Summary
The “Devil” is the name universally given here to the Dasyurus ursinus, and, as I have never heard any other appellation applied to this very ugly, savage, mischievous little beast, I must be permitted to use the one hitherto bestowed on it. This species is entirely black; another kind (D. macrourus), sometimes called “Spotted-tail,” has a white tip to the tail, and a white stripe, extending down the throat and between the forelegs, towards which it sometimes spreads, forming three limbs of a cross: the pied species is rather less than the other, and not so numerous, but in all other respects they are alike. The body is 18 or 20 inches long, and the head forms nearly a third of this, being large, broad, and flat, apparently very destitute of brains. The jaws open to a terrific extent, nearly to the back of the enormous head, and are armed with large powerful teeth, like those of a dog. The tail is so stiff and unpliant, as to seem more like a wooden than a real one; when the animal runs, the tail sticks straight out. The feet resemble those of a dog, but the paws are more spread out, and have large strong claws. The creature has an awkward wabbling gait, and its pace is slow, as compared with that of most other wild animals.
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- My Home in TasmaniaDuring a Residence of Nine Years, pp. 261 - 274Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1852