﻿I ©4 Allen's naturalist's library. 



Characters. — Distinguished from the last by the still greater 

 elongation of the fourth toe of the fore paw^. 



Distribution. — South New Guinea. 



THE FLYING PHALANGERS. GENUS PETAURUS. 

 Petaurus, Shaw, Nat. Miscell., vol. ii., pi. Ix. (1791). 



Size medium or small ; fur very soft and silky ; ears fairly 

 large, oval, nearly naked ; flanks with a broad parachute-like 

 expansion of skin ; front toes gradually increasing in length 

 from the first, the fifth in the larger species being the longest, 

 and the fourth in the smaller ones ; claws very strong, sharp, 

 and highly curved ; tail long, evenly bushy throughout. Glands 

 present on chest and ciown of head. Molars square, with 

 rounded corners, and furnished with four cusps, except the last, 

 which is triangular. 



The three species of this genus range over New Guinea and 

 part of Australia, including the area from the Halmahera group 

 of islands to Victoria. As mentioned under the head of the 

 latter, these Flying Phalangers appear to be descended from 

 the next genus, or an allied extinct form. 



I. SQUIRREL FLYING PHALANGER. PETAURUS SCIUREUS. 



Didelphys sciurea, Shaw, Zool. New Holland, vol. i., p. 29 



('794). 

 Fe'aiirus schireus, Desmarest, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., 



vol. XXV., p. 403 (1817); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. 



Mus., p. 153 (1888). 

 Petaurista sciurea, Desmarest, Mamm., vol. i., p. 270 (1820). 

 Phalangista sciurea^ Schinz, Cuvier's Thierreichs, vol. i., p. 260 



(1821). 

 Bdideus sciuretis, Lesson, Nouv. Tabl. Regne Anim., Mamm., 



p. 189 (1842). 



