FAUNA. The animal life is more peculiarly isolated than is that of any other great region of the globe. Of the non-aquatic manunalia only two of the orders found on the other continents are represented, the bats and the rodents. The other's have their places taken by the two orders peculiar to Australia, the marsupials or pouch mammals, and the Monotremata or egg-laying mammals. There are six families of marsupials which include about 30 species. They differ greatly in form, in appearance, and in habits, resembling wolves. marmots, weasebs. squirrels, flying squirrels, and jerboas. and feeding on flesh, insects, roots, fruits, honey, leaves, and grass. The flesh-eaters are the native cats, rats, and mice, which are common to the continent, and the larger species, the so-called tiger of Tasmania. The inseet-eaters are the bandicoots or bandicoot-rats. The root-eaters are the wom bats, all large burrowing animals. The fruit eaters are the native bear, a sloth-like creature, three varieties of opossums, the flying opossums, and the flying squirrels. The grass-eaters are the kangaroos, of which there are numerous genera; the large kangaroos, the small kangaroos, the rock wallabies, and the hare kangaroos. The Monotremata, the egg-laying mammals, are the ?Ornithorhynehus and the spiny ant-eater; the former of which, with its otter-shaped body and duck bill, is regarded as the most unique of existing mammalia. It is not certain that the dingo or wild dog is a native of Australia, al though he is a characteristic mammal at the present time. Among the hats are some which attain great size and are called flying foxes, and which feed on fruits; others of smaller size live on insects. The bird fauna has numerous species. Among the larger birds are the emu, the eagle, and the black swan. The lyre-bird is remarkable for its peculiar plumage. Paradise birds, cocka toos, parrots, paroquets, snipe, quail, pigeons, ducks, plovers, falcons, honey-suckers, scrub birds, mound-makers. shrikes, weaver finches.
kingfishers, frog-mouths, and flower-peckers are all abundant. Many of these birds exhibit pe culiarities of appearance or habit not noticed elsewhere, and the reasons for which may be found in the peculiar conditions existing in Australia as regards its geographical character istics.
The reptiles of Australia are less distinctively peculiar than the birds and mammals. No fami lies of snakes are confined to this continent, but there are some peculiar genera of Pvthonid:r and Elapidie, to which latter family fully two-thirds of the snakes of Australia belong. These are poisonous; so that Australia has more poisonous snakes in proportion to the total number than has any other region. In Eastern Australia about half the snakes are poisonous, but in other parts the ratio is not so high. The number of species increases very rapidly from the southern part toward the northern with the increase in tem perature. Lizards are numerous; three of the to the supply of gold. The following table 1 shows the total value of gold obtained in the different States to the end of 1809: eight families occurring being peculiar to tralia. Tailed amphibians are not found in Australia, but eleven families of toads and frogs are present. There is only one family of fish peculiar to the waters of Australia, but many genera are found there which do not occur else where. Australia is relatively poor in insect life. The butterflies are by no means numerous: in South Australia there are less than 35 species, although in Queensland there are over 100. This continent is much richer in beetles than in but terflies, the longicorns being especially abundant.