153 



unc. lin. 

 Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caudae basin .... 6 6 



caudcB 7 O 



■ tarsi di(jitorumque 1 1 



uuris O 9 



Habitai New South Wales. 



" This species A'ery much resembles the P. sciureus in colouring; 

 the under parts, ]io\vever, have a distinct grayish tint : the dark 

 mark which extends from the tip of the nose aloug the back is in- 

 distiuct. It is of a much smaller size than P. sciureus, the tail is 

 much mere slender, and occasionally has a \vhite tip. The skuU is 

 proportionatelybroader and shorter than that of P, sciureus, as will be 

 seen in the foUowing dimensions." 



P, irevicejjs. 

 in. lin. 



Totai length of skull 1 3^ 



Length of nasal bones O 5^ 



Length of frontai O 6į 



I>ength of palate O 8 



Width of skull 1 O 



Mr. "W'aterhouse then pvoceeded to point out some peculiarities 

 in the skull and dentition of the American Badger (Meles Labra- 

 doria). Three škulis of this species, belonging to individuals of 

 different ages, \veve exhibited to theMeeting. " The most striking 

 peculiarity in the skull of the American Badger," observes Mr. Wa- 

 terhouse, " consists in the great expanse of the occipital region ; the 

 \vidth of the occiput being equal to that of the skull measured from 

 the outer surfaceof the zygomaticarches. The general foi-m of the 

 skull is almost conical ; viewed laterally, the outline of the upper 

 surface is most elevated at, or vcry near the occiput; thence it runs 

 downwards \vith a slightly convex curve to the nasal bones. The 

 interorbital portion is considerably contracted, and is narro\vest pos- 

 teriorly. The occipital crest is well-developed, but the sagittal crest 

 is very slightly elevated ; in this respect differing from the corre- 

 sponding ridge in the Meles vulgaris. 



" The auditory bullce are very large and convex. The articulating 

 surface of the temporal bone, or glenoid cavity, likę that of the Com- 

 mon Badger, has its anterior and j^osterior process ; these processes, 

 ho\vever, merely serve to prevent the protrusion or retraction of the 

 loAver jaw, and not to enclose and lock the condyle as in that animal. 

 Comparing the lo\ver ja\v \vith that of the Common Badger, the most 

 striking difference consists in the form of the coronoid process. The 

 anterior margin of this process is less oblique than in the last-men- 

 tioned animal ; its apex is somewhatpointed, whereas in the Common 

 Badger it is rounded : the posterior margin is formed of two lines, 

 an upper one, running backwards and downwards from the apex of 

 the coronoid process, and a lower one, which is perpendicular, and 

 forms an obtuse antrle with the first. In this form of the coronoid 



