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face is smooth, or presents but few convolutions ; the cerebellum
ts surface 1S $8 >

animal, contracted in front, and 1 :
animal, contrac ? in proportion to the lateral lobes; the olfactory lobes

to the .
me ie enc

a. a mo. a i. a auricle has no trace of a fossa ovalis.” In point of

are large. Two vene cave enter the hear ; a wished from the Placentals, is that much of the

fact, the main characteristic of the Marsupials, as distinguis ae a

Pe life in the former is carried on in what may be called a sort of external uterus.

2 ° X . . a . ;
> AD Geo ) S ue i 66

ithol hy h Ss Ly S an whel I ansy ore Le eva € c S t 17

true sta e of hines—some wha akin to W hat S ac cually he case 3 and I consider the mos StI ik Oo eC | ar t
Ss 5 | cullarity

€ this sincular animal, and indeed of all the Mursupiata, to be the imperfectly formed state in which their
( S sills Ulc ?

cangar its birth 1 aroer than a baby’s little finger, and not very unlike
young are born. The Kangaroo at ts birth is not larg é ; 2

it in shape: in this extremely helpless state, the mother, by some means at present unknown, places
this vermiform object to one of the nipples within her pouch or marsupium ; by some equally unknown
process, the little creature becomes attached by its imperfectly formed mouth to the mipple, and there
remains dangling for days, and even weeks, during which it gradually assumes the likeness and structure of
its parents ; at length it drops from this lacteal attachment into the pouch, re-attaches itself when hunger
prompts it so to do, and as often again tumbles off when its wants have been supplied. It is scarcely
necessary to say that, after gaining sufficient strength, it leaves this natural pocket of the mother, leaps into
the open air and sports about the plains or the forest, as the case may be, and returns again to its warm
home, until at length the wearied mother denies it this indulgence and proceeds again to comply with the
law which governs all creatures, that of reproduction. This is a very low form of animal life, indeed the

lowest among the Mammalia, and exhibits the first stage beyond the development of the bird.

This description has reference not only to the Kangaroos, which mostly have but one young at a time, but

is equally descriptive of the other members of this group, some of which have two, while others have three

or four, and others, the Phascogale for instance, eight or nine at a birth; but in all cases, even with these

large numbers, the young hang to the mamme in the way I have described.

Independentl str re of the brai ‘ i i ;

| y of the low structure of the brain and the low form of reproduction of the Kangaroos, I
ought to mention that two little bones have been expressly provided for the support of the marsupium ;
there is also a considerable difference in the dentition

» as well as in the form of the lower jaw, by which
this group of animals mav ; i ogee i : :
a I anime ay at all times be distinguished. Ihave not failed to notice much disparity im
size in the Muarsupata; they see 7 i
i hey seem to be always crowine: for the malec « . .
) ) always growing ; for the males get larger and still larger for years,

even long after tl of
ge of reproduction

1ey have commence ; aye
ee j ed the duty , and hence individuals of all sizes occur, and
occasionally one extraordinarily Jaro , ot WI
ally extraordinarily large may be met with. Ihave observed this to occur with all the Marsupials
but particularly : j
arly among the Kangaroos. The ove: ards of the :
a g ge » The great herds of the grey species, Macropus major, are frequently
1eaded by an enormous male, or Boomer as he is called ik |
patriarchs are off ' ras S called. Like the « rogue Elephants ” of Ceylon, these
atriarchs are often solitary. and are : :
é Solitary, and are generally very savage.

Commencing

with the most lowly organized of the Australi

an mammals, I may state that the Ornitho-

found either in Western or Northern Aus:

rhynchus has a very iw! :
Yy has a very limited range, as is shown by its ae
. sag y its eIng