﻿THE POUCHED MICE. 1 67 



Shrews {Tiipala), and in South America by the smaller kinds 

 of Opossum. The largest of the thirteen known species does 

 not exceed a Common Rat in size, while the majority are con- 

 siderably smaller than that animal. Whereas in all the 

 Australian species the fur of the back is not striped, the 

 majority of the Papuan representatives of the genus have 

 striped backs, although a few agree in this respect with their 

 Australian congeners. 



I. CRESTED-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE. PHASCOLOGALH 



CRISTICAUDA. 



Chcptoce7'ais cristicmida^ Krefft, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1866, p. 435. 

 Phascfllo'^ale cristicaudafa, Thomas, Ann. Mus. Genova, ser., 2, 



vol. iv., p. 509 (1887); id. Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 276 



(1888). 



Characters. — Size medium ; fur close and soft. General 

 colour sandy brown, becoming paler on the under-parts. Ears 

 short, rounded, and very broad ; tail short, with a prominent 

 crest of black hairs, lengthening towards the tip, on the upper 

 surface of the terminal half. Last lower premolar tooth .abse,nt 

 in the type specimen. Length of head and body about 5 

 inches; of tail 3^ inches. 



Distribution. — South Australia. 



Although closely allied to the next, this little-known species 

 may be distinguished therefrom by its crested tail and more 

 uniform coloration. 



II. FRECKLED POUCHED MOUSE. PHASCOLOGALE APICALIS. 



Fhascologale apimlis, Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. ix., 

 p. 518 (1842); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 277 

 (1888). 



Anteclunus apicalis^ Gray, List. Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 99 



(1843). 



