Wombat

“ Most of the burrowing marsupials, as well as the dingo and the imported rabbit, are dug out of the ground. The largest among these is the wombat, which is nocturnal in habit. The native knows, moreover, that when the weather is excessively hot, the animal often comes to the surface and sleeps in front of its burrow. He therefore stealthily surveys the recognized haunts of the wombat at such times, and, should he be successful in locating one, he spears it on the spot. ”

“ Flinders' description, which must be one of the earliest accounts of the creature, is true:
"Clarke's Island afforded the first specimen of the new animal, called wombat. This little bear-like quadruped is known in New South Wales, and is called by the natives womat, wombat, or womback, according to the different dialects—or perhaps to the different rendering of the wood-rangers who brought the information. It does not quit its retreat till dark ”

“ It lives in rocky places and mountain gullies, and feeds on the roots of plants. It is easily tamed, and makes a very affectionate pet. Some English children living in Tasmania once had a pet wombat. It became so mischievous, however, that they determined to carry it back to its native forest. But the wombat having tasted the comforts of civilized life, had no desire to dig for its living again. ”

“ He is not a handsome creature; but, when cooked, is said to afford some appetising morsels. Lieut.-Col. Collins says:—"The wombat, or, as it is called by the natives of Port Jackson, the womback, is a squat, short, thick, short-legged, rather inactive quadruped, with great appearance of stumpy strength, and somewhat bigger than a large turnspit-dog. Its figure and movements, if they do not exactly resemble those of the bear, at least strongly remind one of that animal. ”

“ Every single movement of any part of the wombat is deliberate and well considered; it is apparently debated at great length by all the other parts, and determined upon by a formal resolution, duly proposed, seconded, and carried by the complete animal properly assembled. Once the motion is carried, nothing can stop it. If the wombat's travels are crossed by a river, he merely walks into it, across the bottom, and out at the other side. Here, in lairs side by side, [Pg 471] live a common wombat and a hairy-nosed wombat. ”

“ The P. Wombat is still abundant in Van Diemen's Land and on some of the islands in Bass's Straits; and two or three species burrow in the plains of the southern countries of Australia generally. These huge, heavy, and short-legged animals, revelling in a state of obesity, feed most harmlessly on roots and other vegetable substances; they are the Rodents of their own Order, and the representatives of the Capybaras of South America. ”

“ Their principal food is the wombat, an animal that burrows, which they kill by thrusting a boy feet foremost into the hole, who, when reaching the animal, pushes it to the end of the hole, and then makes a noise so that the men above may mark the spot, and make an entrance for the purpose of seizing the animal. ”

“ The poor things are easily killed, for they offer no resistance to these intrusions on their haunts. There is, however, a good deal of difficulty in making these holes, and in getting down so deep to them—so that it is a sort of hunting for food, of which the natives are not very fond. Except when the wombat has young, it is seldom that more than one is found in a hole. ”

“ So everybody knows that Warreen, the Wombat, and Mirran, the Kangaroo, were once men and lived together. They do not live together now, nor do they like each other. The Wombat is fat and surly and lazy, and he lives in a dark, ill-smelling hole in the ground. His forehead is flat, and he does not go far from his hole; and he is no more fond of working for his living than he was when he lived in a willum as a man. The Kangaroo lives in the free open places, and races through the Bush as swiftly as Mirran used to race long ago. ”

“ Besides Furneaux's Islands, the Wombat inhabits, as has been seen, the mountains to the westward of Port Jackson. In both these places its habitation is under ground, being admirably formed for burrowing, but to what depth it descends does not seem to be ascertained. According to the account given of it by the natives, the wombat of the mountains is never seen during the day, but lives retired in his hole, feeding only in the night; but that of the islands is seen to feed in all parts of the day. ”

“ The large wombat of the mainland is variable in colour, some individuals being pale yellowish brown, others dark grey and some black. The length of the head and body is about 3 ft. Fossil remains of wombats, some of larger size than any now existing, have been found in caves and Pleistocene deposits in Australia. ”

“ The wombat might easily be mistaken for a rodent, for its front teeth are formed almost exactly like those of the rabbit and the rat. But as it possesses a marsupial pouch, there can be no doubt of the order it really belongs to. It is not at all a handsome animal. ”

“ An animal named a wombat, about the size of a small turnspit-dog, has been found in abundance in Van Diemen's Land, and also, though less frequently, in other parts of New South Wales. Its flesh has in taste a resemblance to pork. ”

“ He has no tail, like the wombat. His coat is a bluish-gray fur, very thick and extremely soft, darkest on the back, and very pale under the throat and belly. An elongated nose looks as if it were tipped with black leather. The eyes are round and dark; the ears almost hidden in the plenitude of fur. By day he is a drowsy and, sooth to say, a stupid animal; but at night he wakes up into a more active state. He feeds upon the fresh young tops of trees, selecting their blossoms and young shoots; and though in appearance resembling the Phalanga, in habits seems closely allied to the Sloth. ”

“ From the observations of Mr Gunn it would seem that nothing will induce it to prey on the wombat, [157] a fat, sluggish, marsupial quadruped, abundant in the districts which it frequents, and whose flesh would seem to be very edible, seeing that it lives on fruits and roots. No sooner, however, was the sheep introduced than the tiger-wolf began to attack the flocks, and has ever since shown a most unmistakable appetite for mutton, preferring the flesh of that most useful and easily-mastered quadruped to that of any kangaroo however venison-like, or bandicoot however savoury. ”

“ The wombat is like a very large pig; it lives underground, burrowing vast distances. The wombat is a great nuisance in districts where there are irrigation canals; its burrows weaken the banks of the water-channels, and cause collapses. The dugong is a sea mammal found on the north coast of Australia. ”

“ Wombat is rarely to be met with, but when procured its flesh is always regarded as a great treat. The lively night animal, the bandicoot, is, when cooked, only to be compared to sucking-pig in flavour. The opossum is good also, especially when curried or stewed; but the monitor lizard, or guana, if one could overcome the repugnance of its appearance, is delicate and excellent food.
Among the birds we have numbers available for the table. The talegalla or brush turkey, is excellent, the legs being regarded as the epicure’s portion, and the eggs are delicious. ”

“ These birds are abundant in this neighbourhood in the breeding season. Among the scrub on the shore there was a flock of Black Cockatoos. The Wombat—a burrowing, herbivorous animal, in figure somewhat like a small bear,—abounds in this neighbourhood: its flesh, when young, resembles that of the hare.
We likewise visited the Davey River, or northern harbour; in which, under a point from the west, in the turn toward Cockburn Cove, vessels sometimes take shelter from a southerly gale. ”

“ When his large eyes came upon the wombat, he seemed to smile. "Why, Ricardo, there you are. I didn't see you at first. How are you doing?"
"Okay, I guess," said the wombat.
"And your mother?" added the Lion.
"She's fine," said Ricardo.
"I am very happy to hear it," said the Cowardly Lion. "But tell me, my friend, why you seem so glum. A boy your age shouldn't have any problems that would cause such glumness. What's wrong?"
[Illustration: Cowardly Lion and Wombat]
"Weeeeell," began the wombat slowly. "It's kind of silly, I guess. But I wanted to ask your advice about something." ”

“ An average sized one weighs sixty pounds. The head is flat, neck thick, body large, legs short, eyes and ears small: the feet provided with sharp claws for burrowing, three on the hind foot, and an additional one on the fore foot. They make deep excavations in the ground, and live chiefly on roots. The hide is very tough and covered with a coarse wiry hair, and with this defensive armor, and his formidable teeth and claws, the wombat is a customer not much relished by the dogs. ”

“ The Tasmanian Wombat, at all events, is essentially gregarious in its habits; In the neighbourhood of Swansea, on the east coast, it is, or was, particularly abundant, forming regular warrens among a light undergrowth of vegetation, through which travelling on horseback is a distinctly risky proceeding. ”

“ This animal is also not infrequently made a household pet, and will waddle as complacently as an over-fed poodle around the premises after its owner. The wombat, like the large majority of the marsupial animals, is for the most part nocturnal in habits, and a strict vegetarian. ”

“ The thick hide covers the body in loose folds. The dogs become aware by experience that, on account of its thickness and slippery looseness, it is vain to attempt capture of a wombat. Retreating to his burrow, he scratches earth briskly into his opponent's mouth and eyes until he desists. ”

“ These secured, we clamber over the steep hill, passing by numerous deep holes, concealed almost by the thick bushes of the wild Raspberry, the Forget-me-not, and other of our indigenous plants;—they are the burrows of that uncouth creature, the Wombat, which is very numerous along the coast. A worthy friend in the town has taken much pains in endeavouring to rear the young of this and others of the Marsupialia. ”

“ They burrowed in the old inclosure of the wombat till the ground was quite rotten; and they still march about the den of the rhinoceros and scamper over his impregnable hide. It is only by constantly hunting them with terriers that they can be kept down; and as many as a hundred in a fortnight are often despatched, their carcases being handed over to the vultures and eagles. Many of them seek in the daytime a securer retreat. ”

“ The animal's slow habits seem to require a nocturnal and retired life. It is about as lethargic as the Sloth, and it is said to further resemble that animal in clinging firmly to a branch even after it is shot. {144}
Fig. 71.—Wombat. Phascolomys wombat. × 1⁄12.
Sub-Fam. 3. Phascolomyinae.—Phascolomys, the Wombat, is the only genus of this sub-family. This animal has the appearance of a heavily-built Marmot, like which it has a mere stump for a tail, and a pair of strong chisel-shaped and Rodent-like incisors, which, however, differ from those of Rodents in having a complete coating of cement. ”

“ Of these tribes the wombats are closely allied to the phalangers, represented by the opossums and flying squirrels, with the native bear, while fossil remains of twenty extinct species have also been found. Of wombats now existing there are four species, all of nearly the same size, seldom exceeding 100 tt> in weight. They all burrow in the ground, and their habitat is in New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia. There is but one species of the singular animal miscalled the native bear, which is more like a sloth in its habits. ”

“ It is now generally conceded that Professor Owen’s researches have decided the question in favour of the latter view, for he shows that the only rodent features are the teeth, and similar ever-growing incisors are found in at least one other mammal, the marsupial wombat, which no one has thought of calling a rodent: on the contrary, the hair, the tail, the form of the head and body, the length of the intestines, the heart and blood-vessels, the brain, and the limbs [284] tend to separate the Aye Aye from the rodents, and to join it with the Cheiropoda ”

“ When well cooked, they are good eating. The mouth of this creature is furnished with large teeth, their ears scarcely discernable, their legs being very short and armed with long claws; the skin is very tough, with short hair upon it, but they are without tails. The wombats feed on grass chiefly, only venturing out after dark, or on moonlight nights, returning to their burrows at day-break. The natives take these creatures by sending a boy or girl into their burrows, which they enter feet first, creeping in backwards until they touch the animal. ”

“ O, hope—hope! there is the smell of food upon the wind: up, man, up—battle with those birds, drive them away, hew down that fierce white eagle with your axe; what right have they to precious food, when man, their monarch, starves? So, the poor emaciated culprit seized their putrid prey, and the scared fowls hovered but a little space above, waiting instinctively for this new victim: they had not left him much—it was a feast of remnants—pickings from the skeleton of some small creature that had perished in the desert—a wombat, probably, starved upon its travels ”

“ The hind paw is longer than the fore, but not less fleshy; its length is two inches and seven tenths, its breadth two inches and six tenths. The claws are four in number: the three inner ones are less strong, but about two tenths of an inch longer than the longest of the fore claws; and there is a fleshy spur in the place of a thumb claw. The whole paw has a curve, which throws its fore part rather inward.
Wombat
In size the two sexes are nearly the same, but the female is perhaps rather the heaviest. ”