﻿84 Allen's naturalist's library. 



regions of the body which are generally white. The most 

 curious feature about the coloration of the species is, however, 

 that the females inhabiting the small island of Waigiou, to the 

 south of Ceram, are coloured like the fully spotted and reddish 

 males of the same island. That the ordinary grey hue of the 

 female is the primitive coloration of the species, may be pretty 

 safely admitted ; the spotted and rufous males being a higher 

 and more specialised development of coloration. For some 

 unknown and at present apparently inexplicable reason this 

 specialised type of coloration has spread to the females in the 

 island above-mentioned, which thus contains what we may call 

 the most advanced representatives of the species. 



Habits. — In Australia this Cuscus is described as a shy, soli- 

 tary creature, which is but rarely seen, although often more 

 frequently observed by day than by night. It appears to be 

 sparingly distributed over the thin bush, especially in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the creeks and swamps, where it is generally found 

 singly. Although it is probable that the chief food of this 

 Cuscus is, like that of its allies, of a vegetable nature, yet the 

 creature bears an ill-repute among the colonists, by whom it is 

 commonly termed the ''Tiger Cat." on account of its alleged 

 depredations on the poultry-roost. 



in. GREY cuscus. PHALANGER ORIENTALIS. 



Diddphis orie?tfalis, Pallas, Misc. Zool, p. 59 (1766). 

 Phala?iger orient alis, Storr, Prodrom. Method. Mamm., p. 33 

 (1780); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 201 (1888). 

 Phalangista rufa, et F. alba, Geoffr., Cat. Mus., pp. 148, 149 



(1803). 

 Cuscus orienialis, Gray, List Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 84 (1843). 



Characters. — In common with the two following members of 



