The Pangolin. There are two species of the Pangolin, or Manis, the long-tailed and the short-tailed, the former being a native of Africa and the latter of the East Indies. The long-tailed manis measures about five feet inclusive of the tail which is about three feet long, the short-tailed manis about four feet in all. All the upper parts of its body are closely covered with scales of different sizes, which, as they are attached to the skin only by the lower extremity, it can erect at pleasure, opposing to its adversary a formidable row of offensive weapons. They are sharp at the point, and so hard as, on collision, to strike fire like a flint. The moment it perceives the approach of an enemy, it rolls itself up like a hedgehog, by which means it covers all the weaker parts of its body. The Pangolins live on ants, which they catch by thrusting their long slender tongues into the midst of their prey, their tongues being covered by a gummy saliva to which the ants adhere.
The Armadillo. The Armadillo is a native of South America, in which country there are several varieties. They are all covered with a strong crust or shell, resembling, as the Rev. J. G. Wood puts it, "the modified plate armour" worn by men in the 16th century. They eat vegetables and insects, and do good work as scavengers. They burrow with great rapidity and when rolled up, after the manner of the hedgehog, are invulnerable to their ordinary enemies.
The Cape Ant-Bear. The Cape Ant-Bear belongs to the Cape of Good Hope. It differs from the ant-eaters of the western world in many ways, being a hairy animal without scales, its head resembling that of the deer kind, having long ears but no horns. The length of its body which is covered with bristles is about four feet, and its feet which are short, are furnished with strong claws which enable it to excavate the cavities in which it lives.
The Ant-Eater. The true Ant-Eater is found in the South American tropics. The Great Ant-Eater belongs to La Plata, the Little Ant-Eater to the Brazils. The Great Ant-Eater is four feet in length, without its tail, which is two feet six inches long. The true ant-eater like the Pangolin already described inserts its long tongue into the nest of the ant, catching its little victims in large numbers by the sticky mucus which covers its tongue.
ORDER XII.
Pouched Animals. Of the several families classed in this order the opossums and the kangaroos are the most familiar. The Dasyures of Tasmania and the Bandicoots of Australia and New Guinea also belong to this order, as do the many varieties of the Phalanger of Australasia and those of the Wombat of Tasmania. The pouch is one of the most remarkable provisions of Nature, the young of the pouched animals being small and of imperfect form at birth and requiring the protection of the pouch for their sustenance and development.
The Opossum. The common Opossum, which is a native of Virginia, is about the size of a badger. It is provided with a pouch, in which it carries its young, and into which they leap on the approach of danger. Its covering is a coat of long fur, of a dingy white colour. It feeds upon fish, birds, insects, and reptiles. Its tail is very muscular, and by this it hangs from the branches of trees and, watching its prey, lets itself fall upon its victims with great precision. Its hind feet are formed something like hands, by which it is enabled to climb with wonderful facility. The opossum when caught often simulates death so admirably that he deceives his captors and ultimately escapes them.
The Kangaroo. The Kangaroo belongs to Australia and New Guinea. The length of its body is from four to five feet six inches; its fore legs are very short; its hind ones very long. Its tail is from three to four feet in length, and its strength is such, that a stroke of it will break a man's leg. The Kangaroo moves by great leaps or bounds of from twelve to twenty feet. It is covered with a short soft fur, of a reddish ash-colour. It feeds on vegetables, and has a pouch for its young, like the opossum. Mr. Cunningham says: "The Kangaroos make no use of the short fore legs, except in grazing. When chased, they hop upon their hind legs, bounding onward at a most amazing rate, the tail wagging up and down as they leap, and serving them for a balance. They will bound over gulleys and deep declivities, and fly right over the tops of low brush wood." There are several varieties of this animal; one of which, called the Rat Kangaroo, is only the size of a rabbit; another, called the Tree Kangaroo, can hop about on trees in an extraordinary manner and is furnished with curved claws, on its fore paws, similar to those of the sloth, by which he can lay hold of the branches.
Kangaroo Hunting. Kangaroo hunting is a favourite Australian sport. It is not unattended with danger either to dogs or men, the sharp claws and powerful hind legs of the animal making it a formidable enemy at close quarters. Dawson in his "Present State of Australia" says: "A full-sized 'wool man' at bay always sits on his haunches, and when he rises to move forward, he stands four, or four and a half feet high. In this manner, he will, when pressed, meet a man, and hug and scratch him, if not to death, in such a way that he does not soon forget it. When hard pressed, and near to water, the kangaroo always takes it; if it be deep water, and the dogs follow him, one or the other is almost sure to be drowned. If a single dog, the kangaroo is nearly certain to come off victorious, by taking his assailant in his fore arms, and holding him under water till he is dead; but, if he has two dogs opposed to him, he is not left at liberty to hold either of his opponents long enough under water to drown him, and he generally himself falls a sacrifice, after a long and hard struggle. Notwithstanding the courage and ferocity of the kangaroo, when pressed, he is otherwise extremely timid, and more easily domesticated than any wild animal with which I am acquainted, The smaller ones are frequently quite as swift as a hare; and I have sometimes seen them outstrip the fleetest dogs." Young and inexperienced dogs are almost sure to fall victims to the sharp claw and powerful hind leg of the kangaroo, with one stroke of which he will rip the dog open and let his entrails out.
ORDER XIII.
Monotremata. The order Monotremata includes two families, the Ornithorhynchidæ and the Echidnidæ, both of which belong to Australia. The Duck-billed Platypus belongs to the former, the Australian Hedgehog to the latter family.
The Duck-billed Platypus. The Duck-billed Platypus is one of the most singular of animals. "When it was first introduced into Europe," says Mr. Wood, "it was fully believed to be the manufacture of some impostor, who with much ingenuity had fixed the beak of a duck into the head of some unknown animal. It will, however, be seen by examining the skull of the animal, that this duck-like beak is caused by a prolongation of some of the bones of the head." The Platypus lives on the banks of rivers in burrows which it forms, and feeds on water insects and small shell fish. It is web-footed but its feet are so constructed that it can fold back the web when it wants to burrow, and unfold it when it wants to swim. The hind feet of the male are armed with a sharp spur.