PETAURUS TAGUANOIDES. 283 



TAGUAN PETAURUS, OR FLYING OPOSSUM, 



Petaurus Taguanoides* 



PLATE XXVII. 

 Petaurus, or Petaurista, Taguanoides, Desm. Mamm. p. 269. 



Head very sLort ; ears tolerably large, entirely 

 covered externally, (with the exception of a very 

 narrow space at the apical portion,) with long dense 

 fur like that of the head ; tail longer than the head 

 and body taken together, cylindrical, average diameter 

 (including the fur) about 2 inches ; flank membrane 

 terminating apparently at the elbow, and on the hind- 

 er legs extending to the base of the thumb ; fur im- 

 mensely long, loose, and soft, average length on the 

 back about 2 inches ; general colour brownish-black ; 

 on the head and back of ears brownish ; the feet and 

 muzzle are almost black ; the hairs covering the flank 

 membrane above are annulated with brownish white 

 near the point, giving to this part a grizzled appear- 

 ance ; throat, chest, the whole under parts of the 

 body and flank membrane, and the inner side of the 

 limbs impure white ; the long hairs on the back of the 

 ear, near, and at the lower margin, are white, or 

 whitish, and form a conspicuous fringe ; the hairs 

 covering the hind-feet, and along the back of the leg 

 to the root of the tail are very long ; the tail is of a 

 brownish-black colour, but is almost always paler at 

 the root, and for a considerable space along the under 

 surface here the hairs are sometimes whitish and at 

 others brown- white or yellowish. 



