PERAMELES OBESULA. 159 



must confess^ however^ that^ judging by the denti- 

 tion, I am inclined to believe the Bandicoots will 

 readily eat vegetable substances as well as insects. 

 The specimen, from which the plate in this work is 

 taken, is young, and exhibits the markings more dis- 

 tinctly than the adult. It was presented to the Zoo- 

 logical Society by G. Everett, Esq. 



SHORT-NOSED PERAMELES. 



Perameles obesula. 



Plate XIV. 



Perameles obesula, Geof. Ann. du Mus. iv., p. 64, PI. 45. 

 Didelphys obesula, Shaic, Naturalist's Miscellany, No. 96. 



As regards the general form of the body, and the 

 colouring, this animal greatly resembles the common 

 rat (Mus decumanus) — in size it exceeds the largest 

 specimens of that animal. The ears are moderate, 

 pointed; the muzzle is slender and elongated, but 

 shorter than in the other species here described j the 

 tail is short, and covered throughout with short hairs. 

 The covering of the animal consists of a somewhat 

 scanty, soft, ash- coloured under fur, which is hidden 

 by longer (though still shortish) sub-spinose hairs ; of 

 these spiny hairs the longest are black, and the short- 

 er, which are the most abundant, are black, broadly 

 tipped with pale ochre colour, often with the extreme 

 point black ; the black and pale colours are about 

 equal in proportion. The edge of the upper hp, chin, 

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



