126 MAMMALIA. 



Did. brachyura, Pall., Buff. Supp. VII, Ixi. (The Touan.) 

 Black, blackish ; flanks of a vivid red ; belly vs^hite ; tail shorter 

 than the body. Less than a Rat. The three latter species are 

 from South America. 



Finally, there is one known with palmated feet, which must 

 be aquatic ; it is not ascertained whether or not it has a pouch 

 it is the 



Chironectes, Illig.(l) 



Did. palmata, Geoff. 5 ZM^ramemno, Bodd.; La petite Loutre 



de la Guiane, Buff. Supp. III. xxii. Brown above, with three 



transverse grey bands, interrupted in the middle, and white 



below ; larger than a Norway Rat. 



All the other Marsupiaiia inhabit eastern countries, New Holland 



particularly, a land whose animal population seems chiefly to belong 



to this family. 



Thylacinus, Temm.(2) 



The Thylacini are the largest of this first division. They are 

 distinguished from the Opossums by the hind feet having no thumb ; 

 a hairy, non-prehensile tail, and two incisors less in each jaw ; their 

 molars are of the same number. They consequently have forty-six 

 teeth; but the external edge of the three large ones is projecting and 

 trenchant, almost like the carnivorous tooth of a Dog ; their ears 

 are hairy, and of a medium size. One species only is known, the 



Did. cynocephala, Harris, Linn. Trans. IX, pi. xix, 1, and 

 Ency. Method., Mammif. Supp. pi. vii, f. 3. Size that of a 

 Wolf, but stands lower j grey ; transverse black stripes on the 

 crupper. It is very carnivorous, and pursues all small quadru- 

 peds. From Van Dieman's Land. 



Phascogale, Temm. 



The same number of teeth as the Thylacini, but the middle inci- 

 sors are longer than the others, and the back molars more bristled, 

 circumstances which approximate them more closely to the Sarigues. 

 They are also allied to them by their small size; their tail however 

 is not prehensile ; their hind thumb, though very short,* is still very 

 apparent. 



Did. penicillata, Shaw, Gen. Zool. I, ii, pi. 113 j Schreb. 

 CLII, B, L. Ash coloured ; tail furnished with long black 



(1) Chironectes, i. e. swimming with hands. 



(.2) Thylacinus, from fiuxaxoc purse. A species of Thylacinus has also been 

 found in the plaster quarries of Paris. 



