"706 DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMON PHALANGER, 



born; with the exception, however, of these two papers and of 

 one or two dealing with some special point in the anatomy* I am 

 not aware of anything else having been published on the develop- 

 ment of this form. Nor indeed has there apparently been any 

 account published of the development of the intra-uterine embryo 

 in any diprotodont marsupial. 



From the autumn, 1894, till May, 1896, I was engaged in the 

 practice of my profession at Taralga, IST.S.W., a little township 

 situated on the Blue Mountains about 30 miles N.W. of Goul- 

 burn. Originally the whole country round had been covered by 

 ■the monotonous gum-trees, and though much of the land has now 

 been cleared much still remains in a virgin condition, and in many 

 parts the trees have only been thinned. These woodlands afford 

 shelter to a variety of marsupials, of which the common Phalanger, 

 jDopularly called the "'Possum" (Trichosurus vulpecula),i^ the 

 most abundant, although some years ago the JSTative Bear 

 (Phascolarctus cinereiix) is said to have been more plentiful. 

 Within the last two years, owing to the high price of skins, the 

 phalangers have been shot in such numbers that I understand 

 they have now become scarce. 



The phalanger comes out of its retreat shortly after the sun is 

 set, and may occasionally be seen running about before the day- 

 light has quite died away; but as a rule it is only on moonlight 

 nights that the animal is to be seen. The general opinion among 

 those who shoot phalangers for their skins is that the animals 

 usually spend the early part of the night on the ground, only 

 running up the trees when disturbed, but that after midnight 

 they for the most part remain among the branches. This is pro- 

 bably correct, and when hunting one or two dogs are usually taken 

 to prowl about and chase the phalangers up the trees. When their 

 barking announces a find the hunter hastens up, and on careful 



* Broom, R., "Is there a critical period in Marsupial development?" 

 Journ. Anat. and Phys. Vol. xxxii. 1898; "On the arterial arches and 

 great veins in the fcetal Marsupial," Journ. Anat. and Phys. Vol. xxxii. 

 1898; "On the existence of a sterno-coracoidal Articulation in a fcetal 

 Marsupial," Journ. Anat. and Phys. Vol. xxxi. 1897. 



