PHILANDER. 



Didelphis Philander. D. cauda basi pilosa, mammis quaternis. 



O. with the tail hairy at the base, and with four teats in the ab- 

 dominal pouch. 



D. cauda bisi pilosa, auriculis jxndulis, mammis quaternis. Lin. 

 Syst. Nat. Gmel.p. 72. 



Der Faras (D. Philander). Schreb. saeughth. I. p. 541. t. 147. 



Tlaquatzin. Seb. mus. I. p. 57. t. 36. f. 4. 



THE Philander is about the size of a large 

 rat: the head is large, the snout thick, and the 

 ears rounded and upright, though in Seba's figure, 

 as well as in the Linnaean description, they are 

 said to be pendulous: the abdominal pouch con- 

 tains two large mammae, each furnished with two 

 teats. Seba, in his figure., represents these parts 

 distinctly, but without any appearance of the 

 pouch, and expressly affirms in the description, 

 that this species is not furnished with one; but 

 Mr. Schreber seems perfectly convinced that this 

 must have been merely owing to an error or over- 

 sight in the conduct both of the figure and de- 

 scription, and affirms that the pouch or receptacle 

 really exists in this species. The tail is longer 

 than the body, and is hairy for some little dis- 

 tance from the base, the remainder being naked, 

 and towards the end prehensile. The length of 

 the body is nine inches, and of the tail thirteen. 

 The Philander is of a reddish brown above, and 

 whitish beneath : the eyes are surrounded with a 

 brownish border; the mouth on each side is beset 

 with very long vibrissae or whiskers; down the 



