208 



NA TUSAL ITISTOR Y. 



SQUIRREL FLYING PHALANGEK. 



and the side membrane extends to the outer finger. They have the outer two fingers of the hand 

 long and equal to each other, or very nearly so ; the second and third fingers are distinctly shorter 

 than these ; and the inner finger is very short. Their dentition is Incisors, J ; canines, i=? ; pre- 

 molars, ?=? ; true molars, ^ = 40. The incisors of the lower jaw are, as usual, long and pointed, and 

 almost horizontal, whilst the upper incisors are large and dilated, so far as the anterior ones are 

 concerned, and the next is smaller than the hindmost. The canine is large, and separated from the 

 first premolar, which is large and compressed, and all the molars have rounded tubercles on them. 



The OPOSSUM MOUSE * of the colonists of New South Wales used to be common in. the neighbour- 

 hood of Port Jackson. It is about the size of a common Mouse, and of an ashy brown and grey colour 

 on the upper parts and on the flank membrane ; the rest is white. It belongs to the Flying Phalangers, 

 but its side membrane scarcely extends to the wrist, and the thumb of the hind foot is large. It has 

 only three true molars in each jaw on both sides, and the canine is close to the incisors. It forms 

 part of the sub-genus Acrobata, whilst those already mentioned constitute the sub-genus Belideus 

 (0eAos, a dart). Finally, the short-eared, white-bellied Taguan Phalanger of the scrub of New South 

 Wales is the type of the sub-genus Petaurus. 



GENUS TARSIPES. THE NOOLBENGER, OR TAIT.f 



This is an Australian curiosity amongst the Marsupials, and is a small, mouse-like thing, with 

 a long muzzle, small ears, long tongue, and very few teeth. Its dental formula is Incisors, 

 2 =? ; canines, ^ ; molars, |=j|. The fore and hind extremities have toes something like those of the 

 Lemur, called Tarsius (Vol. I., page 248). The fore feet have five smallish toes, each thickened at 

 the end, and a minute scale-like nail, which reaches neither the end nor sides of the toe. The hind 

 feet have five toes on each, and the innermost has the formation of a thumb, and is slender and 

 nailless. The second and third toes are veiy short, and are joined to the end and furnished with 

 small pointed nails, which are directed upwards almost at right angles to the plane of the toe ; and 

 the fourth toe is twice as long as the second and third. The fifth is shorter than the fourth, and 



Petaurus pyym&us. 



t Tarsij)es restrains. 



