THE PREHENSILE-TAILED RAT-KANGAROO, 69 
generally either escaping by burrowing, or killing themselves by 
running their heads against the walls of their enclosure, 
II. TASMANIAN RAT-KANGAROO. BETTONGIA CUNICULUS. 
Hypsiprymnus cuniculus, Ogilby, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1838, p. 63. 
Bettongia cuniculus, Gould, Monogr. Macropodide, pl. xxix. 
(1842) ; Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 106 (1888), 
Characters.—F ur and general colour as in last species, but no 
trace of a hip-mark ; tail above usually as in B. lesueuri, but 
sometimes dark-brown or black towards the tip, beneath dirty 
white, with the tip sometimes white all round. Length of head 
and body about 18 inches; of tail 15 inches. 
Distribution. —Tasmania. 
_ _Habits.—Feeding, like the other members of the genus, on 
roots and grass, this species frequents the open, sandy, or stony, 
forest-land of Tasmania, avoiding the thick and damp scrub. 
III. GAIMARD’S RAT-KANGAROO. BETTONGIA GAIMARDI. 
Kangurus gaimardt, Desmarest, Mamm., Suppl. vol. ii., p. 542 
(1822). 
Hypsiprymnus white, Quoy and Gaimard, Voyage Uranie, 
Zool., p. 62 (1824). 
Hypsiprymnus formosus, et H. phillippit, Ogilby, Proc. Zool. 
BGC, 1935, p. 62. 
Hypsiprymnus (Bettongia) gaimardi, Waterhouse, Nat. Hist., 
Mamm., vol. i., p. 207 (1846). 
_ Bettongia gaimardi, Flower, Cat. Osteol., Mus. Roy. Coll. Surg. 
pt. ii., p. 726 (1884); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., 
p-. 108 (1888). 
Characters.—Fur more woolly than in the other species, 
