﻿THE WATER-OPOSSUMS. 22 1 



short-haired remainder. Length of head and body of male 

 about 5^ inches ; of tail 2^ inches. 



DistrilDution. — S. Paulo, Brazil. 



Note. — Mr. Oldfield Thomas informs me, on the authority of Dr. 

 Goeldi, that the Opossum called by Burmeister Microdelphys albogtittata 

 (Th. Bras, i., p. 340) is nothing but a young specimen of the common 

 Dasyurus viverrinus of Australia, the Brazilian locality being, of course, 

 erroneous. 



THE WATER-OPOSSUMS. GENUS CHIRONECTES. 

 Chironectes, lUiger, Prodromus Syst. Mamm., p. 76 (181 1). 



Distinguished iroxa. Didelphys by the presence of a prominent 

 tubercle on the inner side of the fore foot simulating a sixth 

 toe, and by the hind feet being webbed as far as the ends of the 

 toes, so that only their terminal pads project beyond the 

 webbing. Owing to the first hind toe, or hallux, being in- 

 cluded in the webbing, it is much less opposable than in the 

 True Opossums. 



According to the author of the British Museum Catalogue 

 of Marsupials, the single representative of this genus is more 

 nearly allied to the True Opossums of the sub-genus Metachirus 

 than to any of the others. 



I. WATER-OPOSSUM OR YAPOCK. CHIRONECTES MINIMUS. 



Lutra minima, Zimmermann, Geograph. Geschicte, vol. ii., p. 



317 (1780). 

 Didelphis mi?iima, Cuvier, Tabl. Elem., p. 125 (1798). 

 Chironectes mi?iimus, Illiger, Prodromus Syst. Mamm., p. 76 



(1811); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 368 (1888). 

 Chironectes variegatus, Illiger, Abhandl. Akad. Berlin for 181 1, 



p. 107 (1815). 

 Chironectes palnia/a, Cuvier, Regne Animal, vol. i., p. 174 



(1817). 



