IV.—FAMILY PERAMELIDÆ.—POUCHED BADGERS.
This group of Marsupials embraces two genera, Perameles and Chœropus, the first having several species and the last but one. They have all long, slender heads; large, long ears, with fleshy lobes; longer hind than fore limbs; the tail short in some, long in others, and hairy; and the pouch is directed backwards. They have a considerable number of teeth, there being ten incisors in the upper jaw and six in the lower; there are two canines in each jaw, three premolars in each jaw on either side, and four true molars behind them, making forty-eight teeth in all. The teeth have fangs, the premolars are compressed and pointed, and the molars have tubercles on them. The stomach is simple.
GENUS PERAMELES (BANDICOOTS).—THE RABBIT-EARED PERAMELES.[110]
The so-called native Rabbit of the Swan River district of Western Australia is abundant in the grassy country in the interior; and it frequents, in pairs, places where the soil will permit of burrowing. It is about the size of a common Rabbit, and has a long and pointed muzzle, which is naked at the tip. It has long, oval ears, which are tubular at the base. The eye is small, and the tail is a little shorter than the body. The legs are longish, and the fur is well grown.
This sharp-looking animal lives upon insects, and its favourite food is a large grub, probably the larvæ of a species of Buprestis beetle which infest the roots of the acacia trees. In order to obtain this peculiar food, it has to compete with the natives, who like it also, and often enough it has to rush to its long and deep burrows for safety. Its flesh is sweet, and is much sought after by the aborigines. One which was kept at the Zoological Gardens was very active in the evening, but usually slept during the day-time, when, sitting upon its haunches, with its head thrust between its hind legs, it appeared like a ball of fur. It was a very savage animal, and bit severely, holding on, moreover, if it could, with its teeth. It waddled on its hind legs alone, which were straddled, and the tail assisted in supporting the body. They have five toes to the fore-foot, of which the two outermost are rudimentary and nailless, the remaining three are well developed, and are furnished with strong solid nails, which cover the last phalanges which are cleft above in the longitudinal direction almost to the root. The hind feet have a rudimentary inner toe, the second and third are joined and are slender, and have two hollow nails, and the fourth is large and, like the fifth, which is well developed, has a solid nail sheathed on the end bone.
GUNN’S PERAMELES.—THE BANDICOOT.[111]
This is the animal which has given the native name to the genus, and Mr. Gunn, who discovered the species, informed Mr. Waterhouse that it is common in many parts of Van Diemen’s Land, going by the name of Bandicoot. It is a burrower, and lives principally upon roots, and it likes the bulbswhich are introduced from the Cape and elsewhere into gardens. It is about sixteen inches long, and has a slender muzzle, moderate-sized ears, and the under parts of the body are white, the rest being grey and pencilled with black and yellow, except behind, where it is blacker. There are four broadish white bands on this part.
THE BANDED PERAMELES.[112]
BANDED PERAMELES.
BANDED PERAMELES.
This is a pretty little Perameles with a body about a foot in length, and a tail of about four inches long. It has rather a sharp and long snout, rather large ears, which are broad at the base, and long and pointed at the tip. The fur is longish and harsh, and is pencilled with black and yellow in about equal proportions on the upper part of the body, there being a black ground colour on the hinder part of the back. There, however, there are three broad yellow-white bands, the foremost of which crosses the back. The feet and under parts are white, and the tail is of the same colour underneath, but black on the top. The feet are slender, and the hind ones have a rudimentary inner toe, naked beneath, in front, and at the heel. In the skeleton this inner toe has one or two phalanges, and a small tubercle without a nail is visible before the flesh is removed. It inhabits Southern Australia from east to west. This kind resembles the Bandicoot of Van Diemen’s Land on the other side of Bass Strait, and may be considered its representative. It is smaller than the Van Diemen’s Land species, but its tail is longer; moreover, the ear exceeds those of the insular forms in size. Like the other Perameles, the pouch for the young opens backwards. “Though provided with strong claws it rarely burrows,” says Mr. Krefft, “and it is a great enemy to little Rodents. It tumbles the Mice about with its fore paws, breaks their hind legs, and eats the head.” New Guinea contains a short-legged Perameles,[113]which appears to be deficient in the usual number of upper incisor teeth; and another[114]resembling the common Bandicoot.
GENUS CHŒROPUS.—THE PIG-FOOTED PERAMELES.[115]
A very rare little, large-eared, small-legged animal was found by Sir Thomas Mitchell on the banks of the River Murray, and its appearance was so remarkable that much attention was paid to itsanatomy, whilst unfortunately nothing particular was learned regarding its natural history and habits. Subsequently the little creature, whose body is about nine inches and a half long, the tail measuring in addition about four inches, was found in the interior of the country near the Swan River. It is an active little animal, and a hunter of insects, but it will feed upon vegetable substances also. Mr. Gould states that, like the Perameles, to which it is allied in many parts of its construction, it forms a nest composed of leaves and other substances. The pouch is deep and runs upwards, and not like that of the Kangaroo, and there are eight teats. At first there was much discussion whether the animal had a tail, but there is no doubt about its possessing one when in the perfect condition. The slender fore limbs, no thicker than goose-quills, end in two very small digits, and they are provided with small, compressed, and but little curved nails. They have a small fleshy pad on their under surface, behind which is a smaller one. The hind legs are longer than the front ones, and are almost as slender. The foot is long, and at first sight appears to have only one large toe, for the others are very small and far removed from the end of the foot. The outer little toe has a small nail, and the inner toes, joined, are almost as small, but they have hollow nails. The greatly-developed toe has a conical and compressed nail, but beneath there is a large fleshy pad; the rest of the foot is hairy. Hence it appears that the heel is not put to the ground. The colour of the long, loose, soft fur is brown-grey above, and yellowish-white beneath, the limbs and the fore feet have a whitish tint, and the large toe is of a dirty white colour. So far as the skull and teeth are concerned, the little Chœropus greatly resembles the other kinds of Marsupials which are classified under the genus Perameles. Sir Thomas Mitchell noticed the broad head and very slender snout, which, he stated, resembled the narrow neck of a wide bottle, in the specimen which the natives took from a hollow tree after chasing it on the ground. In the construction of the skull and in the number of the teeth, this long-eared creature resembles the rest of the genus Perameles. In the upper jaw there are five incisor teeth on each side, and they are close, and the canine is small, and resembles a premolar, and is slightly distant from the incisors. The first premolar is separated from the canine by a space of one line and a half, and slightly from the second premolar; and the second and third premolars and the four molars form a continuous line.