﻿82 Allen's naturalist's library. 



the eye. Face blaclcish, with the hairs tipped with dirty white, 

 and a whitish patch round the eye ; ears short and rounded, 

 thickly covered with short, coarse hairs, which are dirty white 

 internally and on the edges, and black on the outside. Chin 

 and under-parts greyish, with the hairs black at the base, and 

 dirty yellowish-white at the tip. Limbs black ; toes naked 

 above ; soles of feet broadly striated. Tail furry like the body 

 for about half its length, the hair extending two or three inches 

 further on the upper than on the lower surface. Somewhat 

 larger than the next species, with a proportionately longer tail. 



Distrilbntion. — C el eb es. 



Habits. — Like the other species of the genus, this Cuscus 

 lives mainly upon the leaves of trees, of which it consumes 

 large quantities. Although its movements are slow, the 

 animal is difficult to kill, owing to the denseness of its soft, 

 thick fur, which deadens the effect of a charge of shot, and 

 also to its extreme tenacity of life, which is said to be so great 

 that even a fracture of the spine or a perforation of the brain 

 will often not prove fatal for many hours. By the natives 

 of the islands which they inhabit the flesh of all the species of 

 Cuscus is much esteemed as food ; and Mr. Wallace relates an 

 instance of the great difficulty which he experienced in obtaining 

 a fine specimen of one of the species, until he found out that 

 by promising to restore the body he would be readily permitted 

 to retain the skin. Many of these animals are taken by the 

 natives, who chmb after them among the branches, where, 

 from their slow motions, they are easily made prisoners. All 

 exhale a strong odour, which in some instances is stated to be 

 so powerful as to permeate the whole woods in which they dwell. 



II. SPOTTED cuscus. PHALANGER MACULATU3. 



Phalangista maculata, Geoffr., Cat. Mus., p. 149 (1803). 



