G'day All,
Over the years I have noted that some of the notes and journals of early
explorers and pastoralists etc. have given quite full descriptions of now
extinct marsupials. For example Sidney Kidman in some of his journals
describes fascinating mammals he encountered while travelling in the vast,
relatively unknown and unsettled inland areas - encounters now lost to us.
Recently, reading Tim Flannery's 'The Explorers' (Text Publishing), I came
across the following description by Gerard Krefft in 1857 of the graceful
and beautiful little but now extinct Pig-footed Bandicoot (Chaeropus
ecaudatus.) For a description see for e.g. Menkhorst and Knight's Field
Guide. Krefft was at one time director of the Australian Museum. His notes
were made on the Blandowski expedition to the junction of the Murray and
Darling rivers in 1857. Reading his notes I find fascinating, though
melancholy. I don't think he could appreciate at all how great his privilege
was, nor what a loss to kill them rather than to try to preserve and breed
them. He writes:
". I fell in with a party of natives who had succeeded . in securing a pair
of Chaeropus (male and female). . The two animals were secured in a
birdcage . About sundown, when I was about to secure my animals for the
night, one of the nimblest made its escape, jumping clean through the wires
of the cage. . It ran up one of the sandstone cliffs . Here was a splendid
opportunity for observing the motions of the animal. The Chaeropus
progressed like a broken-down hack in a canter, apparently dragging the
hindquarters after it . (We) brought it to bay in a saltbush. A large tin
case was fitted up for the habitation of these animals, and provided with
coarse barley grass, upon which, as the natives informed me, they feed.
Insects, particularly grasshoppers, were also put into the box, and though
they were rather restless at first, and made vain attempts to jump out, they
appeared snug enough . having constructed a completely covered over with the
grass and some dried leaves.
During the daytime, they always kept in their hiding-places and, when
disturbed, quickly returned to them; but as soon as the sun was down they
became lively, jumping about and scratching the bottom of the case in their
attempts to regain liberty. I kept these animals upon lettuces, barley
grass, bread and some bulbous roots for six weeks, until the camp was broken
up, when they were killed for the sake of their skins.
I think about eight specimens of this species were secured during our stay;
several of which proved to be females with good sized young ones in the
pouch, which is very deep and runs upwards, not like that of a kangaroo. All
were provided with eight teats, and bore tow young ones, only one pair of
teats being drawn.
I may mention here that Chaeropus drinks a good deal of water, but will
neither touch meat nor attack or eat mice, as the other members of the
family do.
Their dung, which I often examined when out hunting, was entirely composed
of grass, very dry, about the size of a sheep's trundles, but much longer,
so that I believe that in a state of nature they feed principally upon
vegetables. There are very good eating ."
Regards,
Chris Coleborn
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