MYRMECOBIUS RUFUS. 149 



openings near the palato-maxillary suture, these open- 

 ings are sometimes almost obliterated, as in the section 

 of the Petaurists, to which I have given the name 

 Belideus, and in the great Kangaroo, (Macropus 

 major) whilst, on the other hand, similar openings 

 are common in the Placental series ; in fact, I can 

 see no distinctive character between the Placental 

 and Marsupial animals as regards the 7iumber of 

 palatine openings — they vary in both groups. 



Through the kindness of Mr. Gould, who allowed 

 me to examine two skins and a perfect skeleton of 

 Myrmecohius recently obtained by him from Swan 

 Kiver, I am enabled to clear up all doubts as to the 

 marsupial nature of Myrmecobius. In a female 

 specimen I could distinctly trace the remains of a 

 pouch ; the mammae were in the ordinary position 

 found in the Marsupialia ; a male possessed the 

 peculiar characters of that group, and, moreover, the 

 skeleton presents well-developed Marsupial bones. 

 In the skull of an adult animal I find all the pecu- 

 liarities so ably pointed out by Professor Owen as 

 serving to distinguish the Marsupials. From a care- 

 ful examination of this skull I am more than ever 

 convinced that Myrmecobius leads off to the Edentate 

 orders — the Echidnas; — in fact, that my original 

 views are correct. 



RED MYRMECOBIUS. 



Myrmecobius rufus. 



Major Mitchell gives this name to an animal dis- 



