﻿On 
  a 
  new 
  Marsupial. 
  337 
  

  

  less 
  no 
  doubt 
  accounts 
  for 
  their 
  having 
  so 
  long 
  escaped 
  notice. 
  

   That 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  serious 
  and 
  constant 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  earthworm 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  comparative 
  frequency 
  with 
  which 
  

   worms 
  devoid 
  of 
  clitellum 
  and 
  normai 
  sperm 
  occur, 
  and 
  also 
  

   by 
  observations 
  upon 
  earthworms 
  found 
  travelling 
  over 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  paths 
  after 
  rain. 
  These 
  are 
  stated 
  by 
  Latter 
  (2) 
  

   to 
  be 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  cases 
  infected 
  by 
  larvse 
  of 
  parasitic 
  

   flies 
  and 
  doomed 
  to 
  die." 
  All 
  the 
  specimens 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   examined 
  have 
  contained 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  bacteria 
  in 
  the 
  

   seminal 
  vesicles 
  and 
  no 
  ripe 
  sperm. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  

   them 
  were 
  also 
  infected 
  by 
  fly 
  larvas 
  ; 
  but, 
  even 
  if 
  so, 
  my 
  

   observations 
  show 
  that 
  when 
  conditions 
  are 
  otherwise 
  un- 
  

   favourable 
  the 
  bacterium 
  is 
  always 
  ready 
  to 
  take 
  advantage. 
  

  

  Literature 
  referred 
  to. 
  

  

  (1) 
  Brasil, 
  L.— 
  C. 
  R. 
  Ac. 
  Sci. 
  xl. 
  pt. 
  9, 
  1905, 
  p. 
  597. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Latter, 
  O. 
  — 
  ' 
  The 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  some 
  Common 
  Animals,' 
  1904, 
  

  

  p. 
  3. 
  

  

  (3) 
  Smith, 
  G— 
  Quart. 
  J. 
  Microsc. 
  Sci. 
  liv. 
  1910, 
  p. 
  577. 
  

  

  XXXVIII. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  new 
  Marsupial. 
  By 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  FoERSTER 
  

   and 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Walter 
  Rothschild, 
  Ph.D. 
  

  

  Phalanger 
  larvatus, 
  sp. 
  n. 
  

  

  Fur 
  of 
  pelage 
  velvety, 
  smoky 
  grey, 
  an 
  ill-defined 
  mesial 
  

   dorsal 
  line 
  or 
  stripe 
  of 
  dark 
  brown 
  expanding 
  into 
  a 
  distinct 
  

   smoky 
  black 
  band 
  over 
  head 
  and 
  face 
  to 
  the 
  nose. 
  Throat 
  

   black, 
  a 
  black 
  band 
  from 
  throat 
  across 
  cheeks 
  to 
  ears, 
  a 
  

   similar 
  one 
  on 
  crown 
  between 
  the 
  ears. 
  Snout 
  smoky 
  black 
  ; 
  

   face 
  tawny 
  ochraceous. 
  Forearms 
  washed 
  with 
  tawny 
  ochra- 
  

   ceous 
  on 
  outside. 
  Underside 
  dirty 
  grey, 
  paler 
  in 
  centre; 
  

   chest 
  and 
  lower 
  throat 
  yellowish 
  white. 
  Tail 
  hairy 
  to 
  tip, 
  

   black, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  scattered 
  silky 
  grey 
  hairs 
  at 
  base 
  ; 
  underside 
  

   of 
  tail 
  naked 
  for 
  the 
  apical 
  120 
  mm. 
  Ears 
  hairy 
  outside, 
  

   tawny 
  ochraceous, 
  naked 
  within. 
  Upper 
  dental 
  series, 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  between 
  c 
  and 
  i3 
  = 
  to 
  that 
  between 
  c 
  and 
  pm 
  1. 
  

  

  Nearest 
  to 
  a 
  varus, 
  Thom. 
  P. 
  larvatus 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  P. 
  avarus, 
  

   Thorn., 
  can 
  always 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  

   P. 
  canescens 
  by 
  the 
  tawny 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  ears 
  ; 
  from 
  P. 
  ava- 
  

   rus 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  once 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  entirely 
  black 
  tail. 
  

  

  Dimensions. 
  Head 
  and 
  body 
  340 
  mm.; 
  tail 
  230-250; 
  

   nose 
  to 
  ear 
  35 
  ; 
  ear 
  8. 
  

  

  Hab. 
  Rawlinson 
  Mts., 
  German 
  Xew 
  Guinea. 
  2 
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