348 Royal Irish Academy. 



line, lin. 



Longitude ab apice rostri ad apicem caudle . . 32 6 



cauddd 13 6 



tarsi digitorumque 5 3 



antebrachii et pedis antici 3 



■ ab apice rostri ad basin auris .... 3 3 



auris 1 3 



This little animal was procured at Barrow Island, on the north- 

 west coast of Australia ; in size as well as in the colouring and texture 

 of the fur it very nearly resembles the Common Hare {Lepus timiduSy 

 Auct.) . From Lagorchestes lepordides it may be distinguished by the 

 shortness of its ears and the want of a black patch at the base of the 

 fore-leg. As in L. leporo'ides, it has the eyes encircled with reddish 

 hairs ; but these are of a more brilliant rusty-red colour than in that 

 animal. 



The fur is very long, dense, and rather soft to the touch ; on the 

 back it is of a black colour next the skin, yellowish white towards 

 the apex, shaded into deeper yellow still nearer to the point, and 

 black at the point. On the hinder part of the back the portion of 

 each hair, which is yellow on the back, is replaced by white, and 

 there is an oblique white mark on each side of the rump. The fur 

 on the side of the body is deep grey next the skin, brownish yellow 

 in the middle, and this is followed by black, then whitish, and at the 

 point black. On the under part of the body the fur is ash-coloured 

 next the skin, and white externally, excepting on the sides of the 

 belly, where they are of a rusty yellow hue externally. The hair 

 on the upper surface of the head is black, freely pencilled with yel- 

 lowish white ; a broad space round the eye is covered with bright 

 rusty-red hairs, and this hue, though less bright, is extended back- 

 wards beneath the ear. The lips and chin are dirty white ; the 

 throat is white. The ears are very small and somewhat pointed ; 

 internally they are clothed with whitish hairs, and externally with 

 dirty white hairs on the apical portion, but towards the base there is 

 an admixture of black. The fore- and hind-legs and feet are pale, 

 the hairs being dirty white at the point and brown next the skin. 

 The tail is slender, and being but sparingly clothed with short dirty 

 white bristly hairs, exhibits scales ; on the under surface it is more 

 densely clothed, and the hairs are longer and of a dirty yellowish 

 hue. 



This new species was transmitted to Mr. Gould for description by 

 Capt. Wickham, of H.M.S. 'Beagle ' 



ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY. 



January 10, 1842. — Mr. Ball, referring to his paper read before 

 the Academy in November 1839, relative to a Loligo, to which he 

 gave the specific name of Ehlance, exhibited the following Acetabuli- 

 ferous Cephalopoda, with the view of showing the increased know- 

 ledge of species of the Irish seas, and of placing on record the very 

 interesting discovery of two of the genus Rossia, which he had rea- 



