MAMMALIA. 621 



According to the observation of Owen the ossa marsupialia are wanting 

 here, or rather they are represented by fibro-cartilages in the external 

 oblique muscles of the abdomen. 



Q Q q q 



Myrmecohius Waterh. Molar teeth 7; — - or -- — - , the three 

 •^ 8 — 8 9-9 



anterior spm-ious, compressed, tricuspid, the posterior with crown 



having many conical, acute tubercles. Head acuminate. Hind 



feet tetradactylous, poUex absent. Claws compressed, curved, 



acute. Tail somewhat long, villous with long hairs. 



Sp. Myrmecohius fasciatus Wateehouse Trans, of the Zool. Soc. 11. 2, 1838, 

 p. 149, PI. 27, 28, Mammal. I. PL 14, fig. i, GovhD Mammal, of Austr. 



I. PI. 10; a little animal of the size of a squirrel, grey-brown, with almost 

 red feet, on the back dark-brown with white transverse bands. It is found 

 in Western Australia and is supposed to live on insects, especially on ants. 



Family YII. Pedmiana Wagn. Incisors, canines and molars 



in both jaws; incisors -o-. Feet pentadactjlous, the posterior a 



hand, with pollex apart, opposable to the other fingers, clawless, 

 broad. 



DiddpMs L. Canine teeth long, curved, acuminate. Molars 



7 _ 7 4 — 4 



^ — - , true - — J ) cuspidate. Head produced, with gape of mouth 



large, produced as far as under the outer angle of eye. Bristles 

 few, very long at the nostrils and lips. Tail furred at the base, 

 elsewhere somewhat naked, scaly. 



The proper jyoucli-animal, opossum, le sarigue. This numerous genus is 

 peculiar to Ajnerica, and, indeed (with the exception of two or three 

 species) to South America, and represents there the Coescoes of India and 

 the Dasyures of New Holland. These animals eat all kinds of food, 

 principally insects, small birds and their eggs, reptiles, &c. and also fruits. 

 Animals of this genus lived in the tertiary period ; a nearly perfect skele- 

 ton of an opossum has been found in the gypsum of Paris ; see CuviEB 

 Ann. du Mus. v. pp. 277 — 292, PI. 19. 



DidelpMs (in stricter sense). All the toes free. 



+ With mammce situated betiveen tivo cutaneous folds of the aidomen, in 

 place of a pouch. 



a) With tail short, ears shoH {Habitus nearly of So^'ex). 

 Sp. DidelpMs tristriata Kdhl, Wateehouse Nat. Lihr. PI. 3 ; — Didelphis 

 tricolor Geoffk. Desm., Didelpihis hrachyura 'Paulas Act. Petrop. 1780, 



II. p. 235, Tab. 5, Buff. Hist, nat., Suppl. vii. p. 252, Tab. 61 ; Guyana; 



