292 LLOYD’S NATURAL HISTORY. 
The genus may be defined as follows: Form as in 
Phascologale; fifth fore-digit with a nail; tail long and more or 
less prehensile ; a rudimental pouch. In the skull large pre- 
orbital vacuities are present; the palate is very imperfectly 
ossified ; and there are three pairs of premolar teeth in each 
jaw, of which the two hinder lower pairs are large and 
- functional. 
I. ECUADOR SELVA. CCENOLESTES FULIGINOSUS. 
Hyracodon Juliginosus, Tomes, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1863, p. 50, 
pl. vu. 
Cenolestes fuliginosus, Thomas, Proc. Zool., 1895, p. 877. 
Characters.—Apparently mainly distinguished from the second 
species by its considerably inferior size, which may be roughly 
compared to that of a water-shrew. 
Distribution Ecuador. 
II. BOGOTA SELVA. CCENOLESTES OBSCURUS. 
Cunolestes obscurus, Thomas, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, 
vol. xvi., p. 367 (1895); Proc. Zool. Soc., 1895, p. $77, pl. il. 
Characters.—Size approximately equal to that of a small rat ; 
fur soft, thick and close ; general colour unifo:m bistre-brown, 
becoming rather darker along the middle line of the back, and 
very slightly paler below. Ears short, brown, and almost com- 
pletely naked; feet brown; tail about as long as head and 
body, slender, very finely haired, with the terminal portion 
naked infer:orly. 
Distribution Bogota, Colombia. 
Habits.—All that is known of the habits of this intere.ting 
little Marsupial is comprised in a letter from Mr. G. D. Child 
to Mr. Thomas. ‘The former gentleman writes that “ the little 
animal you speak of is called the ‘Raton Runcho,’ which 
means ‘Opossum Rat.’ It lives in the high brushwood, and is 
