On a new Genus of Mammalia. 'sg 



The trenns of the didelpha was scarcely established when 

 new auiiials with pouches were discovered in the Indiau 

 Archipelago; but at first they were described onlv in a 

 vague manner. It was however known that the feiTiHie* 

 had their dugs inclosed in a bag, and i.n consequence of 

 this circumstance naturalists did not hesitate to comprehend 

 these new quadrupeds among the didelpha. It was not till 

 a lono time after, that it was known that the marsupials of 

 India differed from those of the new vsorld by important 

 organs, such as those of mastication, digestion, motion, 

 and prehension; bat they wtre then so accuse ->aied to de- 

 note them bv the same generic name, tliat they hesitated 

 to make any change; and, as through i'.'~pect for a usage 

 introduced contrary to rules, they had retained in the genus 

 of t!ie dklclpha species which were anomalous ; \.\\(:y 

 found themselves encouraged after the importaiit discovery 

 of the kanguroos to rank among the latter the didi:!pl-,a, 

 though they v ere very remote from it. In a word, as it" 

 after so much confusion it had been allowed to venture oii 

 any thii:g, Gmelin admitted into the same genus a qua- 

 drumanus fully known as such, which my illustrious master 

 Daubenton published under the name of the Tarsier. 



In the vear 4, I conceived the idea of enabling naturalists 

 to estimate with some precision the distance there is be- 

 tween these dlflerent animals, and, in a dissertation v, hich 

 appeared in the Qtli volume of tlie Magazin Encijclot.e Urme, 

 I submitted to a sort of revision the last labour of Gmcliii 

 in regard to the genus of the didelpka. 



My first care was to bring this genus to it? primitive state. 

 I left none in it but the animals with bags, of America, to 

 which a'! the characters without exception assigned bv 

 LinnJEus are applicable. This groupe, deducting three 

 animals, which are placed there under a double point of 

 view, will be carried to nine species by my future publica- 

 tions. 



I then proposed to form, under the name oi' phalanger, a 

 genus of the marsupials of the Archipelago of India, which 

 have the upper jaw armed with incisor and canine teeth 

 like the carnivorous animals, and in the lower jaw of which, 

 however, there is found only that system of dentition which 

 characterizes the rodentia. Fourteen species, of which 

 almost the half arc yet unpublished, unite the characteiislic 

 traits of these tv.o great orders, with this difference, thnt 

 seven of them arc endowed with the faculty of leaping from 

 tree to tree, and of Hying by means of membranes exiended 

 on their flanks; while the other scvvn, unprovided with 



these 



