Mr. Bell on a new Species of Phalangista. 123 



the general colour of the upper parts of the body, becoming 

 more scantily furnished towards the point ; and there is, at 

 the extremity of the under part, a narrow space, about half 

 an inch in length, which is entirely naked. I'he tail is more 

 or less prehensile throughout its whole length, but espe- 

 cially towards the extremity, as is indicated by the bare 

 patch or line just mentioned : there are slight circular de- 

 pressions at intervals, apparently marking the divisions of 

 the vertebrae, which are more distinctly observable under- 

 neath. 

 The feet are perfectly prehensile. The thumb, as in the other 

 species of the genus, is destitute of a nail both on the fore 

 and hinder feet, and the nails of the other toes are very 

 narrow and slightly hooked. The toes on the fore-feet are 

 nearly of an equal length, and generally stand out in a 

 radiated direction when the animal is standing on a flat 

 surface. The hinder-feet are longer than the fore ; the 

 thumb is thick and short, and placed at a greater distance 

 from the other toes in the latter than in the former. The 

 two outer toes are nearly of the same length, — the two next 

 shorter, and, like the other Phalangista, united together, 

 except at the last phalanx, which gives the appearance of 

 one broad toe with two nails, and these are sharper and 

 narrower than those of the other toes. The under part of 

 the feet is bare, — the upper part sparingly covered with 

 extremely fine short silky hair. 



The two specimens from which this description is given being 

 females, the account of the generative organs must be restricted 

 to that sex. One of them had brought forth young ones, which 

 were said to have been in the pouch when she was taken, but 

 died before her arrival in England. The other appears not to 



R 2 have 



