F l y i n g
O p o s s u m .
W Î - e s e l .
S p i n y A n t -
j e a t e r .
Flying OpoJJUm, Hiß. %uad. N“ 2.28. Phillip, 297. tab. 54. has
membranes extending from leg to leg like a flying fquirrel ; and
the fur moil eXquifite ; it is even compared to that o f the Sea
Otter o f the weitem parts o f North America. Our travellers do
not trouble us with the natural hiitory of this, or fcarcely any
other animal.
T h e Spotted Weefel, Hiß. Quad. N° 272. or Quoll of Hawkf-
worth, i i ï .'626. is black, fpotted with white. The length from
nofe to rump is eighteen inches, the tail nearly the fame. '
W e mult npw take a great leap to the.genus o f Ant-eaters.
'New Holland has furniihed us with a moll curious kind, fee
Hiß. Quad. ii. N° 467. Naturalifts Mifcellany, vol. ii. tab. 109.
The length is one foot ; the nofe, long, {lender, and tubular, the
tongue long and {lender ; the feet extremely broad ; and like
the fore feet o f the mole, adapted to digging. On the fore feet
are five toes with blunt flatted nails ; on the hind, a ihort thick
thumb, without either nail or claw. The two outer joints
of the four toes are furniihed with a pointed claw ; the two
next with blunt claws ; the tail very ihort. The whole upper
part of the body, from the hind part o f the neck, is covered with
itrong white fpines, exadlly like thofe of the porcupine. The
head, and all the under fide o f the body is coated with Ihort
black briltly hairs, the tail very Ihort *. This fpecies was found
in the midit o f an ant-hill.
A v e r y l a r g e Bat, p e r h a p s t h e Pernate, Hiß. Quad. i i . N’ 495,
* The Duck-billed Platypus figured in the Naturalifts Mifcellany, tab. 385, is an animal of
a conformation fo lingular, that we can fcarcely fuppofe Nature, amidft her infinite variety, ever
formed fo heterogeneous a compolition—a ihort time will» we hope, remove our doubts. JE,
s t h e o n l y a n im a l t h a t I c a n w i t h a n y c e r t a in t y a d d to t h e l i f t o f
t h o f e o f t h i s v a f t e x t e n t o f c o u n t r y .
A n a n im a l r e f e m b l i n g a w o l f , w a s f e e n b y f o m e o f t h e c r e w
o f t h e Endeavour, b u t t h e y n e v e r w e r e a b le to k i l l o n e , fo as to
f o rm t h e d e f c r ip t io n .
B I R D S,. . -
T h e Birds o f New Holland are extremely numerous. Befides
thofe to which I can give claflical names, are feveral o f New
Zealand,'which from the ihort intervening diftance between each
country, are, probably common to both, at leaft I might venture
to place here many of the water fowl, but certainly the Pelagic,
o f which I may fay, as Pliny does of the Cypfelli, “ Ha funt qua,
u toto mari cernunturP But to avoid too great an extenfion of
fubjeit, I ihall confine myfelf only to thofe which inhabit the
land, or hover near the coaft, fymptomatic o f its vicinity.
R a p a c i o u s , :
White Eagle, Latham, i. 40. White, ixp. tab. 35. This hardly Falcon.
deferves to be dignified with that name;,it does not exceed in
fize our hen harrier, and has, like that bird, very {lender legs.
The plumage is of a fnowy whitenefs.
Brown Eagle, a large fpecies, mentioned in Ceos’s laft Voyage,
■i. 109, but not afcertained.
Pied Hawk,. Parkinfon, 144. The Black and White Falcon,
Indian Z00L 33. tab. 11. Hawks are very numerous m New Holland',
whenever our navigators made a fire in the night, multitudes
appeared, probably to catch any birds that might be attracted
by the novelty.1 •
•Vol. IV. R Cm.7,