﻿THE TRUE Bandicoots. 137 



I. striped bandicoot. PERAMKLES BOUGAINVILLII. 



Perameles bougaiiwillii, Quoy and Gaimard, Vo3'age Uranie, 

 Zool., p. 56 (1824) ; Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., 

 p. 246 (1888). 



Ferafneles myosunis^ Wagner, Archiv. fur. Nat., vol. vii., pt. 1, 

 p. 293 (1841). 



Pcraineles are^taria, Ciould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1844, p. 104. 



Characters. — Size small ; form light and delicate ; fur coarse, 

 but not spinose ; muzzle \ong and slender ; ears long, narrow, 

 and pointed, reaching, when laid forward, beyond the eyes, 

 their backs greyish flesh-colour, slightly darker on the anterior 

 portion of the terminal half. General colour olive-grey ; 

 under-parts white ; sides of rump with ill-defined dark and 

 light transverse stripes. Soles of hind feet hairy, black pos- 

 teriorly, naked, granulated, and flesh-coloured in front, with 

 well-marked round pads at the bases of the fourth and fifth 

 toes. Tail moderate, brown above, white beneath. Six teats. 

 Length of head and body about 9 inches ; of tail 4^4^ inches. 



Distribution. — West Australia. 



Variety. — In South-Eastern and Southern Australia the 

 typical form of the species is replaced by a variety (the 

 Perameles fasciata of Gray) distinguished by the more marked 

 contrast between the dark and light patches on the back of the 

 ears, and the well-defined and conspicuous dark and light 

 striping of the rump. 



The present, together with the two following species, belongs 

 to an exclusively Australian group, in all of which the posterior- 

 half of the sole of the hind foot is hairy, the ear is long, and 

 when laid forward reaches at least to the eye, and has a pointed 

 tip. while there are eight teats. 



Habits.— In common with its nearest allies, this species 



