EXISTING SPECIES OF THE GENUS PHASCOLOMYS. 
In 1888, Thomas published his well-known Catalogue, and in 
this used the names that have been applied ever since to the existing 
species, viz., Ph. wrsinus for the Tasmanian and Bass Strait Island 
species ; Ph. mitchelli for the common mainland form with naked 
muzzle ; Ph. latifrons for the hairy-nosed, South Australian species. 
The main points in regard to the history of the various species of 
wombat up to the present time may be briefly summarized as 
follows :— 
(1) The discovery of a wombat on Clarke Island in Bass 
Strait, to which the specific name of wrsina was first 
given. (1797). 
(2) The discovery of a wombat on King Island. (1802). 
(3) The discovery of a wombat on the mainland of Australia, 
first in New South Wales, later in Victoria, supposed 
to be identical with the Bass Strait Island species. 
(Exact date uncertain). 
(4) The discovery of a wombat in Tasmania, supposed to be 
identical with the island and mainland species. (Exact 
date uncertain.) 
(5) The discovery of a fossil species (Ph. mitchelli) on the 
mainland. (1838.) 
(6) The discovery of P. /atifrons in South Australia. (1845.) 
(7) The determination of P. platyrhinus on the mainland, as 
distinct from P. wrsinus of Tasmania and the islands 
of Bass Strait. (1865.) 
(8) The discovery of the specific identity of P. mitchelli, the 
fossil form, and P. platyrhinus, involving the retention 
of the former name for the New South Wales and Vic- 
torian species. (1865.) 
(9) The discovery of sub-fossil remains of the King Island 
wombat.* (1903.) 
(10) The discovery on Flinders Island by Mr. J. A. Kershaw 
of living specimens of wombats identical with the sub- 
fossil remains from King Island. (1908.) 
A comparison of the skulls from King, Deal, and Flinders Islands 
shows that the same species of wombat was distributed over all 
three, and as Clarke and Cape Barren Islands form part of the Fur- 
neaux group, separated from Flinders Island and from one another 
by only shallow, narrow passages, we may safely conclude that the 
wombat which once existed on these two islands was identical with 
that on Flinders. 
* We have dealt at length with this in a previous paper. Cf. “ A Collection of Sub-fossil 
Bird and Marsupial remains from King Island, Bass Strait.” Memoirs of Nat. Mus., Meibourne. — 
No. 3, p. 28. 
cae 
