MARSUPIALIA—POUCHED QUADRUPEDS.
A CURIOUS pouch, or fur bag, in which they carry their babies while they are still too young to run about by themselves is the distinguishing feature of the members of this group of animals. The name of the order, Marsupialia, comes from the Latin, marsupium, meaning a pouch or bag.
When these babies are born they are the most helpless of all young animals, as they are not fully developed, and the mother places them in this pouch where they remain, like Birds in a nest, until they are strong enough to run about by themselves; and for a long time after that, they make use of this pouch, by hiding in it in times of danger or when the mother is escaping from an enemy; and the little ones could not keep up with her unless carried in this pouch.
There are several different animals that belong to this family of Pouched Quadrupeds, like the Wombats, Bandicoots, Phalangers, Dasyures, etc., but the most important are the Kangaroos and the Opossums.
GIANT KANGAROOS.
GIANT KANGAROOS.
GIANT KANGAROOS.
The Kangaroos vary in size, some being, when erect, as tall as a Man, while others are not so large as a Rabbit. They are remarkable for the small size of their fore-legs in proportion to their hind ones, and the slender make of the fore parts of their body. When eating, their fore-feet are placed on the ground, but they usually sit upright, resting entirely on the hind-feet and tail, with the body slightly bent forwards.
There are a few species, however, in which the body is in better proportion. In the Tree Kangaroos of New Guinea, for instance, the tail is very bushy, and the fore-legs almost as long as the hind ones.
The Great Kangaroo inhabits New South Wales, and Southern and Western Australia. It lives on low grassy hills and plains in the open parts of the country, feeding upon the low bushes and herbage, and sheltering itself in the high grass during the heat of the day.
The Jerboa Kangaroo is so called on account of the length and slenderness of its hind-legs similar to those of the Jerboa Rats.
“Like other members of this family, the Jerboa,” says Mr. Gould, “constructs a thick grassy nest, which is placed in a hollow, scratched in the ground for its reception, so that when completed it is only level with the surrounding grass, which it so closely resembles that, without a careful survey, it may be passed unnoticed.
“The site chosen for the nest is the foot of a bush, or any large tuft of grass. During the day it is generally tenanted by one, and sometimes by a pair of these little creatures, which, lying coiled in the centre, are perfectly concealed from view. There being no apparent outlet, it would seem that after they have crept in, they drag the grass completely over the entrance, when the whole is so like the surrounding herbage that it is scarcely perceptible. The natives, however, rarely pass without detecting it, and almost invariably kill the sleeping inmates, bydashing their tomahawks or heavy clubs at the nest.
“The most curious circumstance connected with the history of the Jerboa Kangaroo is the mode in which it collects the grasses for its nest, carrying them with its tail, which is strongly prehensile; and, as may be easily imagined, their appearance when leaping towards their nests, with their tails loaded with grasses, is exceedingly grotesque and amusing.
“The usual resorts of the Jerboa Kangaroo are low grassy hills and dry ridges, thickly intersected with trees and bushes. It is a nocturnal animal, lying curled up in the shape of a ball during the day, and going forth as night approaches in search of food, which consists of grasses and roots; the latter being procured by scratching and burrowing, for which its fore-claws are admirably adapted. When startled from its nest, it bounds with amazing rapidity, and always seeks theshelter of a hollow tree, a small hole in a rock, or some similar place of refuge.”
The Opossums were the first Marsupial Quadrupeds known to Naturalists. They are peculiar to the American continent. They have fifty teeth. Their tongue is rough, and their tail, which is partially denuded of hair, prehensile.
The Virginian Opossum is found in Southern States. It destroys poultry of which it sucks the blood, but does not eat the flesh. It feeds on roots and fruits, climbing the trees, and suspending itself by the tail from the branches; in this position it swings itself to and fro, and by catching hold of the neighboring branches, passes from tree to tree. It hunts after Birds and their nests, and when pursued, feigns to be dead, and will endure great torture without showing any sign of vitality.
The Opossum excavates a burrow near a thicket not far distant from the abode of Man, and sleeps there during the whole day. While the sun shines it does not see clearly, and therefore feeds and plays during the night. Although its mode of life resembles that of the Fox and the Polecat, it is much less cruel, and has also inferior means of defence. It runs badly, and although its jaws are large, they are not strong.
“The Opossum,” says Audubon, “is fond of secluding itself during the day, although it by no means confines its predatory rangings to the night. Like many other quadrupeds which feed principally upon flesh, it is both frugivorous andherbivorous, and when very hard pressed by hunger, it seizes various kinds of insects and reptiles. Its gait when traveling, and when it supposes itself unobserved, is altogether ambling—in other words, it, like a young foal, moves the two legs of one side forward at once. Its movements are rather slow, and as it walks or ambles along, its curious prehensile tail is carried just above the ground, and its rounded ears are directed forwards.”
There are several species of Opossum found in South America, but none in the Antilles or the West Indies.
Their method of hunting their prey is interesting. An Opossum is seen slowly and cautiously trudging along over the melting snow, by the side of an unfrequented pond, nosing as it goes for the fare its ravenous appetite prefers. Now it has come upon the fresh track of a Grouse or Hare, and it raises its snout and snuffs the keen air. It stops and seems at a loss in what direction to go, for the object of its pursuit has taken a considerable leap or has cut backwards, before the Opossum entered its track. It raises itself up, stands for a while on its hind-feet, looks around, sniffs the air, and then proceeds. But now at the foot of a noble tree, it comes to a full stand. It walks round the base of the large trunk, over the snow-covered roots, and among them finds an aperture, which it at once enters. Several minutes elapse, when it re-appears, dragging along a Squirrel, already deprived of life; with this in its mouth it begins to ascend the tree. Slowly it climbs; the first fork does not seem to suit it, for perhaps it thinks that it might be there too openly exposed to the view of some wily foe, and so it proceeds, until it gains a cluster of branches intertwined with grape-vines; and there composing itself, it twists its tail round one of the twigs, and with its sharp teeth demolishes the unlucky Squirrel, which it holds all the while in its fore-paws.