350 NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



now liad the mothei' and seven young ones and on feeling in the 

 hole, which received my arm nearly to the ell^ow, I secured an 

 eighth. The everted pouch exposed eight teats, so that the 

 mother had her complement of young. 



Although constantly stated that no true pouch exists in members 

 of the Phascologale, this is scarcely correct. When very young the 

 offspring are completely hidden by the outer wall of the pouch 

 closing over them. As they increase in size the mouth dilates and 

 no longer conceals the young. Mr. Oldfield Thomas* does not admit 

 KrefFt's statement that this species is provided with 10 teats, f 

 Although 8 is the usual number, I have examined several females 

 with 10 teats, and there is one preserved in the Australian 

 Museum with not only 12 teats, but also a young one on each 

 teat. As far as can be judged without spoiling the exhibit, this 

 animal does not otherwise differ from typical examples. It would 

 therefore appear that in the Dasyuridce, or at least in Phase ologaU^ 

 the number of mammte is not such a constant character as has 

 been insisted upon, or three otherwise similar species would have 

 to be admitted ; characterised by the possession of 8, 10, and 12 

 mammae respectively, t 



Mr. Rainbow showed the spiders described in his paper, with 

 drawings of the same. 



Mr. Lucas exhibited a specimen of the lizard described in the 

 paper by Mr. Frost and himself. 



* B.AI. Catalogue, Marsupialia, 1SS9, p. 289. 



t Trans. Phil. Soc. N.S. Wales, 18f)'2, p. 10. 



X When writing the foregoing, I overlooked the fact that Prof. Spencer 

 had already drawn attention to the variability in the number of teats in 

 members of the smaller Dasyuridm ; (Report of the Horn Expedition, 

 Zoology, p. 42), and that Mr. J. J. Fletcher had previously exhibited a 

 specimen of Phascologale flavipes with nine mammary foetuses in situ. 

 (Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales (2), I. p. 164.) 



