130 MAMMALIA. 



Petaurus, Shaw. Phalangista, Illig. 



The Flying Phalangers have the skin of the flanks more or less 

 extended between the legs, like the Flying Squirrels among the Ro^ 

 dentia, which enables them to sustain themselves momentarily in the 

 air, and make greater leaps. They also are only found in New Hol- 

 land. 



Some of the species have inferior canini, but they are very 

 small. Their superior canini and their three first molars, above 

 and below, are very pointed ; each of their back molars has four 

 points, (l) 



Ph. pygmeea; Did. pygrmea, Shaw, Gen. Zool. pi. 114; 



Schreb. CXLIV, A. (The Flying Dwarf Phalanger.) Of the 



colour and nearly the size of a Mouse ; the hairs of the tail 



regularly arranged on its two sides like the barbs of a quill. 



Other species have no inferior canini, while the superior ones are 



very small. Their four back molars present four points, but they 



are slightly curved into a crescent, which is very nearly the form of 



those of the Ruminantia. In front, there are two above and one 



below, less complicated. By this structure they are rendered still 



more frugivorous than all the preceding species. 



Ph. petaurus; Shaw, Gen. Zool. pi. cxii, White, Voy. 288. 

 (The Great Flying Phalanger.) Resembles the Taguan and the 

 Galeopithecus in size ; its fur is soft and close ; its tail long and 

 flattened ; brownish-black above, white beneath. They are of 

 various shades of brown ; some are variegated, and others per- 

 fectly white. 



Ph. sciurea; Shaw, pi. cxiii, 3. (The Bordered Flying Pha- 

 langer.) Size of the brown Rat ; ash coloured above, white be- 

 neath ; a brown line commencing on the chanfrin and running 

 along the back ; edges of the lateral membrane brown ; tail 

 tufted ; the length of the body and its posterior portion black. 

 From the islands near New Guinea. 



P. Peronii, Desm. (The Hairy-footed Flying Phalanger.) 

 A reddish-grey; front of the ears and under part of the body 

 whitish ; toes very hairy and brown; tail black, longer than the 

 body, and white at the end. 



Ph.macroura; Shaw, pi. cxiii, f. 2. (The Long-tailed Fly- 

 ing Phalanger.) A deep brown above, white beneath; size of 

 the brown Rat ; tail slender, about half as long again as the body. 



Our third subdivision has the incisors and superior canini 



(1) It is of this first division that Desmarets has made his genus Acrobate. 



