1865.] DR. J. MURIE ON THE SPECIES OF PHASCOLOMYsS. 8149 
Indeed, after carefully comparing the skin, which I show you, 
with the large darker-coloured living animal, I feel quite satisfied as 
to the two being of one species; for, although the one at the 
Gardens is much the darker variety, it seems to me we have merely 
the same basis of brown tint in both, the living animal having more 
generally diffused blackish-tipped hairs distributed through it ; 
the colour is certainly not a pure black in the specimen named 
Phascolomys niger *. 
I may also add that when Dr. Gray saw the present brown skin, 
he recognized it as similar to that of the Wombat which he named 
P. angasti. © 
Apart from the immediate study of the skin, but yet in close 
connexion with it, I may be allowed for a moment to call attention 
to the casts of soles of the feet of the three species, which present 
gradations in dimensions corresponding to the size of the different 
animals, but they agree in the disposition of the pads and furrows. 
The following are the comparative admeasurements taken from 
the posterior part to the roots of the nails, the nails themselves 
being injured from the difficulty experienced in retaining the foot in 
steady position while the creature struggled to relieve itself :— 
Length. Breadth. 
in. lin. in. lin 
Fore foot, Hairy-nosed Wombat, P.latifrons. .. 2 5 Dares 
—, common species, P. wombat ........ Sa ee ee 
———, Black Wombat, P. platyrhinus(?) ... 3 3 Soe 
Hind foot, Hairy-nosed Wombat, P. latifrons .. 3 6 Lars 
—, common species, P. wombat ... ... 3 8 Tee! bt 
——, Black Wombat, P. platyrhinus (?) Sle 2 hs 
In this manner, from the comparative examination of skull and 
skin, we are driven to the conclusion that the original Phascolomys 
platyrhinus of Prof. Owen includes Dr. Gray’s species P. anagasit 
and Mr. Gould’s P. niger; so that there remains but one animal 
which there may still be a doubt respecting, namely, ‘‘the Big 
Yellow Fellow” of the natives of the Murray River (Mr. Gould’s 
P. latifrons and Dr. Gray’s P. setosus); but, after what I have 
shown in favour of a diminution of species, it is possible it may 
likewise only be found to be a light variety of P. platyrhinus. 
In further support of the probability of this last view, I exhibit 
to the Society the skin and skull of a young specimen of Wombat, 
which possess uncommon interest from the fact of their being the 
preserved parts of the specimen made mention of by Mr. Gould ; 
indeed they are neither more nor less than the same which he 
supposed to be a young Hairy-nosed Wombat, and the skull of 
which he showed to Mr. Flower, who, on comparison, rightly pro- 
nounced it to belong to an animal unlike the P. latifrons of Owen. 
To judge of this young skull we of course require to compare it 
with those of the different species; and taking that of P. lati- 
frons to commence with, it differs essentially from this in the 
* Gould’s ‘Mammals of Australia,’ vol. i. letterpress to pl. 60. 
Proc. Zoou. Soc.—1865, No. LY. 
