E. LÖNNBERG, MAMMALOGY OF ECUADOR. 79 



case in other Marsupials. The above qiioted facts appear, 

 however, to make it probable, that tlie tail of Caenolesies is 

 prehensile, as Thomas has suggested, but in anotlier direc- 

 tion, than he believed to be the case, namely in a dorsal 

 direction (like f. i. in Coendti) not in a ventral direction (as 

 in the Marsupials). It wonld, of course, be of great interest 

 to have this fuUy stated by observations on living animals, 

 but it appears hardly possible, that there can be any mistake 

 with regard to the statements above. If, however, Caenolesies 

 has its tail dorsally prehensile this faculty must have been 

 aquired independently, when it, or its ancestors, assumed 

 arboreal habits, and for this reason as well as for several 

 others it cannot be derived from any Marsupials with a ven- 

 trally prehensile tail. 



The long anterior incisors of the lower jaw of Caenolesies 

 have a remarkable shape. They are knife-like with a 

 little more than the distal half somewhat expanded, a little 

 concave on the upper inner side, convex on the lower side 

 and with the somewhat out-turned upper margin forminga very 

 sharp edge. When the lower jaw is in situ these long incisors 

 of the lower jaw fit in between the incisors of the upper 

 jaw, and as especially ^^ and P form sharp longitudinal 

 cutting edges these incisors of both jaws constitute a very 

 effective cutting implement, just like a double pair of scissors. 



It is also probable, that the long incisors are useful in 

 another way, viz. to pick or poke out small insects from their 

 hiding places in flowers, in narrow fissures in bark and so on. 



It has been said that Caenolesies should feed on »small 

 birds and their eggs», but it is really insectivorous as the 

 contents of its stomach and intestine prove. They consist 

 namely of fragments of the chitinous remains of insects, 

 usually in very small pieces. This proves that they have 

 been subjected to a very effective masticating process. The 

 first part of this evidently takes place by means of the 

 cutting instrument, which the incisors form together, but 

 after this the molars accomplish the work. A look at these 

 teeth explains, how this work is done. The lateral portions 

 of the molars of the upper jaw rise above the crowns in 

 triangulär points with sharp edges. These form together like 

 a saw, which is able to cut the chitinous skeleton of the 

 insects into still smaller pieces, at the same time as the 



