belonging to the Order Rodentia. 127 
objects, carrying its food to its mouth, &c., and the facility with which it 
executes such functions is still farther increased by the development of the 
tarsus, which affords it a secure base to sit upright whilst the hands are em- 
ployed in these operations. 
This species is about the size of a small Rabbit: it has a short, round, and 
remarkably convex head, large, full, black eyes, directed laterally, and an 
abundance of long, stiff moustaches, nearly twice the length of the head, and 
of an uniform black colour. The colour of the body is uniform ashy brown 
on the upper parts, of a shade not very different from that of the Wild Rabbit, 
but rather lighter and clearer; the breast, belly, and paws are white; the ears 
are long, erect and of an oval form, rounded at the extremity, and nearly 
naked both on the external and internal surface, not unlike those of the 
Rabbit in appearance, but rather shorter in proportion to the size of the 
animal. The texture of the fur is long, close, and soft; it is of a beautiful 
deep ash colour at the base, and throughout three fourths of its length, but is 
tipped with light brown; and it is this latter shade which gives the general 
tone of colouring to the upper and outer parts of the body. The tail is as 
long as the head and body together, slender for the size of the animal, but of 
an uniform thickness throughout its entire length, and everywhere covered 
with longish hair, of a dark brown colour above, white beneath, and shaded 
towards each side so as to give it the appearance of being flattened above, and 
fringed along the margins; the tip, though not terminated by a white brush, 
has something of that appearance, from the long white hairs of the under 
surface projecting over it. 
The only information which I can supply with regard to the habits and 
economy of the Conilurus constructor, is contained in the following interesting 
extract from the Journal of Major Mitchell, who met with the animal in 
various parts of the interior, and more particularly along the banks of the 
river Darling, where he informs me that it is not uncommon. 
“We had frequently,” says this gentleman, “during the course of our travels, 
remarked large piles of dry sticks and brushwood, each of them enough to 
make two or three good cart-loads, collected and heaped together in different 
situations, and evidently designed for some particular purpose. For a long time 
we imagined them to be the work of the natives, who are in the habit of com- 
