1156 DIRECTION OF THE HAIR ON THE BACKS OF SOME KANGAROOS 



males are of a decided rufus colour, while the young male and the 

 female are grey. The young male is especially interesting- — 

 showing the converging point, not between the shoulder, but 

 much lower down on the back than in the other three specimens. 

 Having inspected the four specimens, I came to the conclusion, 

 that in 0. rufus (as well as in the genera — Dorcopsis and 

 Dentrolagus) the peculiar direction of the hair on the back is not 

 a character of sex or age, and, secondly, that the extent of fur 

 with the hair directed forward, is not strictly the same in different 

 specimens. The anterior boundaries of this part of the fur in 

 0. rufus differs also from those of the genus Dorcopsis. The 

 hair-ridges on the head (between the ears) and the other running 

 down from the ears on the sides of the neck, which both are 

 very marked in Dorcopsis, are absent in 0. rufus. (Compare fig. 

 5 and fig. 6.) 



As regards the non-occurrence of the described peculiarity 

 in the greater number of specimens of 0. rufus, I think the 

 same could be explained by the supposition of the existence 

 of two different varieties of 0. rufus. (1.) 



The reasons why it appeared to me not without interest to give 

 by description and illustrations a fuller idea about the occurrence 

 of the above mentioned peculiarity in the direction of the hair on 

 the back of some marsupials are : because in the first instance it 

 is, as far as I know, quite an exceptional case in the class of 

 mammals, where, as a rule the hair on the back is always 

 directed downwards (or backwards), and secondly, because this 



(1.) Such a possibility is in accordance with the opinion of Mr. K. H. 

 Bennet and Mr. E. P. Ramsay, who think there are two distinct species 

 of the red Kangaroo, on account of different colour of the young ones ; the 

 young of one species being of a bluish-grey colour, the other grey, tinged 

 with light rufous. 



