198 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [\'ol. XXVII, 



17G2. Brisson refers the animals later ealled phalangers to Didelphis, 

 under the name D. orientalis. 



1765. BufFon calls attention to the syndactylous condition of the second 

 and third digits of the hind foot, and calls the animal Phalanger "parce 

 qu'il a les phalanges singulierement conformees . . . . " (Palmer 1904, p. 

 528). Buff on being a monomial writer, the generic name technically dates 

 from Storr, 1780 (p. 49). 



1771. Captain Cook's voyage results in the discovery of Australian 

 Marsupials (p. 38). 



1777. Erxleben regards the Kangaroo as a gigantic relative of the 

 Jerboa and names it Jacuhis gicjanteus (Palmer, 1904, p. 355). 



1780. Storr separates Phakmger from Didelphis and frees the grou}), 

 which he names "Plantares," from its former association with Sorex, Talpa, 

 etc. (p. 49). 



The progress in recognizing the different genera is indicated in the 

 following five dates (from Palmer, 1904) : 



1790. Macropus Shaw. 



1791. Petauru.'t Shaw. 



1794. Gigantomiis Link = Macropus. 



1795. Kangurus Cuvier and Geoff roy = Macropus. 

 1795. Phalangista Cuvier and Geoffroy. 



The next important systematic event was: 



1795. Dasi/urus added to the Didelphis group by Geoff roy and Cuvier, 

 who adopt Vicq d'Azyr's term "Pedimanes" for the group and place it 

 between "les Carnivores" and "les Rongeurs." These authors recognized 

 the essential characters of the group, but the deceptive analogies of the teeth 

 (one of the leading criteria) led Cuvier in his classification oF 1800 to place 

 " Kajigurus" at the head of the Rodentia, l)ut next to Phalangista the last 

 of the "Pedimanes," which, in turn were placed next to the "Carnivores" 

 in the superordinal assemblage "Les Carnassiers." The supposed inter- 

 mediate position of the Marsupials between plantigrade "Carnivores" 

 and " Rongeurs " was accepted also by Dumeril and others (see p. 68). 



New genera continued to be added as follows (Palmer) : 



1796. Dasyurus Geoff roy. 

 1799. Coescoes Lacepede. 



1803. Phascolomis GeoflFroy. 



1804. Potorous Desmarest. 

 1804. Perameles E. GeoflFroy. 

 1811. Halmaturus Illiger. 

 1811. Hypsipri/mniis Illiger. 

 1816. Phascolarcfos de Blainville. 



