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Rh destitute of a claw. The fore-feet have five toes, all furnished with strong claws.

The species of this Family have a wider geographical range than most of the Marsupiala; for they extend from Van Diemen’s Land to the Moluccas or Spice Islands of the great Indian Archipelago. They are arboreal animals, and consequently are expert climbers, though, contrary to what is usual among climbing animals, their movements are not distinguished by agility. Night is the season of their activity: during the day, they remain concealed in the forks and hollows of the trees, coming forth in the twilight to feed upon the unopened buds and tender leaves, or upon fruits. The species of Van Diemen’s Land chiefly select the leaves of the Eucalypti, but Mr. Gunn observes that in the interior the orchards sometimes suffer from the depredations of these animals on the leaves and young shoots. Some specimens procured by MM. Quoy and Gaimard in the Oriental Archipelago, which are said to feed on aromatic fruits, they found in confinement not to refuse cooked flesh.

This Family contains three well-defined general Phatangista, which has the tail prehensile, Petaurus, which has the skin of the sides expanded between the fore and hind limbs, by means of which they can take long leaps supported in the air as by a parachute; and Phascolarctos, a heavy-bodied animal, destitute of a tail. The first two of these bear the same relation to each other as the common Squirrels bear to the Flying Squirrels.