Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia (Incorporated) . Leporillus jonesi. The stomach, showing (a) the outwardform, and (b) the interior with the well-marked separa-tion of the two chambers. Natural size. and the large intestine, in addition to its great size, is rela-tively long. In Rattus raftus the small gut measures somef2 188 72 mm., and the large gut some 20 mm.; but in Leporillusjonesi the small gut is 57 mm., while the large gut measures40 mm. The faceal pellets are more rounded in form thanare those of the members of the genus Rattus, and they aredeposit
Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia (Incorporated) . Leporillus jonesi. The stomach, showing (a) the outwardform, and (b) the interior with the well-marked separa-tion of the two chambers. Natural size. and the large intestine, in addition to its great size, is rela-tively long. In Rattus raftus the small gut measures somef2 188 72 mm., and the large gut some 20 mm.; but in Leporillusjonesi the small gut is 57 mm., while the large gut measures40 mm. The faceal pellets are more rounded in form thanare those of the members of the genus Rattus, and they aredeposited in gropus. The rat is a nest-builder, and, so far as 1 have seen,never excavates burrows for itself; in captivity, it shows nodesire to burrow, or even to scratch into the earth. In theislands, a burrow is almost always found beneath the nest,and into the burrow the rat will readily retreat; but theburrow is always one excavated beneath the nest by a penguin(Eudyptula minor) or a mutton bird (Pujfinus tenuirostris).There almost seems to be a measure of symbiosis in the economy. Fig. 7. Leporillus jonesi. The caecum. A. is the entering small intestine and B. the emerginglarge intestine. Natural size. of the rats and the penguins, for practically every nest whichis found on the northern platform of the islands has a penguinsburrow beneath it. It is a remarkable fact that muttonbirds, penguins, rats, bandicoots, and the black tiger snakeswill all bolt into the same hole when alarmed. In some of the rats nests an enormous amount of materialis collected, and these large nests appear to lodge a the northern side of the eastern island, and high up onthe cliff, is such a nest; and it is probable that its foundationconsists of a deserted nest of the sea eagle, the rats havinginvaded it from below. Upon the flat tops of the islands, thenests are usually composed of dried herbage, and contain only 189 a pair of individuals; but upon the island platform they aremade of stick
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectscience, bookyear1912
