435 



I. Sarigue, with ten incisors, the middle a little the longest, in the upper 

 jaw, and eight in the lower jaw ; the .canine teeth long and pointed ; the 

 tail naked and prehensile. Here he places the following species : 1 . Di- 

 delphis marsupialis and cardrwpfiaga, Linn, ; Did. virginiana, Penn. Did. 

 opossum, Linn. Did. inurina, Linn. Did. cayopollin and dorsigera, Linn. 

 Did. brachiura, Did. memina. 



II. Dasyure, with eight incisors above, and six below: a tail furnished 

 with long hair, and not prehensile. The only species which is referred 

 here is Did. macuata. 



III. Phalanger, with six incisors above, and two long below, directed 

 horizontally forwards ; three or four canine below, hardly passing out of 

 the gums : the second and third toes of the hind feet, and sometimes the 

 fourth, joined together to the claw. Here are brought Did. orientalis and 

 Did. volans. 



M. Cuvier agrees with Dr. Shaw in separating the kanguroos from the 

 genus Didelphis. 



From the elevation of the coronoid apophysis above the condyle, and 

 the sharp projection formed by the posterior angle of the lower jaw, 

 M. Cuvier drew his first inference, that this fossil animal belonged to the 

 order of carnivorous animals. 



The elevation of the condyle much above the horizontal line on which 

 the teeth are placed, prevents these remains from being attributed to the 

 carnivorous animals with teeth with a cutting edge, such as the dog, cat, 

 ichneumon, weasel, badger, &c. which have the condyle nearly in a line 

 with the teeth. This circumstance brings this fossil animal among the 

 small pcdimanes or plantigrades, or among the insectivorous animals gene- 

 rally, and this we shall see confirmed by its teeth. But the hedgehog, 

 the shrew, the mole, the didelplds, and some of the bats, have their con- 

 dyles placed in a similar manner. 



The great height and width of the coronoidal apophysis referred these 

 remains more particularly to the subgenus or species Sarigue. The mole 

 has it as wide, but it is lower, and placed in a different direction : 



