so Cn a veto Genus c>f Mammalia. 



these membranes, have nothing to faciUtate their existence 

 on trees but their tail, with which they can lay hold of any 

 thins;, like the didelpha, and which is naked either entirely 

 or in part. 



The kanguroos, so remarkable by the disproportion of 

 their extremities, the want of canine teeth and the thumb 

 of the hind feet, formed my tiiird genus ; and the fourth 

 was composed of the dai/sures, on which I wrote a paper 

 printed in tlie third volume of ihat work. 



I flattered mvself with the idea that the order of the niar- 

 siipials, whieli I proposed to establish, would l)e confined 

 to these four genera. Thev form a direct and very natural 

 scries. By means of the da7/sures and the didclpha this 

 scries was connected with the carnivorous animals, and by 

 llie phalanmers and the kanguroos it was blended in some 

 measure with the numerous species of the.rodentia. There 

 was no interruption, no gap, whether we consider in general 

 tlie organs of mastication and digestion in particular, or 

 attend only to the organs of motion and prehension. But 

 this result, wliieh was so striking that I thought it at the 

 time worthv of remark, w as susceptible of being changed 

 by the discovery of a new family ; nature, properly speak- 

 intr, being unacquainted either with continued series or 

 chains in one single direction. Two new genera indeed have 

 destroyed the whole simplicity of this combination. The 

 first is that of the phasioloyiies, the characters of which I 

 have already traced out*, and the second is the new genus, 

 which I now announce under the name of tlie perameles 

 {I'laireau a pocke) . 



I. Description of the Genvs. 



The pcramt-'Ies are animals which on the first view have 

 a pretty near resemblance to the didelpha, but their head is 

 longer and the nmzzle much slenderer. They are far also 

 from participating in the habits of these mammalia, and 

 from being able to live on the summits of the largest trees. 

 Their whole economy indicates that they live on the earth : , 

 as in the badger, their nose is elongated, their hair stiff*, 

 and their feet terminate in large claws almost straight ; there 

 is no doubt tliercforc that they dig for themselves holes, and 

 they do il perhaps with more dexterity than any other 

 animal, as they have no reason to apprehend either that 

 their claws will break or be detached, an advantage for 

 which they are indebted to the form of the last phalangium 



' Aiinalfs Ju Museum d'Hisfoire Na/ttrellc, voU ii. p. JG4. 



of 



