ros 



MARSUPIATA. 



MARSUPIATA. 



7C6 



Skeleton of Didelphys Yirgmiana. a, the marsupial bones. 



Cheironectei (Illiger). The complete dental formula of this sub- 

 genus does not appeal- to be known. The number of incisors is stated 

 at 1 above and 8 below. Head rather pointed ; ears naked, rounded ; 

 tail scaly, prehensile; an opposeable thumb on the hind feet or hands, 

 and the toes webbed. 



C. palmatut (Cheironectes Yapock of Desmarest ; DidelpKys palmata 

 of authors). Fur brown above, with three transverse bright-gray 

 band*, interrupted in the middle ; white below. Size larger than that 

 brown rat. [DIDELPHIXA.] 



The river Yapock, or Oyapock (the boundary that separates the 

 French settlements from Brazil), in Guyana, is the place where this 

 species has been found. It swims with facility ; indeed Buffon 

 describes it under the name of Petite I.outre de la Guyane. 



Chcironectti palmatus. 



Phalangiala (Cuvier). Head rather short ; ears hairy ; fur woolly 

 and short ; no extensible membrane between the anterior and poste- 

 rior limbs; tail long, prehensile, sometimes without hair on its 

 extremity. 



Sub-genus Phalangiita, properly so called (Salantia, Illiger). Tail 

 prehensile, but covered with hair; ears long and erect. Dental 

 Formula : 



Incisors, - ; Canines, _; 

 20 



Pre- Molars, - ; Molars, _ = 32. 

 28 



Lesson gives the dentition of Phalangiita as : 



a o Q 



Incisors, ; Canines, ; Molars, 



= 38. 



P. i-ulpina (Vulpine Opossum). The following description of this 

 species is given in Phillips's ' Voyage :' " This is not unlike the com- 

 mon fox in shape, but considerably inferior to it in respect to size, being 

 from the point of the nose to the setting on of the tail only 26 inches, 

 the tail itself 15 inches : the upper parts of the body are of a grisly 

 colour, arising from a mixture of dusky and white hairs, with rufous 

 yellow tinge, the head and shoulders partaking most of this last colour ; 

 round the eyes blackish ; above the nostrils 10 or 12 black whiskers, 

 4 inches or more in length ; all the under parts of the body are of a 

 tawny buff colour, deepest on the throat, where the bottom of the 

 hairs are rust-colour ; the tail is of the colour of the back for about 

 one quarter of its length, thence to the eud black ; the toes on the 

 fore feet are 5 in number, the inner one placed high up ; on the hind 

 feet 4 toes only, with a thumb, consisting of two joiuta without a 



WAT. HIST. DIV. VOL. Hf. 



claw, placed high up at the base of the inner toe 

 serving the purpose of a hand, as observable in many 



; the whole foot 

 of the Opossum 



Teeth of Phalangitta. F. Cuvier. 



genus. The legs are much shorter in proportion than those of the 

 common fox ; the ears about one inch and a half in length." It is 



: l^fe/fe 



Vulpine Opossum (Phahmgista vu 



