﻿'rHE POUCHED MICE. 175 



XII. BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE. PHASCOLOGALE 

 PENICILLATA. 



DidelpMs peiiicillata^ Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. i., pt. 2, p. 502 



(1800). 

 Dasyurus penicillatus, Geoffr., Ann. Museum, vol. iii., p. 361 



(1804), 

 Dasyurus tafa, Geoffr., op. cit.^ p. 360. 

 Fhascologale penicillata^ Temminck, Monogr. Mamm., vol. i., 



p. 58 (1827) ; Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 294 



(1888). 



{Plate XXVI 11.) 



The present and following species may be distinguished from 

 all the other members of the genus with uniformly coloured 

 backs by the tip of the tail being evenly tufted all round, 

 whereas in the others the tail is either short-haired, or crested 

 on the terminal portion of the upper surface only. 



Characters. — Size large; form stout and strong; fur short and 

 coarse. General colour finely-grizzled pale grey ; under-parts 

 and inner surface of limbs white or pale grey, the hairs on the 

 pouch being rufous ; muzzle with an indistinct darker stripe. 

 Ears very large, nearly naked. Feet grey ; soles of hind feet 

 with the five main pads much elongated, the pad of the hallux 

 undivided, and a minute additional pad on the outer margin 

 of tne hinder part ; claws long and strong. Tail long and 

 thick, its terminal half or three-fifths uniformly covered on all 

 sides with long black hairs, forming a conspicuous brush. Ten 

 teats. Length of head and body about 10 inches; of tail 6 

 inches. 



Distriljution. — All Australia, with the exception of the extreme 

 north. 



Habits. — The present species, which may be compared in 

 size to an English Squirrel, has an unusually wide range. 



