in this respect, as it was in 
Adventure Bay that many of the first 
observations covering the peculiar fauna 
of our island were made. It must be 
remembered, however, that at the time 
when the naturalists of the early ex¬ 
peditions of discovery were doing their 
collecting. Tasmania, or. as it was then 
called, Van Diemen's Laud, was consider¬ 
ed part of the mainland of New Holland. 
The name Australia was not given until 
many years after the first settlement, this 
explains why so many of our animals 
have the specific scientific designation of 
N ovae-holland iae. 
As we roamed in search of specimens, 
therefore, one could not but recall to 
mind the fact that we were searching 
amid the early hunting grounds of 
some of the pioneers of Tasmanian 
zoology. In this same locality, almost 
a century and a half ago, such natura¬ 
lists as Forster and Peron had come 
ashore from the staunch old sailing 
vessels that were anchored in the bay. 
and had spent days collecting the pecu¬ 
liar animals of the great south land. 
Their collecting work was often carried 
out under difficulties- Apart from the 
initial difficulty of collecting in rough, 
virgin country, clothed for the most 
part in thick scrub, the naturalists ex¬ 
perienced much trouble in the work of 
preparing and preserving their specimens. 
In the old exploring ships of three or 
four hundred tons, there were none of 
the convenient appliances for scientific 
research, with which modern vessels of 
this class arc fitted, and the wonder is 
that these enthusiastic collectors of the 
early days were able to do the extent 
of research and collecting work that they 
did. Certain of the specimens collected 
in the early days are of great interest. 
As an example, it might l)e mentioned 
that Furneaux’s expedition, among other 
things, secured a specimen of a Crested 
Penguin at the island which still retains 
the name Penguin Island, as a result 
of t he zoological researches of the Bri¬ 
tish visit in 1773. Four years later, 
during Captain Cook's visit, specimens of 
the ring-tailed opossum were secured. 
It might he mentioned here that the 
term opossum, like so many of the 
names given to examples of our fauna 
and flora, is in reality a misnomer. The 
true opossums (Didelphyidae) are inhabi¬ 
tants of America, and only bear a super¬ 
ficial resemblance to the Australian 
animal, for which the term phalanger 
is more correct than opossum, though it 
is extremely doubtful if the latter term 
will ever lie replaced. The early Investi¬ 
gators of our southern land had the 
habit of falling our animals and plants— 
as far as vernacular names go—by —e 
same names as had been given to some¬ 
what similar species in the Old World. 
The difficulty, however, lies in the fact 
that the similarity is superficial only, 
as the fauna of the N’otogaean realm 
is very distinct in character. So much 
so that Australia had been termed the 
“Fossil Continent” owing to the fact 
that in this realm are found living 
species which, in the Did World have 
long since become cxI inct and now pro¬ 
vide matter for geological research. 
In Bligh's log, under the date February 
7. 17112, appears a reference to the cap¬ 
ture of an TVhidna or Porcupine Ant- 
eater. This animal evidently interested 
the ship’s company, as a detailed des¬ 
cription is given as follows: --“Lieuten¬ 
ant Guthrie, in an excursion to-day, 
killed an animal of a very odd form. 
It was 17in. long and the same size 
round the shoulders, to which a small 
flat head is connected so close that it can 
scarcely be said to have a neck. it 
has no mouth like any other animal, 
but a kind of a duck bill 2in. long, 
which opens at the extremity, where it 
will not admit above the size of a small 
pistol ball. The tongue is very small. 
It has four legs which carry the belly 
about an inch or two from the ground. 
20 
