270 PHALANGISTID.E. 



We may add, also., that it is the Phalangista Cookii 

 of Desmarest, " Mammalogie/'-p. 2G8, and of Lesson, 

 " Manuel de Mammalogie," p. 218, since both these 

 authors describe the animal as " gris roussatre" &c. 



Phalangista Cookii is closely allied to P. viverrina, 

 but differs in being rather smaller, in having the tail 

 less densely clothed with hairs, and the feet pale in- 

 stead of black, or nearly black. It may, moreover, be 

 at once distinguished by the bright rusty red colour- 

 ing of the head, limbs, and sides of the body. In 

 young individuals there is an abundance of long black 

 hairs interspersed with those of the ordinary fur on 

 the upper parts of the body ; a young specimen before 

 me has more than half the tail covered with rusty 

 white hairs ; in two other specimens there is but a 

 small portion of the tail which is white. 



I have been careful in consulting works for the 

 synonyms of this species, and feel certain that the 

 descriptions given by the authors quoted, refer to the 

 present animal. The first scientific specific name 

 that I can find for it is that given at the head of this 

 description, and to me it appears of but little import- 

 ance whether authors be wrong in referring it to the 

 figure in Cook's Voyage or not. The descriptions 

 were not taken from the plate. 



