238 PETAURUS. 



LONG-TAILED PETAURUS. 

 Petaurus macrourus. 



Didelphys macroura, ) Shaw ' Zoology of New Holland, Tab. 



Long-tailed Opossum, I ^ * 33 > and General Zool ^' 

 ' } Vol. L, part 2, p. 500, Plate 113. 



a This species is about the size of the black rat, 

 (Mus rattus^) and is of a dark or brownish-grey 

 colour above, and whitish heneath ; the head and 

 neck are also whitish, but a dusky stripe runs along 

 the top of the head almost to the nose; the ears are 

 whitish, moderately large, and slightly rounded ; 

 the upper parts of the fore-feet are whitish ; and 

 the lower half of the tail is of a deeper black than 

 the beginning." 



The above is Shaw's description of the Long-tailed 

 Opossum, and as I find nothing added to it (imperfect 

 as it is,) in the various works on Mammalia, I pre- 

 sume the animal has not made its appearance in 

 modern times, though, from the Catalogue of the 

 Australian Museum, it appears that two specimens, 

 (a male and young female,) which are supposed to 

 be of the present species, are there deposited, and 

 regarded as distinct from the other species all of 

 which that Museum appears to possess the habitat 

 given is Bathurst. 



Shaw says, " the dried skin of this species was 

 sent over by Mr. White, and the specimen figured in 

 the Zoology of New Holland was described from it." 



It would appear to belong to the same section as 



