﻿164 Allen's Naturalist's librarV. 



mentioned, they may not unfrequently be met with on the 

 shore. As many as six young ones may frequently be met with 

 in a nest ; and it appears that, after leaving the teats, these are 

 carried but a very short time in the pouch. 



An anonymous writer observes that in some parts of the 

 country the black variety is very rare and local ; and that he 

 never found black and grey young ones in the same nest. 



In size this species may be roughly compared to the common 

 European Marten. The fur being soft, the skins are suitable 

 for linings ; and from two to five thousand skins are annually 

 imported into England. Formerly the grey skins fetched from 

 about fivepence to sixpence each in the market, while the 

 vnlue of the black ones ranged from tenpence to a shilling. 

 Of late years, however, there has been a fall in the price. 



IV, black-tailed dasyure. dasyurus geoffrovi. 



Dasyurus geoffroyi, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1840, p. 151 ; 

 Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 268 (18S8). 



Characters. — Size medium ; form slender ; fur thick and soft. 

 General colour olive-grey, tinged with rufous and spotted with 

 white ; under-parts white. Hind foot with a first toe (hallux) ; 

 soles of feet granulated, and their pads marked by rounded 

 unstriated prominences. Ears large, brown at the back, with 

 white edges. Tail long and rather bushy, the basal half above 

 and the basal fourth below coloured like the back, but devoid 

 of spots, the remainder black. Length of head and body 

 about 16 inches; of tail 12 inches. Six teats. 



Distribution. — AW Australia, with the exception of the extreme 

 north, and the coast districts of the south-east. 



The two sexes differ somewhat in size, and it appears that 

 the race inhabiting the western portion of the continent attains 

 larger dimensions than the one from the opposite side. From 



