620 Zoological Society. 



well as in an allied species of which the female exists in the So- 

 ciety's Museum. The internal pencil is very distinct in the Virgi- 

 nian Deer; and the external is also very conspicuous in consequence 

 of the whiteness of the hairs composing it. I^ord Derby's game- 

 keeper, however, stated to Mr. Gray that there are two varieties of 

 this species in Knowsley park, in one of wliich tliis tuft is much 

 more conspicuous than in the other. 



The third section comprehends those species which have a very 

 distinct tuft on the inside of the hock, but none on the outer side of 

 the metatarsus. Mr. Gray has obsen'ed this structure in two living 

 specimens of a species from Demerara in the menagerie of Lord 

 Derby, which agrees best with Cerv. rtifus, Desm.; in another South 

 American species, allied to the former but apparently different, 

 which was presented to the Society in 1828 by Sir Philip Egerton, 

 and is now in its Museum ; and in a very young spotted Faum (almost 

 a foetus) preserved in spirits in the collection of the British Museum. 

 He suspects that the Brockets of South America may have the same 

 character ; and thinks he could observe the internal tufts on the spe- 

 cimen of the Rein Deer in the Society's Museum, but no trace of 

 the external, the entire hinder edge of the metatarsus being covered 

 with a uniform verj' thick coat of hair. 



From an examination of the sldn of the Elk in the British Mu- 

 seum, Mr. Grajr is of opinion that it will probably enter into a fourth 

 section ; in as much as it appears to have very distinct tufts on the 

 inner side of the hock, and others also on the outer side of the tneta- 

 tarsns about one third of its length from the heel, as in the first sec- 

 tion ; but of the existence of the latter tufts he is by no means cer- 

 tain, on account of the age and state of the specimen. 



July 12. — Mr. Waterhouse, (Curator of the Society's Museum,) at 

 the request of the Chairman, read a Paper, entitled " Description of 

 a new genus of Mammiferous Animals from New Holland, which will 

 probably be found to belong to the Marsupial type." 



The skin on which this description was founded had been lent to 

 Mr. Waterhouse, for the purpose of describing, by Lieut. Dale, of 

 Liverpool, who procured it whilst on an exploring party in the inte- 

 rior of the Swan River Settlement, about 90 miles to the S.E. of the 

 mouth of that river. Two specimens were seen ; both of which took 

 to hollow trees on being pursued, and one of them was unfortunately 

 burned to death in the attempt to dislodge it from, its retreat. The 

 country abounded with decayed trees and ant-hills; and Mr. Water- 

 house is of opinion, from this circumstance and from some peculiari- 

 ties in the structure of the animal, that it lives chiefly, if not wholly, 

 upon ants, for which reason he proposes for it the generic name of 

 Mtrmecobius. 



Dentes incisores |, canini j^, pseudo-molares ^-^, molares — =48. 



Pedes antici 5-dactyli, digitis tribus intermediis longioribus ; pos- 

 tici 4-dactyli, digitis duobus intermediis internum superantibus ; ex- 

 terno brevissiino; unguibus longis acutis subfalcularibus. Scelides 

 antlpedibus longiores. Caput elongatum ; rhinario producto ; auri- 

 culis mediocribus acutis. Corpus gracile. Cauda mediocris. 



