The long-nosed potoroo {Potorous tridactylus), a medium-sized, ground-dwelling marsupial, inhabits the foothills and coastal forests of southeastern mainland Australia. Faecal analysis confirmed the mycophagous habit of P. tridactylus at a eucalypt forest site in East Gippsland, Victoria; in one month, the spores of 33 different fungi were identified. The maiority of species (27) were hypogeal or subhypogeal gasteromycetes that form ectomycorrhizae with forest trees and shrubs, and included the widespread and common Mesophellia pachythrix. The possible role of mycophagy in establishment of eucalypt-fungal mycorrhizae was investigated in several ways. Fungal spores were viable after passage through the gut of P. tridactylus; application of spore-bearing faeces to seedlings of Eucalyptus sieberi and Eucalyptus globoidea grown in sterile soil produced ectomycorrhizae. Spores of Af. pachythrix were among the most common spores in these faeces and some of the resulting ectomycorrhizae were of the type expected from M. pachythrix. In contrast, direct application of Af. pachythrix spores from sporocarp tissue to seedlings produced no ectomycorrhizae. Ectomycorrhizae also were established on seedlings grown in unsterilized forest soil, indicating that soil-borne spores had been conditioned, either by passage through the gut of a mammal or some other means, for reaction with the roots of eucalypts. Addition of faeces improved root and shoot growth of seedlings, although we could not determine whether this was primarily due to the formation of ectomycorrhizae, the addition of nutrients in the faeces, or a combination of both. Potorous tridactylus may enhance the re-establishment of mycorrhizal colonies in logged and/or burned forest sites by dispersing in its faeces, the spores of mycorrhizal fungi from sporocarps consumed within the disturbed area, as well as spores from sporocarps eaten in adjacent undisturbed habitat. In performing this function, P. tridactylus may also aid in the recovery of regenerating silvertop ash-stringybark forests.

Rat-kangaroos have not coped well with the impact of European settlement in Australia. Of the 11 species present in 1788, two are extinct, two are either mostly or totally restricted to offshore islands and the range of all other species has been much reduced. Habitat alienation, altered fire regimes, grazing, predation by introduced carnivores, competition from rabbits and timber harvesting have variously taken their toll on these little-seen animals. The rat-kangaroo was one of the first Australian marsupials to be seen alive in Europe. Collected close to the settlement at Sydney Cove, a pair of them were exhibited in London in 1789. These animals were called by the local Aboriginal people 'Pot-o-roo', and by the European settlers, 'Kangooroo rat'. They were the Long-nosed Potoroo, Potorous tridactylus, the first of what we now call 'Rat-kangaroos' to be discovered. Bettongs, Potoroos and the Musky Rat-kangaroo provides an extraordinary glimpse into the secretive lives of these unusual marsupials. It also reveals little-known facts about the critical functional role these creatures play in maintaining the forest and woodland habitats in which they live. Winner of the 2008 Whitley Award for Natural History.

SEEBECK, J. H. 1976. The diet of the Powerful Owl Ninoxstrenua in western Victoria. Emu 76: 167-170.Analysis of pellets shows that the most common item of prey is the Ringtailed Possum. The Sugar Glider is taken less commonly and other vertebrates and invertebrates only occasionally. A possible instance of scavenging is reported. The relation between the jOwl's dietary needs and its conservation is discussed.

Barred or Gunn's bandicoot (Perameles gunnii), formerly widely distributed in Victoria, Australia, is now restricted to the western basalt plains around the city of Hamilton. A small captive colony was begun in 1972 near Geelong. The bandicoots were fed on commercial dog food [dried pellets?] with some sunflower seed or chopped apple occasionally and they obtained other food from the soil. They required fairly large outdoor enclosures and only 1 pair could be kept in a 0.07-ha pen. Notes are given on frequency of litters. Bandicoots in Tasmania are known to eat crickets (Gryllus servellei), moths and larvae of coleoptera and lepidoptera; crickets, pasture grubs and moths were mostly available in autumn and the abundance of food then may stimulate winter breeding. Breeding bandicoots for release to the wild would require money and effort, and it was doubtful whether a wild population could be established. It might be possible to develop methods of land management to provide suitable habitat for bandicoots, but there was little public interest; community education in Hamilton was needed.

Stagwatching involves direct counts of nocturnal animals emerging from tree hollows at dusk. This technique is described and compared with spotlighting and trapping for census of possums and gliders in the tall open forests of the Victorian Central Highlands. Stagwatching detected Leadbeater's possum, the mountain brushtail possum, the sugar glider and the yellow-bellied glider, in greater numbers and at more sites than did spotlighting. Stagwatching was most effective for survey of Leadbeater's possum. Fine weather in spring, summer, or autumn appear to be the best time to stagwatch for this species. All other species were detected by spotlighting at a portion of sites where they were not detected by stagwatching. Underestimation of density by stagwatching was attributed to emergence of some individuals after dark. Further information on activity patterns is required before either stagwatching or spotlighting can be used to estimate the densities of most possum and glider species.