104 LLOYD’S NATURAL HISTORY. 
Characters.—Distinguished from the last by the still greater 
elongation of the fourth toe of the fore paws. 
Distribution —South New Guinea. 
THE FLYING PHALANGERS. GENUS PETAURUS. 
Petaurus, Shaw, Nat. Miscell., vol. ii, pl. lx. (1791). 
‘ Size medium or small; fur very soft and silky ; ears fairly 
large, oval, nearly naked; flanks with a broad parachute-like 
expansion of skin; front toes gradually increasing in length 
from the first, the fifth in the larger species being the longest, 
and the fourth in the smaller ones; claws very strong, sharp, 
and highly curved ; tail long, evenly bushy throughout. Glands 
present on chest and crown of head. Mbolars square, with 
rounded corners, and furnished with four cusps, except the last, 
which is triangular. 
The three species of this genus range over New Guinea and 
part of Australia, including the area from the Halmahéra group 
of islands to Victcria. As mentioned under the head of the 
latter, these Flying Phalangers appear to be descended from 
the next genus, or an allied extinct form. 
I. SQUIRREL FLYING PHALANGER. PETAURUS SCIUREUS. 
Didelphys sciurea, Shaw, Zool. New Holland, vol.i. p. 29 
(1794). 
Petaurus sciureus, Desmarest, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. 
vol. xxv., p. 403 (1817); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. 
Mus., p. 153 (1888). 
Petaurista sciurea, Desmarest, Mamm., vol. i., p. 270 (1820). 
Phalangista sciurea, Schinz, Cuvier’s Thierreichs, vol. i., p. 260 
(1821). 
Belideus sciureus, Lesson, Nouv. Tabl. Régne Anim., Mamm., 
p. 189 (1842). 
