132 THE DASYUEES. 



The Long-tailed, or Spotted-tailed Dasyurus in- 

 habits Van Diemen's Land ; it attains a larger size, 

 and appears to be a more powerfully made animal 

 than either of the other species of the genus, unless 

 it be the D. ursinus. 



GEOFFROY'S DASYURUS. 



Dasyurus Geoffroyl. 

 Dasyurus Geoffroyi, Gould^ Proc. Zool. Soc. for Nov. 10, 1840. 



General hue of the upper parts of head and body, 

 yellowish brown slightly inclined to greenish ; a tint 

 produced by the admixture of rich fulvous yellow 

 and black, the hairs being of the former colour near 

 the apex, and black at the tip : on the sides of the 

 bod}', and especially on the hinder parts, the fulvous 

 hue prevails : white spots, (some of which are very 

 small and others about half an inch in diameter,) 

 are scattered in an irregular manner over the whole 

 of the upper parts and sides of the body : upper lip, 

 chin, throat, and the whole of the under parts of the 

 body and inner side of the limbs, white, with a slight 

 yellowish tint, and in parts tinted with grey : tail 

 about equal to the body in length, cylindrical and 

 rather slender, at the base covered with fur of the 

 same general hue as the body, about the middle 

 there is a considerable admixture of black hairs and 

 at the tip the hairs are entirely of this colour ; feet 

 pale, mottled in parts with brownish; ears with 

 white hairs on the inner side, and clothed with short 

 brown hairs externally. 



