THE POUCHED MICE, 175 
| 
| XII. BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE. PHASCOLOGALE 
| PENICILLATA. 
| Didelphis penicillata, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. i, pt. 2, p. 502 
| (1800). 
Dasyurus penicillatus, Geoffr., Ann. Muséum, vol. iii., p. 361 
| (1804), 
| Dasyurus tafa, Geofir., op. cit., p. 360. 
| Phascologale penicillata, Temminck, Monogr. Mamm., vol. i., 
| p. 58 (1827); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 294 
(1888). 
| (Plate XXVIII.) 
‘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 the 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. 
Distribution.—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 unvsually wide range. 
T 
