Behaviour and territorialism in Trichosurus vulpecula (Marsupialia)

[First paragraph...]
In New Zealand Trichosurus vulpecula was first liberated about the year 1840 (Pracy 1962) and during the following century it became distributed throughout the greater part of the country. In 1953 research was begun primarily for the purpose of evolving practical methods for killing the animals on farm lands and in forests. The terms of reference precluded formal experimentation on fundamental aspects such as behaviour, but continued observations led to some tentative conclusions.