THE GREAT KANGAROO--Captain Cook and the Great Kangaroo--Habitat--Appearance of the Animal--Marsupials separated from the other Mammalian Orders, and why (Footnote)--Gestation and Birth of Young (Footnote)--Mode of Running--The Short Fore Limbs--The _Marsupium_, or Pouch--Head--Dentition--Peculiarities in the Teeth--Hind Extremities--Foot--Great Claw--How the Erect Position is maintained--Whence their Jumping Power is derived--Other Skeletal Peculiarities--Kangaroo Hunts--Becoming Rarer--Mode of Attack and Defence--Hands--Bones of the Fore Limbs--Skull--Stomach--Circulation of Blood--Peculiarity in Young--Nervous System not fully developed--Brain--The Baby Kangaroo in the Pouch--THE HARE KANGAROO--THE GREAT ROCK KANGAROO--THE RED KANGAROO--THE BRUSH KANGAROO--THE BRUSH-TAILED ROCK KANGAROO--THE COMMON TREE KANGAROO--THE KANGAROO-RATS--Characteristics--THE RAT-TAILED HYPSIPRYMNUS--Description--THE WOMBAT FAMILY--THE WOMBAT--Peculiarities--Description--Habits--Teeth--Skeleton 191 CHAPTER II. THE PHALANGER, POUCHED BADGER, AND DASYURE FAMILIES. THE PHALANGER FAMILY--THE KOALA--Habits--Characteristics--THE CUSCUS--THE VULPINE PHALANGER--THE DORMOUSE PHALANGER--Habits--Remarkable Characters--THE FLYING PHALANGERS--Its Flying Machine--Habits--THE SQUIRREL FLYING PHALANGERS--Habits--The Parachute-like Membrane--Exciting Scene on board a Vessel--Characteristics--THE OPOSSUM MOUSE--THE NOOLBENGER, OR TAIT--A Curiosity among Marsupials--Distinctive Features--THE POUCHED BADGER FAMILY--Characteristics--THE RABBIT-EARED PERAMELES--THE BANDICOOT--THE BANDED PERAMELES--THE PIG-FOOTED PERAMELES--Discussion regarding it--Characteristics--THE DASYURUS FAMILY--Characteristics--THE POUCHED ANT-EATERS--THE BANDED MYRMECOBIUS--Description--Great number of Teeth--History--Food--Habits--Range--THE URSINE DASYURE--Appearance--“Native Devil”--Ferocity--Havoc among the Sheep of the Settlers--Trap to Catch them--Its Teeth--A True Marsupial, though strikingly like the Carnivora--Skeletal Characters peculiar to itself--MAUGE’S DASYURE--THE DOG-HEADED THYLACINUS--Description--Resemblance to the Dog--Habits--Peculiarities--THE BRUSH-TAILED PHASCOGALE--Description--Other Varieties 203 CHAPTER III. THE OPOSSUMS. Prehistoric Opossums--Description of the Animal--Their Teeth--Habits--THE COMMON OPOSSUM--Appearance--Use of its Tail--Food--The Young--How they are Reared--D’AZARA’S OPOSSUM--THE CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM--THE THICK-TAILED OPOSSUM--MERIAN’S OPOSSUM--Pouchless Opossums--Their Young--THE MURINA OPOSSUM--THE ELEGANT OPOSSUM--THE YAPOCK--Classification of Marsupial Animals--Geographical Distribution of the Sub-Order--Ancestry of the Marsupials--Fossil Remains 219 SUB-ORDER--MONOTREMATA. CHAPTER IV. THE PORCUPINE OR LONG-SPINED ECHIDNA AND DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.