Wood Jones — Thalacomvs 341 



large and pyriform; mastoid inflation well developed. Dentition: I | ; C -} ; 

 P.M. I ; M { . Fpper incisors l)road and flat, 1'' being close to I"*. Canines 

 large and jioAvcrfid. The last jn-ernolar distinctly ;-inal!er than the tooth imme- 

 diately in I'ront of it. Molars scpiai-e or ronnded in section. 



The genns ajijiears to l)e ol)vionsly a specialized offshoot of the Australian 

 bandicoots, which Ihcmselves find their more ])rimitive re])rescntatives among the 

 Papuan members of the genus l^crorijctcs'. 



THALACOMYS LAGOTIS Reid. 



Pcnuitclcs (Macrotis) hujotis Reid, P.Z.S., 1836, p. 129. 



Pcrauair Imjotis Thomas, Cat. Mars. & Mon. Brit. Mus., 1888, p. 223, pi. xxii, 



fig. 1; Flower & Lydek., Mamm., 1891, p. 143; Ogilby, Cat. Aust. Mamm., 



1892, p. 24; Lydek, Mars. & Mon., 1894. p. 132; Spencer, Horn. Exp., ii, 



1896, p. 17 ; Lucas & Le Souef, Anim. of Aust., 1909, p. 137. 

 Thalacomvs lagotis Elliot, Pub. Field Col. Mus., Zool., vii, 1907, p. 10; Cabrera, 



Gen. Mamm. Mon. & Mars., 1919, p. 82. 



The external characters as originally recorded by Reid (Proc. Zool. Soc, 

 1836, p. 129) are as follows: 



'^Perameles UkjoHs. Per. griseus, capite, nucha, et dorso, castaneo lavatis; 

 buccis, lateribus colli, scapulis, lateribus, femoribus extus, caudaque ad basin, 

 palide castaneis; mento, gula, jxK'tore, abdomine, extremitatibus intus antieeque, 

 antibraehiis postice, pedibus cpie supra albidi, antibrachiis externe pallide -gris- 

 eus, femoribus cxtis postieeque saturate plumbeis; cauda, pilis longis albe- 

 scentibus ad partem basalem, induta, dein pilis nigi-is tecta, parte apicali alba, 

 pilis longis supra ornata. Vellere longo molli. CViuda pilis rudis vestita ; pilis 

 ad pedes brevissimus. Labio superiore, buccisque, mystacibus longis iparsis. 

 Aurieulis longis, ovatis, intus nudis, extus ])ilis l)revissimis brunneis, ad marginem, 

 albescentibus indutis, pilis ad ])ases eos plumbeis, apiealis albis aut castaneis, 

 illis in abdomine omnio albis. Marsupio ventrali magno, mammis novem, in 

 faciem posticuni; quarum una centralis est, relifjuis circumdata, intervalis 

 ae(iualibus, gyrumque facientibus, transversum unciam cum quadrante red- 

 dentera. ' ' 



The more extended descriptions that are given by Waterhouse and bj^ 

 Thomas are in practical agreement on most points, and the general specific 

 characters of T. lagotis may be summed up as follows: 



External Characters. Size large, head and body length being 400 mm. 

 and upw^ards. General body colour fawai-grey, with ventral surface and inner 

 aspect of limbs white. A faint indication of paler bands across the thigh is 

 present in some specimens. Manus white. Pes white above ; dark below- in 



