﻿ii8 Allen's naturalist's library. 



Acrobates pygniceus, Desmarest, Nouv. Diet, d'liist. Nat., vol. 



XXV., p. 405 (1817); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., 



p. 136 (1S88). 

 Fetaurus pygmcBiis, Lesson, Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat., vol. xiii., 



p. 289 (1828). 



Peianius {Acrobaies) pyg/ncBiis, Waterhouse, in Jardine's Natu- 

 ralist's Library, Mamm., vol. xi., p. 293 (1841). 



Droniicia fro /i talis, De Vis, Proc. Linn. Soe., N. South Wales, 



ser. 2, vol. i., p. 1134 (1887). 



[Plate XVIIL) 



Characters. — Form very light and delieate ; fur soft, straight, 

 and silky ; a well-defined naked area on the muzzle. Gene: al 

 colour greyish-brown, the under-parts and inner sides of limbs 

 white ; area round and in front of eyes brown ; feet brown. 

 Tufts of hairs present behind the eyes and inside the ears, the 

 latter being fawn-colour on the outer sides anteriorly and 

 white posteriorly ; margins of parachute fringed with longish 

 hairs. Tail rather long, fawn-colour, with its extreme tip 

 naked inferiorly and probably prehensile. Length of head 

 and body about 3 inches ; of tail nearly the same. 



DistrilDution. — Queensland, to the south of latitude 20*^, New 

 South Wales, and Victoria. 



Habits. — Resembling a Common Mouse in size, and hence 

 known to the colonists as the Flying Mouse, or Opossum-Mouse, 

 this little animal is one of the most elegant of the Australian 

 Marsupials. At one time exceedingly numerous in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Port Jackson, although comparatively rare in 

 other parts of its habitat, it is, from its small size, but seldom 

 seen, although individuals will at times come into the tents of 

 those camping out in the bush. Beyond the fact that it is 

 arboreal and volant, little seems to have been recorded of its 



