HYPSIPRYMNUS MURINUS. 177 



informs me, they are always scratching the ground, 

 and feed much upon roots that they are very de- 

 structive to the potato crops, and are most readily 

 caught by hating traps with this vegetable. 



The first known species of Hypsiprymnus, was 

 described by Hunter, in the Appendix to White's 

 Journal, where a somewhat rude figure of the animal 

 is given this figure and description are reproduced 

 in Shaw's Zoology, where the animal receives the 

 technical name Macropus minor. A second species 

 of Hypsiprymnus was subsequently discovered by 

 the French Voyagers, and as the description of the 

 first was not given in sufficient detail, this second 

 species was imagined to be identical with the first, 

 and was I believe always referred to as the Poto- 

 Roo, or Kangaroo-rat of White's Journal it how- 

 ever received several new names. 



Recently the list of species of Hypsiprymnus has 

 been greatly extended, and as several of these new 

 species were brought from the same locality as the 

 one first described, the difficulty of determining which 

 of them was the Poto-Roo was increased. Upon 

 inquiring however, of Professor Owen, I learnt that 

 the skull of White's animal was still in existence, 

 and that gentleman (from whom I always receive 

 the most cordial assistance in my labours,) not only 

 allowed me an inspection of the skull, but further 

 helped me with the loan of a drawing, by means of 

 which, aided by Mr. Gould, who removed the skulls 

 from several of the species in his collection for the 

 purpose, we discovered the true Poto-Roo to be the 

 M 



