﻿THE TRUE BANDICOOTS. 



145 



Peraiu'^les obesula, Geoffroy, Ann. Museum, vol. iv., p. 64 

 (1804); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus , p. 231 

 (1888). 



Perameles fiisciventer. Gray, in Grey's Australia, Appendix, 



vol. ii , p. 407 (1841). 

 Perameles affinis, Gray, List JMamm. Brit. Mus., p. 96 (1843). 



[Plate XX HI.) 



Characters. — Size medium ; form stout. In all other respects 

 externally similar to Perainrles macnim, except that the tail is 

 shorter, the feet are rather less heavy, and the colour is lighter. 

 Length of head and body about 14 inches ; of tail 5^ inches. 



Distribution. — Australia, south of the tropics, and Tasmania. 



Habits. — It does not appear that anything special has been 

 recorded of the habits of this and the allied species whereby 

 they can be distinguished from Gunn's Bandicoot and its 

 kindred, with the exception that, as already mentioned, they 

 are stated by Gould to inhabit damper and more densely 

 wooded situations. 



XII. PORT MORESBY BANDICOOT. PERAMELES MORESBYENSIS. 



Perameles ??ioresbye?isis, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. South 

 Wales, vol. ii., p. 14 (1878). 



Characters. — General external characters as in P. obcstda and 

 P. macrura, except that the fur is coarser and more spiny, the 

 colour of the crown of the head darker, and the hinder portion 

 of the back dark grizzled orange, instead of being uniform with 

 the fore-quarters. 



Distribution. — South-eastern New Guinea. 



Although the above-mentioned points of distinction from the 

 Australian forms are small they appear, according to Mr. 

 Thomas, to be constant, and as the Papuan form inhabits an 

 2 Ii 



