Mr. R. F. Tomes on the genus Nyctophilus. 379 



of all the species is numerically similar, it will render repetition un- 

 necessary. 



Dentition.-In. i^ ; C. ilj ; P. M. n , u. 2|=!|. 



1. Nyctophilus Geoffroyi, Leach. 



Nyct. Geoffroyii Leach, Linn. Trans, xiii. p. 73, 1820-22; Less. 

 Man. p. 86, 1827; Fisch. Synop. Mamm. p. 135, 1829 ; Temm. 

 Mon. ii. p. 47, 1835-41 ; Wagn. Supp. Schreb. i. p. 442, 1840 ; 

 Less. Nouv. Tabl. Regn. Anim. p. 33, 1842 ; Schinz, Synop. Mamm. 

 i. p. 217, 1844. 



Of the four species treated of in the present monograph, the first, 

 from its size, is unquestionably the one on which Dr. Leach esta- 

 blished the genus. 



The original description in the Linnsean Transactions is much too 

 vague to discriminate the exact species with certainty ; but M. Tem- 

 minck having become possessed of the original specimen, and given 

 a more detailed description of it, I am enabled to determine with 

 certainty which of the species here given is the true N. Geoffroyi. 



I intend, therefore, first to give a description of this species, and 

 then to point out briefly what I consider sufficient differences to 

 constitute three other species. One of these has indeed been re- 

 peatedly described as a Vespertilio — Vesp. Timoriensis ; but it is 

 strictly a Nyctophilus, as I have ascertained by the examination of 

 the original specimen in the Paris Museum. 



The face is moderately hairy, the hairs being pretty regularly 

 scattered, but a little thicker on the upper lips and on the second 

 nose-leaf than elsewhere. Immediately over the eye is a small tuft 

 of bristle-like black hairs, and a similar one near the hinder corner 

 of the eye. At the angle of the mouth a few similar hairs may be 

 observed. The fur of the back extends to a very trifling extent on 

 to the interfemoral membrane, but all the other membranes are 

 perfectly naked, and of a dark brown colour, as are also all the other 

 naked parts, with the exception of the tragus and the contiguous 

 parts of the inside of the ear, which are brownish-yellow. 

 The fur of the body is rather long, thick, and very soft. 

 On all the upper parts it is conspicuously bicoloured, black for 

 nearly two-thirds of its length, the remainder being olive-brown, of 

 which the extreme tips are rather the darker portion. On the mem- 

 brane uniting the ears the fur is uniform yellowish-brown. 



The fur of the throat and flanks is uniform brownish- white, that of 

 the latter being sometimes more strongly tinted with brown. All the 

 remaining under-parts have the fur markedly bicoloured, black at 

 the base, with the terminal third brownish-white, varying consider- 

 ably in purity of colour in different individuals. 



In the following table of dimensions, the first column refers to a 

 specimen in Mr. Gould's collection, very kindly lent by him for my 

 use, and from which the foregoing description has been taken : it is 

 labelled ''Albany, King George's Sound, May 19th, 1843." The 



