288 MAMMALS. 



could perceive no points of difference of the least importance, although its fur was rather more 

 dense and crisp ; but Gould says that he observes that specimens from the northern coast are larger 

 than those obtained elsewhere, and " a doubt exists in his mind as to their identitj-."* Closely allied 

 to the Phalangers, and by many placed in the same genus, are a few species which are found in 

 New Gruinea and some of the adjoining islands. One, and only one, is also found in Australia, 

 at its extreme northern point (Cape York). These form the genus or sub-genus Cuscus. And 

 along with them may be reckoned two allied forms Dactylopsila and Myoictis, of Gray, both found 

 in New Guinea. Of all, four are found in New Guinea, four in Amboyna, two in Celebes, two in 

 other islands of the New Guinea group, one in New Ireland (an interesting proof of the extension 

 of a former submerged continent in these seas), and one, as already mentioned, at Cape York. 



The Flying Phalangers or Petauri. (Map 94.) The range of the Petauri extends 

 from the north coast of Australia along the east to Victoria in the south. There are six species, 

 five of which correspond to the placental sub-genus Pterojiys in having the tail bushy all round, 

 and the feet not distichously disposed, and the other to the sub-genus SciURorxERUS, where 

 the fur of the tail is distichously disposed. This is Acbobata pygm.^a, a lovely little thing, the 

 tiniest pet in the world perhaps. It may truly be said of it that it coidd be bounded in a 

 nut-shell. Goidd kept one which made its nest in a pill-box in the corner of a drawer, and 

 counted itself king of infinite space in his waistcoat-pocket. This is an additional instance, besides 

 those already given, of an independent type of similar foi-m to Placental species occurring among 

 Marsupials. The Petauri represent the Pteromydes ; the Acrobata, the SciuRorTERi, which are 

 found, not only in the Indian Archipelago, India, and the Himmalayahs, but also in North America, 

 and in Europe and Asia, although only a single species occiirs there. The Acrobat comes from 

 New South Wales, and used to be exceedingly common about Port Jackson. Of the other 

 flying Phalangers one is peculiar to the north coast, being found in the Cobourg Peninsula, 

 — one to Victoria, — and three are found both in New South Wales and Victoria. None have 

 been found on the west coast or the south-west, or the western part of the south coast. 



Wombat. — Phascolomys. Although South Australia has rarely any independent features, it 

 being generally a mere debateable ground between New South Wales and Western Australia, in 

 which the species from both intermingle and overlap each other, it has in the Wombat an important 

 and remarkable feature almost pecidiar to itself. Out of four species now known, three of them are 

 peculiar to South Australia ; the fourth (the best known one) is also found there, although it more 

 properly belongs to the south-eastern part of Australia, being found in New South Wales, Van 

 Dieman's Land, and some of the islands in Bass's Strait. It is to be kept in mind, however, in 

 estimating the weight of these localities as indicating any thing special in the Fauna of South 

 Australia, that little more than single specimens of each of the rarer Wombats have yet been 

 found. 



The gigantic allied extinct animals, Diprotodon and Notothertom, lived at no great dis- 

 tance from the habitat of these Wombats, Aaz. Wellington Vallej^ and Liverpool I'hiins. 



The first glimpse of these most remarkable animals was obtained from the ossiferous caves of 

 Wellington VaUey district, by Sir Thomas Mitchell, in the course of his expeditions into the 



* GoULii, J. " Mammals of Australia." 



