84 MR. E. T. BENNETT ON THE GENUS OCTODON. 
Crenomys MaGeE.Luanicus. 
Tab. XVII. 
Cten. flavescenti-fusco-griseus, subtus pallidior ; pedibus cauddque albentibus. 
Hab. ad Fretum Magellanicum, prope Cap. Gregory. 
In general form this animal appears, as far as can be judged of from a skin alone, to 
resemble very nearly the Octodon Cumingii, and to have the same short and broad head, 
compact body, nearly equal limbs, and sparingly haired tail: the latter member is, 
however, comparatively shorter, and is destitute of any marked tuft of longer hairs at 
its extremity. The facial line is probably less strongly arched than in that species ; 
the eyes are, as in it, small, and seated about midway between the ears and the muzzle ; 
but the ears are remarkably different, being so short as to be inconspicuous on account 
of their being buried within the surrounding fur : the short auricle is slightly pointed, 
closely covered on its outer surface with short hairs, nearly naked within, and furnished 
at the base of its upper edge with a ridge of stiff short bristles. The whiskers are nu- 
merous, chiefly white, but having among them, especially at the upper part of the tuft 
which they form, a few black ones: these are generally longer than the others, and 
some of them considerably exceed the head in length, their tips reaching as far as the 
shoulder. The hairs of the body are soft, silky to the feel, wavy towards their base, 
and straight at their tips; they are generally about three quarters of an inch in length, 
but some of them exceed an inch and a quarter: beneath the body they are almost en- 
tirely of the shorter kind ; and on the head they are much shorter, as they are also on 
the lower part of the limbs. Of the five toes the innermost, both before and behind, 
is much shorter than the others ; the intermediate the longest ; those that adjoin to the 
middle one nearly equal to it in length, and of equal length with each other ; and the 
outer one much shorter, the tip of its claw scarcely reaching so far as the base of the 
claw of the next toe. All the claws, especially those of the anterior feet, are strong, 
lengthened, nearly straight on their lower surface, slightly curved towards their tip on 
the upper, and rounded above: those of the fore feet are contracted below so as to 
form an edge, while the lateral margins of the hinder claws remain disunited on the 
under surface, leaving a vacancy within them: the claw of the inner toe on the fore 
feet is comparatively short, but has the same structure as the others, except in being 
much more curved. The whole of the claws are of a horny colour. The hairs covering 
the tail are shorter than those of the feet, and are rather silky, and almost altogether 
destitute of the rigidity of the hairs on the tail of Octodon: those towards the end unite 
to form a slight conical tip to the tail, but there is no approach to a distinct tuft. 
The general colour of the upper surface and sides is a brownish grey, tinged with 
yellow, and scarcely varied by blackish ; the colour is, in fact, the same as that of Oc- 
todon, but of a rather lighter tint. The separate hairs are of a dull leaden colour to- 
