lelong/i/g tu tlie Order Rodentia. 127 



objects, carrying its food to its mouth, &c., and the facility with which it 

 executes such functions is still farther increased by the development of the 

 tarsus, which affords it a secure base to sit upright whilst the hands are em- 

 ployed in these operations. 



This species is about the size of a small Rabbit : it has a short, round, and 

 remarkably convex head, large, full, black eyes, directed laterally, anil an 

 abundance of long, stiff' moustaches, nearly twice the length of the head, and 

 of an uniform black colour. The colour of the body is uniform asliy brown 

 on the upper parts, of a shade not very different from that of the Wild Rabbit, 

 but rather lighter and clearer; the breast, belly, and paws are white ; the ears 

 are long, erect and of an oval form, rounded at the extremity, and nearly 

 naked both on the external and internal surface, not unlike those of the 

 Rabbit in appearance, but rather shorter in proportion to the size of the 

 animal. The texture of the fur is long, close, and soft ; it is of a beautiftd 

 deep ash colour at the base, and throughout three fourths of its length, but is 

 tipped with light brown ; and it is this latter shade which gives the general 

 tone of colouring to the upper and outer parts of the body. The tail is as 

 long as the head and body together, slender for the size of the aniuial, but of 

 an uniform thickness throughout its entire length, and everywhere covered 

 M'ith longisli hair, of a dark brown colour above, white beneath, and shaded 

 towards each side so as to give it the appearance of being flattened above, and 

 fringed along the margins ; the tip, though not terminated by a white brush, 

 has something of that appearance, from the long white hairs of the under 

 surface projecting over it. 



The only information which I can supply with regard to the habits and 

 economy of the Comhirus coustriictar, is contained in the following interesting 

 extract from the Journal of Major Mitchell, who met with the animal in 

 various parts of the interior, and more particularly along the banks of the 

 river Darling, where he informs me that it is not uncommon. 



"We had frequently," says this gentleman, "during the course of our travels, 

 remarked large piles of dry sticks and brushwood, each of them enough to 

 make two or three good cart-loads, collected and heaped together in different 

 situations, and evidently designed for some particular purpose. For a long time 

 we imagined them to be the M'ork of the natives, who are in the habit of com- 



