See also:

• MARSUPIALIA
• MARSUPIALIA (from Lat. marsupium, a "pouch," or "bag")

MARSUPIALIA (from See also:

• LAT

Lat. marsupium, a "pouch," or "bag")  , the See also:

• GROUP

group of mammals in which the See also:

• YOUNG
• YOUNG, A
• YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
• YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
• YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
• YOUNG, EDWARD (1683–1765)
• YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
• YOUNG, THOMAS (1773-1829)

young are usually carried for some See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time after See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth in a pouch on the under-See also:

• SURFACE

surface of the See also:

• BODY

body of the See also:

• FEMALE

female . The group, which has also the alternative See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title of Didelphia, is by some authorities regarded as a sub-class of the See also:

• MAMMALIA (from Lat. mamma, a teat or breast)

mammalia of equal See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank with the See also:

• MONOTREMATA (a name referring to the single outlet for all the excretory channels of the body)

Monotremata, while by others it is brigaded with the placentals, so that the two together See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form a sub-class of equal grade with the one represented by the monotremes . There is much to be urged in favour of either view; and in adopting the former alternative, it must be See also:

• BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne in mind that the difference between monotremes and marsupials is vastly greater than that which separates the latter from placentals . In elevating the marsupials to the rank of a sub-class the name Metatheria has been suggested as the title for the higher grade, with See also:

• MARSUPIALIA
• MARSUPIALIA (from Lat. marsupium, a "pouch," or "bag")

Marsupialia as the designation for the single See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order by which they are now represented . It is, however, less liable to cause confusion, and in many other ways more convenient to employ the better known See also:

• TERM

term Marsupialia in both senses . Marsupials may be defined as viviparous (that is non-egglaying) mammals, in which the young are See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born in an imperfect See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition, and almost immediately attached to the teats of the mammary glands; the latter being generally enclosed in a pouch, and the front edge of the See also:

• PELVIS (Lat. for " basin," cf. Gr. 7rEX?a )

pelvis being always furnished with epipubic or " marsupial " bones . As a See also:

• RULE

rule there is no allantoic See also:

• PLACENTA (Lat. for a cake)

placenta forming the means of communication between the See also:

• BLOOD

blood of the See also:

• PARENT, SIMON NAPOLEON (1855– )

parent and the foetus, and when such a structure does occur its development is incomplete . In all cases a more or less full See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of See also:

• TEETH (O.E. Eel); plural of tooth, O.E. top)

teeth is See also:

• DEVELOPED

developed, these being differentiated into incisors, canines, premolars and molars, when all are See also:

• PRESENT

present; but only a single pair of teeth in each See also:

• JAW (Mid. Eng. jawe, jowe and geowe, O. Eng. cheowan, connected with " chaw " and " chew," and in form with " jowl ")

jaw has See also:

• DECIDUOUS (from Lat. decidere, to fall down)

deciduous predecessors . The pouch from which the marsupials take their name is supported by the two epipubic bones, but does not correspond to the temporary breeding-pouch of the monotremes . It may open either forward or backwards; and although present in the See also:

• GREAT

great See also:

• MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority of the See also:

• SPECIES

species, and enclosing the teats, it may, as in many of the opossums, be completely absent, when the teats extend in two rows along the whole length of the under-surface of the body . Whether a pouch is present or not, the young are born in an exceedingly imperfect See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state of development, after a very See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of gestation, and are immediately transferred by the female parent to the teats, where they remain firmly attached for a considerable time; the See also:

• MILK (0. Eng. meoluc; from a common Indo-European root, cf. Lat. mulgere, Gr. ?t dXyetv)

milk being injected into their mouths at intervals by means of a See also:

• SPECIAL

special muscle which compresses the glands . In the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of the great See also:

• GREY, CHARLES GREY, 2ND EARL (1764-1845)
• GREY, HENRY GREY, 3RD EARL (1802-1894)
• GREY, LADY JANE (1537-1554)
• GREY, SIR EDWARD
• GREY, SIR GEORGE (1812–1898)

grey See also:

• KANGAROO

kangaroo, for instance, the period of gestation is less than See also:

• FORTY

forty days, and the newly-born embryo, which is See also:

• BLIND, MATHILDE (1841—1896)

blind, naked, and unable to use its bud-like limbs, is little more than an See also:

• INCH (O. Eng. ynce from Lat. uncia, a twelfthpart; cf. " ounce," and see As)

inch in length .

As additional features of the subclass may be mentioned the See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of a corpus callosum connecting the right and See also:

• LEFT

left hemispheres of the See also:

• BRAIN (A.S. braegen)

brain,' and of a fossa in the septum between the two auricles of the See also:

• HEART
• HEART, LUNG

heart . In the See also:

• SKULL

skull there are always vacuities, or unossified spaces in the bones of the See also:

• PALATE (Lat. palatum, possibly from the root of pascere, to feed)

palate, while the " See also:

• ANGLE (from the Lat. angulus, a corner, a diminutive, of which the primitive form, angus, does not occur in Latin; cognate are the Lat. angere, to compress into a bend or to strangle, and the Gr. ayKOS, a bend; both connected with the Aryan root ank-, to

angle," or See also:

• LOWER

lower See also:

• HIND

hind extremity of each See also:

• HALF

half of the lower jaw is strongly See also:

• BENT
• BENT (E1. BENI)
• BENT, JAMES THEODORE (1852–1897)

bent inwards so as to form a See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of shelf, and the alisphenoid See also:

• BONE (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages, in many of which it is confined to the shank of the leg, as in the German Bein)
• BONE, HENRY (1755-1834)

bone takes a See also:

• SHARE (O. Eng. scearu, chiefly in compounds, e.g. land-scearu, a share of land, from sceran to cut; cf. " shear" )

share in the formation of the tympanum, or auditory See also:

• BLADDER (from A.S. blaeddre, connected with bl¢wan, to blow, cf. Ger. blase)

bladder, or bulla . Didelphia, the alternative name of the group was given in allusion to the circumstance that the uterus has two See also:

• SEPARATE

separate openings; while other features are the inclusion of the openings of the alimentary See also:

• CANAL
• CANAL (from Lat. canalis, " channel " and " kennel " being doublets of the word)

canal and the urino-genital sinus in a See also:

• COMMON

common sphincter muscle, and the position of the scrotum in advance of the penis . The bandicoots alone possess a placenta . Lastly the number of See also:

• TRUNK (Fr. tronc, Lat. truncus, cut off, maimed)

trunk-vertebrae is always nineteen, while there are generally thirteen pairs of ribs . As regards the teeth, in all cases except the wombats the number of upper incisors differs from that of the corresponding lower teeth . As already stated, there is no See also:

• VERTICAL (from Lat. vertex, highest point)

vertical displacement and See also:

• SUCCESSION (Lat. successio, from succedere, to follow after)

succession of the functional teeth except in the case of a single tooth on each See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side of each jaw, which is the third of the premolar series, and is preceded by a tooth having more or less of the characters of a molar (see fig . I) . In some cases (as in See also:

• RAT (a word common to Teut. and Rom. languages; probably first adopted in Teut.; the ultimate origin is not known; Skeat suggests the root rad-, to scratch; cf. Ger. Ratte, Dan. rotte, Fr. rat, &c.)

rat-kangaroos) this tooth retains its See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place and See also:

• FUNCTION

function until the See also:

• ANIMAL
• ANIMAL (Lat. animalis, from anima, breath, soul)

animal has nearly, if not quite, ' The presence or absence of the corpus callosum has been much disputed; the latest researches, however, indicate its absence . in which no such deciduous tooth, even in a rudimentary state, has been discovered . In addition to this replacement of a single pair of functional teeth in each jaw, it has been discovered that marsupials possess rudimentary tooth-germs which never cut the See also:

• GUM (Fr. gomme, Lat. gommi, Gr. Kµµ1, possibly a Coptic word; distinguish " gum," the fleshy covering of the base of a tooth, in O. Eng. gbma, palate, cf. Ger. Gaumen, roof of the mouth; the ultimate origin is probably the root gha, to open wide, seen in

gum . According to one theory, these rudimentary teeth, together with the one pair of functional teeth in each jaw that has vertical successors, represent the milk-teeth of placental mammals .

On the other See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand, there are those who believe that the functional dentition (other than the replacing premolar and the molars) correspond to the milk-dentition of placentals, and that the rudimentary tooth-germs represent a " prelacteal " dentition . The question, however, is of See also:

• ACADEMIC

academic rather than of See also:

• PRACTICAL

practical See also:

• INTEREST

interest, and whichever way it is answered does not affect our See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general conception of the nature and relationships of the group . Unfortunately the homology of the functional series does not by any means end the uncertainty connected with the marsupial dentition; as there is also a difference of See also:

• OPINION (Lat. opinio, from opinari, to think)

opinion with regard to the serial homology of some of the cheek-teeth . For instance, according to the older view, the dental See also:

• FORMULA
• FORMULA (Lat. diminutive of forma, shape, pattern, &c., especially used of rules of judicial procedure)

formula in the thylacine or Tasmanian See also:

• WOLF
• WOLF (Canis lupus)
• WOLF, FRIEDRICH AUGUST (1759-1824)
• WOLF, HUGO (1860-1903)
• WOLF, JOSEPH (1820-1899)

wolf is i . , c, 4-, p . '-, m . 1=46 . On the other hand, in the opinion of the present writer, this formula, so far as the cheek-teeth are concerned, should be altered to p . J, m. thus bringing it in See also:

• ACCORD (from Fr. accorder, to agree)

accord, so far as these teeth are concerned, with the placental formula, and making the single pair of replacing teeth the third premolars . It may be added that the formula given above shows that the marsupial dentition may comprise more teeth than the 44 which form the normal full placental See also:

• COMPLEMENT (Lat. complementum, from complere, to fill up)

complement . __ As regards See also:

• GEOGRAPHICAL

geographical See also:

• DISTRIBUTION (Lat. distribuere, to deal out)

distribution, existing marsupials, with the exception of two families, Didelphyidae and Epanorthidae, are mainly limited to the Australian region, forming the See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief mammalian See also:

• FAUNA

fauna of See also:

• AUSTRALIA

Australia, New See also:

• GUINEA

Guinea, and some of the adjacent islands . The Didelphyidae are almost exclusively Central and See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

South See also:

• AMERICAN

American, only one or two species ranging into See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

North See also:

• AMERICA

America .

Fossil remains of members of this See also:

• FAMILY

family have also been found in See also:

• EUROPE

Europe in strata of the Oligocene period . See also:

• HISTORY

History.—The origin and See also:

• EVOLUTION

evolution of the Australian marsupials have been discussed by Mr B . A . See also:

• BENSLEY, ROBERT

Bensley . In broad contrast to the views of Dr A . R . See also:

• WALLACE, ALFRED RUSSEL (1823— )
• WALLACE, LEWIS [LEW] (1827—1905)
• WALLACE, SIR RICHARD
• WALLACE, SIR WILLIAM (c. 1270-1305)
• WALLACE, WILLIAM (1768-1843)
• WALLACE, WILLIAM (1844-1897)
• WALLACE, WILLIAM VINCENT (1814-1865)

Wallace, this author is of opinion that marsupials did not effect an entrance into Australia till about the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle of the See also:

• TERTIARY

Tertiary period, their ancestors being probably opossums of the American type . They were then arboreal; but they speedily entered upon a rapid, although short-lived, course of evolution, during which leaping terrestrial forms like the kangaroos were developed . The short period of this evolution is at least one See also:

• FACTOR (from Lat. facere, to make or do)

factor in the See also:

• PRIMITIVE

primitive grade of even the most specialized members of the group . In the advance of their molar teeth from a tritubercular to a grinding type, the author traces a curious See also:

• PARALLELISM, PSYCHOPHYSICAL

parallelism between marsupials and placentals . Taking opossums to have been the ancestors of the group, the author considers that the present writer may be right in his view that marsupials entered Australia from See also:

• ASIA

Asia by way of New Guinea . On the other hand there is nothing absolutely decisive against their origin being See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern .

Again, taking as a See also:

• TEXT (Lat. textum, woven fabric, from texere, to weave)

text Mr L . Dollo's view that marsupials were originally arboreal, that, on See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account of their See also:

• FOOT

foot-structure, they could not have been the ancestors of placentals, and that they themselves are degenerate placentals, Mr Bensley contrasts this with See also:

• HUXLEY, THOMAS HENRY (1825–1895)

Huxley's See also:

• SCHEME (Lat. schema, Gr. oxfjya, figure, form, from the root axe, seen in exeiv, to have, hold, to be of such shape, form, &c.)

scheme of mammalian evolution . According to the latter, the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early monotremes which became specialized into See also:

• MODERN

modern monotremes, gave rise to the ancestors of the modern marsupials; while the modern placentals are likewise an offshoot from the ancestral marsupial See also:

• STEAK

steak . This phylogeny, the author thinks, is the most probable of all . It is urged that the imperfect placenta of the bandicoots instead of being vestigial, may be an instance of parallelism, and that in marsupials generally the allantois failed to form a placental connexion . Owing to the antiquity of both placentals and marsupials, the arboreal See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character of the feet of the modern forms of the latter is of little importance . Further, it is considered that too much See also:

• WEIGHT

weight has been assigned to the characters distinguishing monotremes from other mammals, foetal marsupials showing a monotreme type of coracoid, while it is probable that in the See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long run it will be found impossible to maintain the essential dissimilarity between the milk-glands of monotremes and other mammals . Another view is to regard both marsupials and placentals as derivates from implacental ancestors more or less nearly related to the creodont See also:

• CARNIVORA

carnivora, or possibly as independently descended from anomodont See also:

• REPTILES (Lat. Reptilia, creeping things, from reptilis; ref ere, to creep; Gr. Ep7rety, whence the term " herpetology," for the science dealing with them)

reptiles (see CREOnoNTA) . Finally, there is the See also:

• HYPOTHESIS (from Gr. inrorcOivat, to put under; cf. Lat. suppositio, from sub-ponere)

hypothesis that marsupials are the descendants of placentals, in which case, as was suggested by its discoverer, the placenta of the bandicoots would be a true vestigial structure . See also:

• CLASSIFICATION (Lat. classis, a class, probably from the root cal-, cla-, as in Gr. icaMce, clamor)

Classification . Existing marsupials may be divided into three See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main divisions or sub-orders, of which the first, or Polyprotodontia, is common to America and See also:

• AUSTRALASIA

Australasia; the second, or Paucituberculata, is exclusively South American; while the third, or Diprotodonts, is as solely Australasian inclusive of a few in the eastern Austro-Malayan islands . Polyprotodonts.—The Polyprotodonts are characterized by their numerous, small, sub-equal incisors, of which there are either five or four pairs in the upper and always three in the lower jaw, (fig .

2) and the generally strong and large canines, as well as by the From See also:

• FLOWER (Lat. flos, floris; Fr. fleur)
• FLOWER, SIB

Flower, Quart. our . Geol . Sot . presence of from four to five See also:

• SHARP, GRANVILLE (1735-1813)
• SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
• SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
• SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

sharp cusps or tubercles on the See also:

• CROWN

crown of the molars . The pouch is often absent, and may open'backwards . For the most See also:

• PART

part the species are carnivorous or insectivorous . The first family is that of the true or American opossums—Didelphyidae, in which there are five pairs of upper incisors, while the feet are of the presumed primitive arboreal type, the hind foot having the four See also:

• OUTER

outer toes subequal and separate, with the first opposable to them all . With the exception of the See also:

• WATER

water-See also:

• OPOSSUM
• OPOSSUM, AUSTRALIAN
• OPOSSUM, RINGTAILED
• OPOSSUM, TASMANIAN (grey and black)

opossum, forming the genus Chironectes, all the living members of the family may be included in the genus Didelphys . The latter may, however, be split up into several sub-generic See also:

• GROUPS
• GROUPS, THEORY

groups, such as Metachirus, Philander, Marmosa (Micoureus or Grymaeomys), Peramys, Dromiciops, &c . The small South American forms included in Marmosa, which lack the pouch, and have numerous teats, and molar teeth of a primitive type, are doubtless the most generalized representatives of the group (see ()Possum; and WATER-OPOSSUM) . Nearly allied is the Australian family Dasyuridae, characterized by the presence of only four pairs of upper incisors, the generally small and rudimentary condition of the first hind toe, which can but seldom be opposed to the See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest, and the absence of prehensile See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power in the tail; the pouch being either present or absent, and the fore feet always five-toed . The See also:

• STOMACH (Gr. vrbsaxos from arbga, a mouth)

stomach Is See also:

• SIMPLE

simple, and there is no caecum to the See also:

• INTESTINE (Lat. intestinus, internal, usually in neuter plural intestina. from intus, within)

intestine, although this is present in the opossums .

The largest representative of the family is the Tasmanian wolf, or thylacine, alone representing the genus Thylacinus, in which the dentition See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers i. t, c. i, p . 4r m . = 46 ; with the incisors small and vertical, the outer one in the upper jaw being larger than the others . Summits of the lower incisors, before they are worn, with a deep transverse groove, dividing it into an anterior and a posterior See also:

• CUSP (Lat. cuspis, a spear, point)

cusp . Canines long, strong and conical . Premolars with compressed crowns, increasing in See also:

• SIZE

size from before backwards . Molars in general characters resembling those of Sarcophilus, but of more simple form, the cusps being less distinct and not so sharply pointed . Deciduous cynocephalus) . molar very small, and See also:

• SHED

shed before the animal leaves the See also:

• MOTHER

mother's pouch . General form See also:

• DOG

dog-like, with the See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head elongated, the muzzle pointed, and the ears moderate, erect and triangular . See also:

• FUR (connected with O. Fr. forre, a sheath or case; so " an outer covering ")

Fur short and closely applied to the skin . Tail of moderate length, thick at the See also:

• BASE

base and tapering towards the See also:

• APEX

apex, clothed with short See also:

• HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

hair .

First hind toe (including the metacarpal bone) absent . Vertebrae: C . 7, D . 13, L . 6, S . 2, Ca . 23 . Marsupial bones unossified . The See also:

• GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

gradual passage of the thick See also:

• ROOT (late O.E. rot, adopted from Scand., cf. Norw. and Swed. rot, Dan. rod; the true O.E. word was wyrt, plant, represented in Ger. Wurz or Wurzel; the ultimate root is the same in both words, and is seen in Lat. radix)
• ROOT, ELIHU (1845– )

root of the tail into the body is a character common to the Tasmanian wolf and the aard-vark, and may be directly inherited from reptilian ancestors (see THYLACINE) . The next genus is represented solely by the Tasmanian See also:

• DEVIL (Gr. &a,3oXos, " slanderer," from &ctflisXX sty, to slander)

devil, Sarcophilus (or Diabolus) See also:

• URSINUS, ZACHARIAS (1534-1583)

ursinus, a See also:

• MEDIUM

medium-sized animal with a dental formula similar to that of the dasyures, but with teeth (fig . 2) approximating to those of the thylacine, though markedly different in details . The first hind toe is absent .

In the " native See also:

• CATS, JACOB (1577-1660)

cats," or dasyures, constituting the genus Dasyurus, the dental formula is i . $, c . „ p . , m. t : See also:

• TOTAL

total 42 . The upper incisors are nearly equal and vertical, with the first slightly longer, narrower, and separated from the rest . Lower incisors sloping forward and upward . Canines large and sharply pointed . First two premolars with compressed and sharp-pointed crowns, and slightly developed anterior and posterior See also:

• ACCESSORY

accessory basal cusps . Molars with numerous sharp-pointed cusps . In the upper jaw the first two with crowns having a triangular See also:

• FREE

free surface; the last small, simple, narrow and placed transversely . In the lower jaw the molars more compressed, with longer cusps; the last not notably smaller than the others . Ears of moderate size, prominent and obtusely pointed .

First hind toe rudimentary, clawless or absent ; its metatarsal bone always present . Tail generally long and well clothed with hair . Vertebrae: C . 7, D . 13, L . 6, S . 2, Ca . 18–20 (see See also:

• DASYURE

DASYURE) . The genus Phascologale comprises a number of small marsupials, none exceeding a rat in size, differing from the dasyures in possessing an additional premolar—the dentition being i . }, c . }, p . , m. t : total 46—and in having the teeth generally developed upon an insectivorous rather than a carnivorous See also:

• PATTERN

pattern, the upper middle incisors being larger and inclined forward, the canines relatively smaller, and the molars with broad crowns, armed with prickly tubercles .

The muzzle is pointed . Ears moderately rounded, and nearly naked . Fore feet with five sub-equal toes, with compressed, slightly curved pointed claws . Hind feet with the four outer toes sub-equal, with claws similar to those in the fore feet; the first toe almost always distinct and partially opposable, though small and nailless, some-times absent . In some respects intermediate between the preceding and the next genus is Dasyuroides byrnei, of Central Australia, an animal of the size of a rat, with one lower premolar less than in Phascologale, without the first hind toe, and with a somewhat thickened tail . The pouch is incomplete, with two lateral folds, and the number of teats six . Sminthopsis includes several very small species, with the same dental formula as Phascologale, but distinguished from that genus by the narrowness of the hind foot, in which the first toe is present, and the granulated or hairy (in place of broad. smooth and naked) soles . A pouch is present, and there are eight or ten teats . Nearly allied is the See also:

• JUMPING

jumping Antechinomys laniger, of See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

East Central Australia, an elegant See also:

• MOUSE

mouse-like creature, with large See also:

• OVAL (Lat. ovum, egg)

oval ears, elongated limbs, a long and tufted tail and no first hind toe . In connexion with the large size of the ears is the excessive inflation of the auditory bulla of the skull . From all other members of the family the marsupial, or banded, See also:

• ANT
• ANT (O. Eng. aemete, from Teutonic a, privative, and maitan, cut or bite off, i.e. " the biter off "; aemete in Middle English became differentiated in dialect use to (mete, then amte, and so ant, and also to emete, whence the synonym " emmet," now only u

ant-eater (Myrmecobius fasciatus) differs by the presence of more than seven pairs of cheek-teeth in each jaw, as well as by the exceedingly long and protrusile See also:

• TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue . Hence it is made the type of a distinct subfamily, the Myrmecobiinae, as distinct from the Dasyurinae, which includes all the other members of the. family .

From the number of its cheek-teeth, the banded ant-eater has been regarded as related to some of the primitive See also:

• JURASSIC

Jurassic mammals; but this view is disputed by Mr Bensley, who regards this multiplicity of teeth as a degenerate feature . On the other hand, it is noteworthy that this marsupial retains in its lower jaw the so-called mylo-hyoid groove, which is found in the aforesaid Jurassic mammals . Myrmecobius has a total of 52 or 54 teeth, which may be classed as i. c . , p . + m . 6Fi9 . The teeth are all small and (except the four posterior inferior molars) separated from each other by an See also:

• INTERVAL

interval . Head elongated, but broad behind; muzzle long and pointed; ears of moderate size, ovate and rather pointed . Fore-feet with five toes, all having strong pointed, compressed claws, the second, third and See also:

• FOURTH

fourth nearly equal, the fifth somewhat and the first considerably shorter . Hind-feet with no trace of first toe externally, but the metatarsal bone is present . Tail long, clothed with long hairs . Fur rather harsh and bristly .

Female without pouch, the young when attached to the nipples being concealed by the long hair of the See also:

• ABDOMEN (a Latin word, either from abdere, to hide, or from a form adipomen, from adeps, fat)

abdomen . Vertebrae: C . 7, D . 13, L . 6, S . 3, Ca . 23 . From See also:

• GOULD, AUGUSTUS ADDISON (,8o5-1866)
• GOULD, BENJAMIN APTHORP (1824-1896)
• GOULD, JAY (1836-1892)
• GOULD, SIR FRANCIS CARRUTHERS (1844- )

Gould . The single species, which is a native of western and southern Australia, is about the size of an See also:

• ENGLISH

English See also:

• SQUIRREL
• SQUIRREL (Fr. ecureuil)

squirrel, to which its long bushy tail gives it some resemblance; but it lives entirely on the ground, especially in sterile sandy districts, feeding on ants . Its prevailing See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour is See also:

• CHESTNUT (nux Castanea)

chestnut-red, but the hinder part of the back is marked with broad, See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

white, transverse bands on a dark ground . With the bandicoots, or Peramelidae, we come to a family of polyprotodonts which resemble the diprotodonts in the peculiarly specialized structure of their hind limbs; an See also:

• ADAPTATION (from Lat. adaptare. to fit to)

adaptation which we must apparently regard as having been independently acquired in the two groups . The dentition is i. c .

1, p. t, m. p; total, 48; the upper incisors being small, with short, broad crowns; the lower incisors moderate, narrow, proclivous; canines well developed . Premolars compressed, pointed; and the molars with quadrate tuberculated crowns . Deciduous premolar preceded by a See also:

• MINUTE
• MINUTE (Lat. minutes, small; minuere, to make less)

minute molariform tooth, which remains in place until the animal is nearly full grown . Fore feet with two or three of the middle toes of nearly equal size, and provided with strong, sharp, slightly curved claws, the other toes rudimentary . Hind feet long and narrow; the first toe rudimentary or absent; the second and third very slender and See also:

• UNITED

united in a common integument; the fourth very large, with a stout elongated conical claw; the fifth smaller than the fourth (see fig . 6) . The terminal phalanges of the large toes of both feet cleft at their extremities . Head elongated, with the muzzle long, narrow and pointed . Stomach simple . Caecum of moderate size . Pouch See also:

• COMPLETE

complete, generally opening backwards . Alone among marsupialsbandicoots have no clavicles .

More remarkable See also:

• STILE

stile is the development of a small allantoic placenta . In the true batdicoots of the genus Perameles (fig . 5) the fore-feet have the three middle toes well developed, the third slightly larger than the second, the fourth somewhat shorter, provided with long, strong, slightly curved, pointed claws . First and fifth toes very short and without claws . Hind feet with one or two phalanges, in the first toe forming a distinct tubercle visible externally; the second and third toes very slender, of equal length, joined as far From Gould . as the terminal phalange, but with distinct claws; the fifth inter-mediate in length between these and the largely developed fourth toe . Ears of moderate or small size, ovate, pointed . Tail rather short, clothed with short depressed hairs . Fur short and harsh . Pouch opening backwards . Vertebrae: C . 7, D .

13, L . 6, S . 1, Ca . 17 . (see See also:

• BANDICOOT

BANDICOOT.) The See also:

• RABBIT

rabbit-bandicoot, Peragale (or Thylacomys) represents a genus in which the cheek-teeth are curved, with longer crowns and shorter roots than in the last . Hind extremities proportion-ally longer with inner toe represented only by a small metatarsal bone . Muzzle much elongated and narrow . Fur soft and silky . Ears very large, long and pointed . Tail long, its apical half-clothed on the dorsal surface with long hairs . Pouch opening forwards . Vertebrae: C .

7, D . 13, L . 6, S . 2, Ca . 23 . The one species, from Western Australia, is the largest member of the family, being about the size of a rabbit, to which it bears sufficient superficial resemblance to have acquired the name of " native rabbit " from the colonists . It burrows in the ground, but in other respects resembles bandicoots in habits . In the See also:

• PIG
• PIG (a word of obscure origin, connected with the Low Ger. and Dut. word of the same meaning, bigge)

pig-footed bandicoot (Choeropus castanolis) the dentition generally resembles that of Perameles, but the canines are less developed, and in the upper jaw two-rooted . Limbs very slender; posterior nearly twice the length of the anterior . Fore feet with the functional toes reduced to two, the second and third, of equal length, with closely united tnetacarpals and short, sharp, slightly curved, compressed claws . First toe represented by a minute rudiment of a metacarpal bone; the fourth by a metacarpal and two small phalanges without a claw, and not reaching the middle of the metacarpal of of Fla. b.—See also:

• SKELETON

Skeleton i the third; fifth entirely absent . Hind foot long and C/aoeropus catstanarrow, mainly composed of the strongly developed soils. fourth toe, terminating in a conical pointed See also:

• NAIL (O. Eng. naegal, cf. Dutch, Ger., Swed. nagel; the word is also related to Lat. unguis, Gr. ovu, Sans. nakhas)

nail, c, calcanium ; with a strong See also:

• PAD

pad behind it; the first toe repre- a, astralagus; c6, sented by a rudimentary metatarsal; the remaining cular ; c3, ectocutoes completely developed, with claws, but exceed- neifam ; II. and ingly slender; the united second and third reaching III. See also:

• EA(nar...), (p.s„,.,.)
• EA(psr...), (p, „...)• (pqr...)

ea o joined a little way beyond the metatarso-phalangeal articu- digits ; IV. the lation of the fourth; the fifth somewhat shorter. large andonlyfunc-Tail not quite so long as the body, and covered tional See also:

• DIGIT (Lat. digit us, finger)

digit ; V. the with short hairs .

Ears large and pointed, and rudimentary fifth folded down when the animal is at rest . Fur soft and loose . Pouch opening backwards . Vertebrae: C . 7, D . 13, L . 6, S . 1, Ca . 20 . The only species of this genus is about the size of a small rat, found in the interior of Australia . Its general habits and See also:

• FOOD
• FOOD (like the verb " to feed," from a Teutonic root, whence O. Eng. foda; cf. " fodder "; connected with Gr. lrareicOae, to feed)

food appear to resemble those of other bandicoots . A separate family, Notoryctidae, is represented by the marsupial See also:

• MOLE
• MOLE, LOUIS MATHIEU, COMTE (1781—1855)
• MOLE, MATHIEU (1584—1656)

mole (Notoryctes typhlops), of the deserts of south Central Australia, a silky, See also:

• GOLDEN

golden-haired, burrowing creature, with a curious leathery muzzle, and a short, naked stumpy tail .

The limbs are five-toed, with the third and fourth toes of the front pair armed with enormous digging claws; IV there are no See also:

• EXTERNAL

external See also:

• EAR (common Teut.; O.E. are, Ger. Ohr, Du. oor, akin to Lat. auris, Gr. ovs)

ear-conchs; and the dentition includes four pairs of upper, and three of lower, incisors, and distinctly tritubercular cheek-teeth . The small pouch, supported by the usual epipubic bones, opens backwards . In correlation with its burrowing habits, some of the vertebrae of the See also:

• NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck and of the loins are respectively welded together . The eyes have degenerated to a greater extent than From Gould . those of any other burrowing mammal, the retina being reduced to a See also:

• MASS (O.E. maesse; Fr. messe; Ger. Messe; Ital. messa; from eccl. Lat. missa)
• MASS, IN

mass of simple cells, and the cornea and sclerotic (" white ") to a See also:

• PEAR (Pyrus communis)

pear-shaped fibrous See also:

• CAPSULE (from the Lat. capsula, a small box)

capsule enclosing a See also:

• BALL (in Mid. Eng. bal; the word is probably cognate with " bale," Teutonic in origin, cf. also Lat. falls, and Gr. 7raXXa)
• BALL, JOHN (1585-1640)
• BALL, JOHN (1818-1889)
• BALL, JOHN (d. 1381)
• BALL, SIR ALEXANDER JOHN, BART
• BALL, THOMAS (1819- )

ball of pigment . The See also:

• REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason for this extreme degeneration is probably to be found in the sandy nature of the See also:

• SOIL

soil in which the creature burrows, a substance which would evidently irritate and inflame any functional remnant of an See also:

• EYE
• EYE (O. Eng. edge, Ger. Auge; derived from an Indo-European root also seen in Lat. oc-ulus, the organ of vision (q.v.)

eye . The portion of the lachrymal duct communicating with the cavity of the See also:

• NOSE (O.Eng. nosu, cf. Dutch neus, Swed. nos, snout; the Aix in Provence. Both at Aix and at Lyons he acquired great connexion with O.Eng. nasu is obscure, cf. Ger. Nase, Lat. pares, distinction by his labours during outbreaks of the plague. In nostrils,

nose has, on the other hand, been abnormally developed, apparently for the purpose of cleansing that chamber from particles of See also:

• SAND
• SAND, GEORGE (1804-1876)

sand which may obtain an entrance while the animal is burrowing . (See MARSUPIAL MOLE.) 2 . Paucituberculates . The second suborder of marsupials, the Paucituberculata, is exclusively South American, and typically represented by the family Epanorthidae, the majority of the members of which are See also:

• EXTINCT

extinct, their remains being found in the probably See also:

• MIOCENE

Miocene See also:

• SANTA

Santa Cruz beds of See also:

• PATAGONIA

Patagonia, although one existing genus (Caenolestes) survives in See also:

• ECUADOR (officially La Republica del Ecuador)

Ecuador and See also:

• COLOMBIA

Colombia . One of the two living species was, indeed, described so long ago as the See also:

• YEAR

year 1863, under the preoccupied name of Hyracodon, but attracted little or no See also:

• ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention, as its See also:

• AFFINITIES

affinities were not fully recognized . Externally Caenolestes has a See also:

• SHREW

shrew-like See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance .

The elongated skull (fig . 8) has four pairs of upper incisors and long upper canines, while in the lower jaw there is a single pair of procumbent incisors . After See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

Thomas . followed by several small teeth representing the canine and earlier premolars . The three pairs of molars in each jaw are, like the last premolar, quadritubercular oblong teeth . The five-toed feet are of normal structure, and the rat-like tail is prehensile towards the tip . The female has a small pouch . The extinct members of the family are represented by the genera Epanorthus, Acdestis, Garzonia, &c . In a second family—Abderitidae—also from the Patagonian Miocene, the penultimate premolar is developed into an enormous tooth, with a tall, secant and grooved crown, somewhat after the See also:

• FASHION (adapted from Fr. facon, agon, Lat. factio, making, facere, to do or make)

fashion of the enlarged premolar of Plagiaulax . From the structure of the skull, it is thought probable that Abderites had an elongated snout, like that of many Insectivora . As a sub-order, the Paucituberculata are characterized by the presence of four pairs of upper and three of lower incisor teeth ; the enlargement and forward inclination of the first pair of lower incisors, and the presence of four or five sharp cusps on the cheek-teeth, coupled with the absence of " syndactyhsm in the hind limbs . 3 .

Diprotodonts.—The third and last sub-order of marsupials is the Diprotodontia, which is exclusively Australasian and includes the wombats, See also:

• KOALA (Phascolarctus cinereus)

koala, cuscuses, kangaroos and their relatives . There are never more than three pairs of upper and one of lower incisors, of which the middle upper and the single lower pair are large and See also:

• CHISEL (from the O. Fr. cisel, modern ciseau, Late Lat. cisellum, a cutting tool, from caedere, to cut)

chisel-like (fig . 9); the canines are small or absent; the cheek-teeth have bluntly tuberculate or transversely-ridged crowns in most cases; and the hind-feet are syndactylous . With one exception, the intestine has a caecum, and the pouch is large and opens for-wards . It should be added that See also:

• PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

Professor Elliot See also:

• SMITH
• SMITH, ADAM (1723–1790)
• SMITH, ALEXANDER (183o-1867)
• SMITH, ANDREW JACKSON (1815-1897)
• SMITH, CHARLES EMORY (1842–1908)
• SMITH, CHARLES FERGUSON (1807–1862)
• SMITH, CHARLOTTE (1749-1806)
• SMITH, COLVIN (1795—1875)
• SMITH, EDMUND KIRBY (1824-1893)
• SMITH, G
• SMITH, GEORGE (1789-1846)
• SMITH, GEORGE (184o-1876)
• SMITH, GEORGE ADAM (1856- )
• SMITH, GERRIT (1797–1874)
• SMITH, GOLDWIN (1823-191o)
• SMITH, HENRY BOYNTON (1815-1877)
• SMITH, HENRY JOHN STEPHEN (1826-1883)
• SMITH, HENRY PRESERVED (1847– )
• SMITH, JAMES (1775–1839)
• SMITH, JOHN (1579-1631)
• SMITH, JOHN RAPHAEL (1752–1812)
• SMITH, JOSEPH, JR
• SMITH, MORGAN LEWIS (1822–1874)
• SMITH, RICHARD BAIRD (1818-1861)
• SMITH, ROBERT (1689-1768)
• SMITH, SIR HENRY GEORGE WAKELYN
• SMITH, SIR THOMAS (1513-1577)
• SMITH, SIR WILLIAM (1813-1893)
• SMITH, SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY (1764-1840)
• SMITH, SYDNEY (1771-1845)
• SMITH, THOMAS SOUTHWOOD (1788-1861)
• SMITH, WILLIAM (1769-1839)
• SMITH, WILLIAM (c. 1730-1819)
• SMITH, WILLIAM (fl. 1596)
• SMITH, WILLIAM FARRAR (1824—1903)
• SMITH, WILLIAM HENRY (1808—1872)
• SMITH, WILLIAM HENRY (1825—1891)
• SMITH, WILLIAM ROBERTSON (1846-'894)

Smith has pointed out a certain peculiarity in its commissures whereby the brain of the diprotodonts differs markedly from that of the polyprotodonts From Flower, Quart . Journ . Geol . See also:

• SOC

Soc . and approximates to the placental type . Dr Einar Lonnberg has also recorded certain adaptive peculiarities in the stomach . Most of the species, particularly the specialized types, are more or less completely herbivorous . The first family, Phascolomyidae, is typified by the wombats; but according to the view adopted by Mr H .

Winge, and endorsed by Professor Max See also:

• WEBER, CARL MARIA FRIEDRICH ERNEST VON (1786–1826)
• WEBER, WILHELM EDUARD (1804-1891)

Weber, is also taken to include the koala . In this wider sense the family may be characterized as follows . The tympanic See also:

• PROCESS

process of the alisphenoid bone of the skull is short, not covering the cavity of the tympanum, nor reaching the paroccipital process . The tail is rudimentary, the first hind-toe opposable, the first pair of upper incisors very large, but the second and third either absent or small and placed partially behind the larger pair; and only five pairs of cheek-teeth in each jaw . The stomach has a cardiac gland, and the number of teats is two . In the wombats (Phascolomys) the dentition is i . 1, c . >u, p . + m. total 24; all the teeth growing from persistent pulps, and the incisors large and chisel-like, with See also:

• ENAMEL (formerly " amel," derived through the Fr. amail, emmll, esmail, from a Latin word smaltum, first found in a 9th-century life of Leo IV.)

enamel only on the front surface . The cheek-teeth strongly curved, forming from the base to the See also:

• SUMMIT

summit about a See also:

• QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter of a circle, the concavity being directed outwards in the upper and inwards in the lower teeth . The first of the series (which appears to have no predecessor) single-lobed; the other four composed of two lobes, each subtriangular in See also:

• SECTION
• SECTION (Lat. sectio, cutting, secare, to cut)

section . Limbs equal, stout and short .

Fore-feet with five distinct toes, each furnished with a long, strong and slightly curved nail, the first and fifth consider-ably shorter than the other three . Hind-feet with a very short nail-less first toe, the second, third and fourth toes partially united by integument, of nearly equal length, the fifth distinct and rather shorter; all four with long and curved nails . In the skeleton the second and third toes are distinctly more slender than the fourth, showing a tendency towards the character so marked in the following families . Tail rudimentary . Caecum very short and wide, with a vermiform appendage (see See also:

• WOMBAT
• WOMBAT, KOALA

WOMBAT) . in addition to remains referable to the existing genus, the See also:

• PLEISTOCENE

Pleistocene deposits of Australia have yielded See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence of an extinct See also:

• GIANT (O.E. geant, through Fr. giant, O.Fr. gaiant, jaiant, jeant, med. pop. Lat. gagante—cf. Ital. gigante—by assimilation from gigantem, ace. of Lat. gigas, Gr. yiyas)

giant wombat constituting the genus Phascolonus (Sceparnodon) . The koala, or " native See also:

• BEAR
• BEAR, BLACK
• BEAR, BROWN
• BEAR, GRIZZLY
• BEAR, ISABELLINE
• BEAR, WHITE

bear " (Phascolarctus cinereus), which differs widely from the wombats in its arboreal habits, is less specialized as regards its dentition, of which the formula is i. c. o, p . + m . L total 30 . Upper incisors crowded together, cylindroidal, the first much larger than the others, with a bevelled cutting edge (fig . 9) . Canine very small; a considerable interval between it and the first premolar, which is as long from before backwards but not so broad as the molars, and has a cutting edge, with a smaller parallel inner See also:

• RIDGE (a word. common to many Teutonic languages, meaning " back," whether of a man or an animal, cf. German Rucke)
• RIDGE, WILLIAM PETT (1864- )

ridge .

The molar-like teeth slightly diminishing in size from the first to the fourth, with square crowns, each bearing four pyramidal cusps . The lower incisors are partially inclined forwards, compressed and tapering, bevelled at the ends . Cheek-teeth in continuous series, as in the upper jaw . Fore-feet with the two inner toes slightly separated from and opposable to the remaining three, all with strong curved and much compressed claws . Hind-foot (fig . I(3) with the ' first toe placed far back, large and broad, the second and third (united) toes considerably smaller than the other two; the fourth the largest . No external tail . Fur dense and woolly . Ears of moderate size, thickly clothed with long hair . Caecum very long and dilated, with numerous folds . Vertebrae: C . 7, D .

I I, L . 8, S . 2, Ca . 8 . Ribs eleven pairs (see KOALA) . Here may be noticed three genera of large extinct marsupials from the Pleistocene of Australia whose affinities appear to ally them to the wombat-group on the one hand and to the phalangers on the other . The longest known is Diprotodon, an animal of the size of a See also:

• RHINOCEROS

rhinoceros, with a dental formula of i. c . $, p. m . 1, total 28 . The first upper FIG . Io.—Skeleton of Right Incisor very large and chisel-like, Hind-Foot of Koala (Phas- molars with prominent transverse colarctus cinereus), showing ridges, as in Macropus, but without stout opposable hallux, fol- the See also:

• LONGITUDINAL

longitudinal connecting ridge. lowed by two slender toes, Complete skeletons disinterred by which in the living animal are Dr E . C .

See also:

• STIRLING
• STIRLING, JAMES (1692-1770)
• STIRLING, JAMES HUTCHISON (182o-1909)
• STIRLING, MARY ANNE [FANNY] (1815-1895)
• STIRLING, WILLIAM ALEXANDER, (titular) EARL OF (1726—1783)
• STIRLING, WILLIAM ALEXANDER, EARL OF (c. 1567-1640)

Stirling indicate that in the enclosed as far as the nails in structure of the feet this creature a common integument. presents resemblances both to the wombats and the phalangers, but is nearer to the former than to the latter . On the other hand, the considerably smaller Nototherium, characterized by its sharp and broad skull and smaller incisors, seems to have been much more wombat-like, and may perhaps have possessed similar burrowing habits . The last of the three is Thylacoleo carnifex, so named on account of its supposed carnivorous habits . In the adult the dentition (fig. i i) is i . 1, c. p.+m . ,f, total 24 . The first upper incisor is much larger than the others; canine and first two premolars rudimentary . In the lower jaw there are also one or two small and early deciduous premolars; third premolars of both jaws formed on the same type as that of the rat-kangaroos, but relatively much larger; molars rudimentary, tubercular . The functional teeth are reduced to one From Flower, Quart. lourn . Geol . Soc . pair of large cutting incisors situated See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close to the middle See also:

• LINE

line, and one great, cutting, compressed premolar, on each side above and below .

As already mentioned, Thylacoleo was originally regarded as a carnivorous creature, but this view was subsequently disputed, and its See also:

• DIET

diet supposed to consist of soft roots, bulbs and fruits, with an occasional small See also:

• BIRD

bird or mammal . Recently, however, the pendulum of opinion has swung back towards the See also:

• ORIGINAL

original view: and Dr R . See also:

• BROOM

Broom believes Thylacoleo to have been " a purely carnivorous animal, and one which would be quite able to, and probably did, kill animals as large or larger than itself." The affinities of the creature are clearly with the phalangers . By means of the little See also:

• MUSK (Med. Lat. muscus, late Gr. µbvXos, possibly Pers. mushk, from Sansk. mushka, the scrotum)

musk-kangaroo, the cuscuses and phailangers constituting the family Phalangeridae, are so closely connected with the kangaroos, or Macropodidae, that in the opinion of some naturalists they ought all to be included in a single family, with three sub-families . Theoretically, no doubt, this is correct, but the typical members of the two groups are so different from one another that, as a See also:

• MATTER

matter of convenience, the retention of the two families seems advisable . From the Phascolomyidae, the two families, which may be collectively designated Phalangeroidea, differ by the circumstance that in the skull the tympanic process of the alisphenoid covers the tympanic cavity and reaches the paroccipital process . The tail is long and in some cases prehensile; the first hind-toe may be either large, small or absent; the dentition usually includes three pairs of upper and one of lower incisors, and six or seven pairs of cheek-teeth in each jaw; the stomach is either simple or sacculated, with-out a cardiac gland; and there are four teats . With the exception of the aberrant long-snouted See also:

• PHALANGER

phalanger, the members of the family Phalangeridae have the normal number of functional incisors, in addition to which there may be one or two rudimentary pairs in the lower jaw . The first in the upper jaw is strong, curved and cutting, the other two generally somewhat smaller; , the single lower functional incisor large, more or less inclined forwards; canines I , upper small or moderate, conical I or o and sharp-pointed; lower absent or rudimentary; premolars variable; molars or I, with four obtuse tubercles, sometimes forming crescents . Limbs subequal . Fore-feet with five distinct subequal toes with claws . Hind-feet short and broad, with five well-developed toes; the first large, nailless and opposable; the second and third slender and united by a common integument as far as the claws .

Caecum present (except in Tarsipes), and usually large . From Gould . The lower jaw has no See also:

• POCKET

pocket on the outer side . All are animals of small or moderate size and arboreal habits, feeding on a See also:

• VEGETABLE

vegetable or mixed diet, and inhabiting Australia, Papua and the Moluccan Islands . As the first example of the group may be taken the elegant little long-snouted phalanger (Tarsipes rostratus, fig . 12), a See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

west Australian creature of the size of a mouse, which may be regarded as representing by itself a sub-family (Tarsipediinae), characterized by the rudimentary teeth, the long and extensile tongue, and absence of a caecum . The head is elongated, with a slender muzzle and the mouth-opening small . The two lower incisors are long, very slender, sharp-pointed and horizontally placed . All the other teeth are simple, conical, minute and placed at considerable and irregular intervals apart in the jaws, the number appearing to vary in different individuals and even on different sides of the jaw of the same indi- viduals . The formula in one specimen was i.2, c.I_I —I o—o p . +m.2 _ 3 ; total 20 . The lower jaw is slender, nearly straight, and without a coronoid process or inflected angle .

Fore-feet with five well-developed toes, carrying small, See also:

• FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat, See also:

• SCALE
• SCALE (1) A

scale-like nails, not reaching the extremity of the digits . Hind-feet rather long and slender, with a well-developed opposable and nailless first toe; second and third digits united, with sharp, compressed curved claws; the fourth and fifth free, with small flat nails . Ears of moderate size and rounded . Tail longer than the body and head, scantily clothed with short hairs, prehensile . Vertebrae: C . 7, D . 13, L . 5, S . 3, Ca . 24 . As indicated in the accompanying See also:

• ILLUSTRATION

illustration, the long-snouted phalanger is arboreal in habits, extracting See also:

• HONEY (Chin. me ; Sansk. madhu, mead, honey; cf. A.S. medo, medu, mead; Gr. p Xt, in which 0 or b is changed into X; Lat. mel ; Fr. miel ; A.S. hung ; Ger. Honig)

honey and piobably small See also:

• INSECTS

insects from long-tubed See also:

• FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers by means of its extensile tongue . The remaining members of the family may be included in the sub family Phalangerinae, characterized by the normal nature of the dentition (which shows rudimentary lower canines) and tongue .

Cuscuses and phalangers form a numerous group, all the members of which are arboreal, and some of which are provided with lateral expansions of skin enabling them to glide from See also:

• TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
• TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )

tree to tree like flying-squirrels . The typical members of the group are the cuscuses (Phalanger), ranging from the See also:

• MOLUCCAS, or SPICE ISLANDS

Moluccas and See also:

• CELEBES

Celebes to New Guinea, in which the See also:

• MALES

males are often different in colour from the See also:

• FEMALES

females . The true phalangers, or opossums of the colonists, constitute the genus Trichosurus, while the See also:

• RING (O.E. hring; a word common to Teutonic languages; and probably cognate with the Lat. circus, Gr. KtpKOS or KpLKOS, Skt'. chakra, wheel, circle, cf. also " harangue "); in art, a band of circular shape of varying sizes, made of any material and used f

ring-tailed species are known as Pseudo-chines; the latter ranging to New Guinea . Dactylopsila is easily recognized by its attenuated fourth See also:

• FINGER

finger and parti-coloured fur; the flying species are classed as Petauroides, Petaurus, Gymnobelideus and Acrobates, the last no larger than a mouse; while Dromicia, Distaechurus and Acrobales are allied types without parachutes (see PHALANGER) . An equally brief See also:

• NOTICE

notice must suffice of the kangaroo tribe or Macropodidae, since these receive a special notice elsewhere . The dentition is i. i c. o 0 1 p• 3 m.3 ; the incisors being sharp and cutting, and those of the lower jaw frequently having a scissor-like See also:

• ACTION

action against one another . The broad molars are either bluntly tuberculated or transversely ridged; the outer side of the hind part of the lower jaw has a deep pocket; and the hind-limbs are generally very long, with the structure of the foot similar to that of the bandicoots . The family is connected with the Phalangeridae by means of the musk-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) ; forming the sub-family Hypsiprymnodontinae . Then come the rat-kangaroos, or kangaroo-rats, constituting the sub-family Potoroinae; while the tree-kangaroos (Dendrolagus), See also:

• ROCK
• ROCK (O.Fr. rake, Sp. rota, Ital. rocca; possibly from a Lat. form rupica, from rupes, rock)
• ROCK, DANIEL (1799–187t)

rock-wallabie's (Petrogale), and wallabies and kangaroos (Macropus) form the Macropodinae (see KANGAROO) . Extinct Marsupials Reference has been made to the Australasian Pleistocene genera Phascolonus, Diprotodon, Nototherium and Thylacoleo, whose affinities are with the wombats and phalangers . The same deposits have also yielded remains of extinct types of kangaroo, some of gigantic size, constituting the genera Sthenurus, Procoptodon and Palorchestes . Numerous types more or less nearly allied to the phalangers, such as Burramys and Triclis have also been described, as well as a flying form, Palaeopetaurus .

It is also interesting to See also:

• NOTE
• NOTE (Lat. nota, mark, sign, from noscere, to know)

note that fossil remains indicate the former occurrence of thylacines and Tasmanian devils on the Australian mainland . Of more interest is the imperfectly known Wynyardia, from older Tertiary beds in See also:

• TASMANIA

Tasmania, which apparently presents points of See also:

• AFFINITY (Lat. affinitas, relationship by marriage, from offinis, bordering on, related to; finis, border, boundary)
• AFFINITY, CHEMICAL

affinity both to phalangers and dasyures . From the Oligocene deposits of See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France and southern See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England have been obtained numerous remains of opossums refer-able to the American family Didelphyidae . These See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient opossums have been separated generically from Didelphys (in its widest sense) on account of certain See also:

• DIFFERENCES, CALCULUS OF (Theory of Finite Differences)

differences in the relative sizes of the lower premolars, but as nearly the whole of the species have been formed on lower jaws, of which some hundreds have been found, it' is impossible to See also:

• JUDGE (Lat. judex, Fr. juge)

judge how far these differences are correlated with other dental or osteological characters . In the opinion of Dr H . Filhol, the fossils themselves represent two genera, Peratherium, containing the greater part of the species, about twenty in number, and Amphiperatherium, with three species only . All are comparatively small animals, few of them exceeding the size of a rat . Besides these interesting See also:

• EUROPEAN

European fossils, a certain number of didelphian bones have been found in the caves of See also:

• BRAZIL
• BRAZIL, or BRASIL

Brazil, but these are either closely allied to or identical with the species now living in the same region . The occurrence in the Santa Cruz beds of Patagonia of fossil marsupials allied to the living Caenolestes has been mentioned above . The alleged occurrence in the same beds of marsupials allied to the thylacine is based on remains now more generally regarded as refer-able to the creodont carnivores (see See also:

• CREODONTA

CREODONTA) . Mesozoic Mammals.—Under the heading of See also:

• MULTITUBERCULATA

MULTITUBERCULATA will be found a brief account of certain extinct mammals from the Mesozoic formations of Europe and North America which have been regarded as more or less nearly related to the monotremes . The same deposits have yielded remains of small mammals whose dentition approximates more nearly to that of either polyprotodont marsupials or insectivores; and these may be conveniently noticed here without See also:

• PREJUDICE (Lat. praejudicium)

prejudice to their true affinities .

Before proceeding further it may be mentioned that the remains of many of these mammals are very scarce, even in formations apparently in every way suitable to the preservation of such fossils, and it hence seemsprobable that these creatures are stragglers from a See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country where primitive small mammals were abundant . Not improbably this country was either " See also:

• GONDWANA

Gondwana-See also:

• LAND

land," connecting Mesozoic See also:

• INDIA
• INDIA, FRENCH

India with See also:

• AFRICA
• AFRICA, ROMAN

Africa, or perhaps Africa itself . At any See also:

• RATE

rate, there seems little doubt that it was the region where creodonts and other primitive mammals were first differentiated from their reptilian ancestors . Of the Old See also:

• WORLD

World forms, the family Triconodontidae is typified by the genus Triconodon, from the English Purbeck, in which the cheek-teeth carry three cutting cusps arranged longitudinally . There seems to have been a replacement of some of these teeth; and it has been suggested that this was of the marsupial type . To the same family FIG . 13.—Lower Jaw of are referred Phascolotherium (fig . 14), of Triconodon mordax (nat. the Lower Jurassic Stonesfield See also:

• SLATE (properly CLAY SLATE; in M. Eng. slat or sclat, from O. Fr. esclat, a small piece of wood used as a tile; esclater, to break into pieces, whence modern Fr. eclat, the root being seen also in Ger. schleissen, to split)

slate of size) . England, and Spalacotherium (fig . 15), of the See also:

• DORSETSHIRE (DORSET)

Dorsetshire Purbeck; the latter having the three cusps of the cheek-teeth rotated so as to assume a tritubercular type . Other From See also:

• OWEN, JOHN (1616-1683)
• OWEN, JOHN [OVENUS Or AUDOENUS] (c. 1560-1622)
• OWEN, ROBERT (1771-1858)
• OWEN, SIR HUGH (1804-1881)
• OWEN, SIR RICHARD (1804–1892)

Owen . genera are Menacodon and Priacodon, the former American, and the latter common to Europe and North America .

By one authority Amphilestes (fig . 16), of the Stonesfield Slate, is included in the same group, while by a second it is regarded as representing a family by it-self . Amphitherium, of the From Owen . Stonesfield Slate, typifies the FIG . 15 . Spalacotheriumtricuspidens family Amphitheriidae, which Purbeck beds. includes the American Dryo- lestes, and in which some would class the European Purbeck genus Amblotherium, although Professor H . F . See also:

• OSBORN, SHERARD (1822—1875)

Osborn has made the last the type of a distinct family . Yet another family, according to the palaeontologist last named, is typified by the genus Stylacodon, of the English Purbeck . To mention the other forms which have received names will be unnecessary on this occasion . It will be observed from the figures of the lower jaws, which are in most cases the only parts known, that in many instances the number of cheek-teeth exceeds that found in modern marsupials except Myrmecobius . The latter has indeed been regarded as the See also:

• DIRECT

direct descendant of these Mesozoic forms; but as already stated, in the opinion of Mr B .

A . Bensley, this is incorrect . It may be added that the See also:

• DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division of these teeth into premolars and molars in See also:

• FIGS

figs . 14 and 16 is based upon the view of See also:

• SIR

Sir R . Owen, and is not altogether trustworthy, while the restoration of some of the missing From Owen . teeth is more o: less conjectural . As regards the affinities of the creatures to which these jaws belonged, Professor Osborn has referred the Triconodontidae and Amphitheriidae, together with the Curtodontidae (as represented by the English Purbeck Curtodon), to a primitive group of marsupials, while he has assigned the Amblotheriidae and Stylacodontidae to an ancestral assemblage of Insectivora . On the other hand, in the opinion of Professor H . Winge, a large number of these creatures are primitive monotremes . Besides the above, in the Trias of North America we have Dromotherium and Microconodon, extremely primitive forms, representing the family From Owen . Dromotheriidae, and apparently showing decided traces of reptilian affinity . It may be added that a few traces of mammals have been obtained from the English See also:

• WEALDEN

Wealden, among which an incisor tooth foreshadows the rodent type .

(R .