DIDELPHYS LANIGERA. 99 



parts of the body ;* on the head is a narrow black 

 line, around the eye a deep cinnamon colour prevails ; 

 the space between the eye and the longitudinal mark 

 is of a bright brown colour ; ears naked, (excepting at 

 the base externally) and of a livid violet colour ; 

 naked portion of tail white. 



Length from nose to root of tail, 8 inches 8 lines; 

 tail, 13 inches 6 lines, of which 4-| inches, measuring 

 from the tip, is destitute of hair, the naked portion 

 on the under side is more extended, measuring 9 

 inches ; the circumference of the tail at its root is 

 1 isch 7 lines ; length of head, 2 inches 3 lines ; the 

 height of the ear is 1 inch, and the width 6 lines. 



A second specimen of this species was procured 

 by a friend of Azara's ; the description which that 

 friend furnished is as follows. The base of the fur 

 is pale grey (azuret) externally, it is whitish on the 

 under parts, especially between the legs ; the rest of 

 the fur is o f a chestnut colour, brighter on the head, 

 around the tyes and on the sides of the neck and 

 outer sides of the limbs ; on the forehead a longi- 

 tudinal blackish mark is observable. Habitat Caa- 



* This part of the original description is not very clear 



after describing the upper parts of the body, the sides, and 



, the limbs, Azara states, " et le reste du corps et brun-clair, et 



; le blanc domine beaucoup dans les parties infe'rieures et entre 



les quatre jambes." 



f- Azure is a pure colour, and as no pure or unmixed colours 

 are ever found in the fur of quadrupeds, I presume the author 

 must mean grey or pale grey. 



