180 ACCOUNT OF A SPECIES OF PHALANGISTA, 



XVII. — Account of a species of Fhalanr/ista, recently killed in the 

 Count?/ of Durhmn. By John Hogg, M.A., F.R.S.,F.L.S.,&c * 



On tlie 22iicl of August last, a son of the Rector of Redmarshall 

 — a small village in tlie county of Durham — brought to me at 

 Norton, distant four miles to the east of that place, a recently 

 killed and singular looking animal. At first sight, the only 

 British quadruped which it at all resembled, and that chiefly 

 from its dark-coloured tail, and yellow breast and belly, is the 

 Tfellow-breasted Pine Mcurtin. Of this animal I have never seen a 

 fresh specimen — only one, a good while ago, preserved in a 

 museum. On a very slight examination, I however found, from 

 the two large front teeth in the lower jaw, that it could not be a 

 species of the Mustelidce; but it seemed (if such an animal were 

 possible) a mide between a yellow-hreasted Martin and a Squh^ely 

 or a Rabbit; the teeth and the general aspect affording characters 

 of some such anomalous creature. Yet, on a closer examination 

 of its feet, and especially of its hind ones, and of its long black 

 tail, which was evidently prehensile at its extremity, I found 

 that it could not be any British quadruped, but some New South 

 Wales, Opossum-like J or Marsupial species. Had it been a female, 

 I should at once have detected the pouch, or Mars^ipium, or some 

 distinct marks of one. I need hardly add, that if I ever before 

 had had an opportunity of examining with the least attention 

 any species of the Opossum tribe, I could not for a moment have 

 entertained the remotest idea that it could be referred to any 

 indigenous quadruped in Great Britain. This Marsupial animal 

 consequently could only have escaped from confinement. 



The gentleman, who brought it to me, said it had been killed 

 the evening before, whilst it was upon a tree on a farm near 

 Eedmarshall. The farmer, supposing that it was some savage 

 carnivorous animal, which 'would destroy all the poultry in the 

 neighbourhood, and especially as at the time when he first 

 noticed it, it was following some hens or chickens, he there- 



* This paper (wilhout the postscript) was read, on September 19th, to the Natural History 

 Section, at the meeting of the r.ritish Association at Aberdeen. 



