RECENTLY KILLED IN THE COUNTY OF DURHAM. 183 



Fox-like Phalangista, which I believe is commonly called, in New 

 South Wales, the " Brush-tailed Opossum." 



A bird stufFer, at my neighbouring town of Stockton, has pre- 

 served the skin ; but, as it was not finished and sufficiently dried, 

 I could not bring it with me to exhibit to the Section. 



Some of the Phalangistce, being chiefly vegetable feeders, are 

 eaten by the natives of Australia ; I enquired of the stuflfer, if the 

 flesh was dark^ but he told me it was more like that of a rabbit ; 

 I am sorry that I neglected to ask him to examine the contents of 

 the stomach whilst he was skinning the specimen. 



Postscript.— Soon after my return home from Scotland, the 

 owner of this animal, hearing of his capture, wrote (October 1st) 

 to me the following particulars respecting him. 



He had been brought from Australia not many months before; 

 he had escaped from his new home in a house at Aycliffe, dis- 

 tant about seven miles west from the place where he was killed, 

 after wandering for fourteen days. He was caught by a shep- 

 herd in Australia, when a very few (perhaps four) weeks old, and 

 was considered to be about seventeen months old. The letter 

 ends — " Your conjecture respecting the name is quite correct, as 

 it is a specimen of the Brush-tailed Opossum.'^ 



Having lately visited the British Museum, I found that the 

 Phalangista vulpina, of which there are many stuffed specimens in 

 the Mammalia Saloon, is a slighter, more elegant and delicate 

 animal, with smaller limbs and a finer fur ; and in its head more 

 like a small fox, though much of the same colour as mine, and 

 that the Case 55, contains two or three graij examples of the 

 Phalangista fidiginosa, which much more resemble my specimen, 

 I have therefore no doubt that this animal is a young male of the 

 Sooty Phalangista in its second year of coating, and before it had 

 attained to its specific dark, or brown-black, colour. The fur is 

 rougher and coarser, and the animal is stouter, and larger in 

 some of its dimensions, and is altogether less interesting than P. 

 vulpina. 



I have also just seen three living specimens in the Zoological 

 Gardens of the Fox-like, and one of the Sooty Phalangista — this last 



