MAMMALIA. 621 



According to the observation of OWEN the ossa marsupialia are wanting 

 here, or rather they are represented by fibro-cartilages in the external 

 oblique muscles of the abdomen. 



g g Q Q 



Myrmecobius WATERH. Molar teeth ^ ^ or , the three 



o ~ o y y 



anterior spurious, compressed, tricuspid, the posterior with crown 

 having many conical, acute tubercles. Head acuminate. Hind 

 feet tetradactylous, pollex absent. Claws compressed, curved, 

 acute. Tail somewhat long, villous with long hairs. 



Sp Myrmecobius fasciatus WATEBHOUSE Trans, of the Zool. Soc. u. 2, 1838, 

 p. 149, PI. 27, 28, Mammal, i. PI. 14, fig. i, GOULD Mammal, of Austr. 

 I. PI. 10 ; a little animal of the size of a squirrel, grey-brown, with almost 

 red feet, on the back dark-brown with white transverse bands. It is found 

 in Western Australia and is supposed to live on insects, especially on ants. 



Family VII. Pedimana WAGN. Incisors, canines and molars 

 in both jaws; incisors-^-. Feet pentadactylous, the posterior a 



hand, with pollex apart, opposable to the other fingers, clawless, 

 broad. 



Didelphis L. Canine teeth long, curved, acuminate. Molars 



7 7 4 4 



- = , true j -7 cuspidate. Head produced, with gape of mouth 



large, produced as far as under the outer angle of eye. Bristles 

 few, very long at the nostrils and lips. Tail furred at the base, 

 elsewhere somewhat naked, scaly. 



The proper pouch-animal, opossum, le sarigue. This numerous genus is 

 peculiar to America, and, indeed (with the exception of two or three 

 species) to South America, and represents there the Coescoes of India and 

 the Dasyures of New Holland. These animals eat all kinds of food, 

 principally insects, small birds and their eggs, reptiles, &c. and also fruits. 

 Animals of this genus lived in the tertiary period ; a nearly perfect skele- 

 ton of an opossum has been found in the gypsum of Paris ; see CUVIEB 

 Ann. du Mus. v. pp. 277 292, PI. 19. 



Didelphis (in stricter sense). All the toes free. 



f With, mamm<e situated between two cutaneous folds of the abdomen, in 

 place of a pouch. 



a) With tail short, ears short (Habitus nearly of Sorex). 



Sp. Didelphis tristriata KUHL, WATERHOUSE Nat. Libr. PL 3 ; Didelphis 

 tricolor GEOFFB. DESM., Didelphis orachyura PALLAS A ct. Petrop. 1780, 

 u. p. 235, Tab. 5, BUFF. Hist, not., Suppl. vn. p. 252, Tab. 61; Guyana; 



