On a Collection of Mammals from Central and Northern Queensland. 363 



25. JPhaseologale minutissi/ma (Gould) 1851. 

 ^ntechinus minutissimus GoüLDin: Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1851, p. 284 (185 1). 



A. Female. Winton, 10. Oct. 1881 (skin with skull). 



B. Male, Coomooboolaroo, 15. Jan. 1884 (skin with skull). 



The first of these specimens, a young female, was caught by a 

 cat which was playiag with it, in the same manner as our cats play 

 with a mouse. In its marsupiura were found 9 rather large young ones. 



The other specimen was caught in a trap, and was a fully deve- 

 loped male with large scrotum. Od the whole this diminutive mar- 

 supial was diflficult to find, and was but seldom seen. 



The 9 young are preserved in the üniversity Museum in Christiania. 



The female (A) corresponds closely with Gould's figure in Mamm. 

 Austral. part IV (1852). 



The male is somewhat bigger, has considerably larger ears, but 

 a somewhat shorter tail, while in the skull the inter orbital space is 

 narrower and somewhat more arched; but nevertheless these differences 

 do not appear greater than one might expect from the dilference in 

 sex and age. 



Description. AsI have seen no other description of Th. mi- 

 nutissima, than the original and hardly exhaustive description of 

 Gould in 1851, and a short diagnosis by O. Thomas in 1887 (Ann. 

 Mus. Civ. Genova, ser. 2, Vol. IV, p. 510), I shall make some remarks 

 concerning the two present individuals. 



Some measurements, taken from the stuffed specimens are here 

 given : A. B. 



Length of body (head included) about 60 mm about 78 mm 



Length of tail 62 „ „61 „ 



Height of ear (along the outer margin) 7 „ „ 10 „ 

 Length of bind foot 11 „ „ 11,5 „ 



The hair covering is short, and lies closely to the body; in the 

 male somewhat longer than in the female, likewise smooth. 



The skull, which is defective, has a length of 22 mm, and does not appear 

 in any important point to differ from Pk. ßavipes. In this specimen the 

 milk teeth are still present on each side in the upper jaw, quite unworn, 

 and appear in their structure to be something between a premolar and a 

 molar; they show namely the middle cusp divided into two about equally 

 long cusps, the one in front of the other; the permanent p^ \s, not yet 

 developed. — In the lower jaw the corresponding tooth appears to be 

 the permanent p ^. 



Zoolog. Jahrb. II. cg 



