﻿THE POUCHED MICE. 169 



Characters. — Size large; form comparatively stout ; fur coarse 

 and harsh, with the under-fur very thin. General colour richly 

 variegated chestnut, black, and yellow ; back with three black 

 stripes ; head dark yellowish-rufous, with a median black stripe 

 commencing on the muzzle and passing backwards along the 

 neck and back to the rump. Ears small, thinly covered at the 

 back with black hairs. Crown and back of head, as well as 

 top and sides of neck (save for the median stripe) rich chest- 

 nut-red. Chin and chest pale rufous ; remainder of under- 

 parts yellowish-grey. Fore legs rich rufous like the neck, the 

 hind ones darker ; fore paws brown, the hinder brown or yel- 

 lowish-brown ; soles of hind feet naked, with five pads, that on 

 the hallux being, at most, indistinctly divided. Tail evenly 

 tapering, long-haired above and on the sides, and short-haired 

 beneath ; the long upper hairs maroon-red, like the rump ; 

 upper surface of the tip black, and the under side rufous or 

 brownish. Six teats. The last premolar tooth wanting in 

 some specimens. The length of the head and body rather 

 less than in P. penicillata {infra, p. 145). 



DistrilDution. — North-western New Gumea. 



This species received its earliest name of P. inelas owing to 

 its having been described from a black or melanistic individual, 

 and since, as Mr. Thomas remarks, it is by far the most bril- 

 liantly coloured member of the family, if not indeed of the 

 entire order, such a misleading title is clearly inadmissible. 

 Together with the allied species, it affords a striking example 

 of the characteristic brilliant coloration of Papuan animals as 

 contrasted with their allies in other parts of the world. 



IV. RED-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE. PHASCOLOGALE 

 WALLACII. 



Myoiciis wallacei^ Gray, Proc, 2Cool. Soc, 1858, p. 113, 



