1877.] ON RODENTS ETC. FROM DUKE-OF-VORK ISLAND. 743 



9. Supplementary Note on Rodents and Marsupials from 

 Duke-of-York Island and New Ireland. By Edward 

 R. Alston, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. 



[Received October 6, 1877-] 



In the first part of our 'Proceedings' for this year' I described 

 the Rodents and Marsupials sent by the Rev. G. Brown from Duke-of- 

 York Island and the Ticinity. Mr. E. Pierson-Ramsay, F.L.S., Cura- 

 tor of the Australian Museum at Sydney, has, it appears, described 

 the same species in the ' Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New 

 South Wales ; ' and, as our works have thus clashed, it seems ad- 

 visable to prevent any future confusion as to synonymy. 



The parts of the New South Wales ' Proceedings' bear no date ; 

 but ' vol. i. pt. 4 ' reached England early in June, and therefore has 

 clearly priority of our first part, published on the first of that 

 month. Here Mr. Pierson-Ramsay describes the Kangaroo and 

 Perameles of New Ireland under the names Halmaturus brownii 

 and Perameles cockerelli. The former is, of course, my Macropus 

 lugens ; and I unhesitatingly withdraw the specific title in favour of 

 Mr. Ramsay's name. The latter is the species which I identified 

 with P. doreyanus, an opinion which I see no reason to change. 



Thethirdof Mr. Pierson-Ramsay 's papers appears in "vol. ii.pt. 1" 

 of the same periodical, which is clearly subsequent in date of pub- 

 lication to our first part ; for it contains papers read at a meeting of 

 the Society on the 25th June. Consequently Mr. Ramsay's Musi 

 echimyoides and Mus musavora must be regarded as synonyms of 

 my Mus browni and Uromys rufescens respectively. 



The following, therefore, is the synonymy of the new species 

 described by both Mr. Pierson-Ramsay and myself, with the more 

 exact information as to locality &c. which is afforded by his papers. 



1 . Mus BROWNI. 



Mus browni, Alston, P.Z. S. 1877, p. 123. 



Mus? echimyoides, Pierson-Ramsay, P. Linn. Soc. N. S. W., ii. 

 p. 15. 



Ilab. Duke-of-York Island. " The young do not differ in colo- 

 ration from the adults ; sexes are alike in colour." 



2. Uromys rufescens. 



Uromys rufescens, Alston, torn. cit. p. 1 24, pi. xviii. 

 Mus musavora, Pierson-Ramsay, torn. cit. p. 16. 

 Hab. Duke-of-York Island, where it is found plentifully, feeding on 

 the plantain. " It is known to the missionaries as the Banana Rat." 



3. Macropus browni. 



Halmaturus brownii, Pierson-Ramsay, op. cit. i. p. 307. 

 Macropus lugens, Alston, torn. cit. p. 126, pi. xix. 

 Hab, New Ireland. Unfortunately Mr. Ramsay's specimen, like 

 ' Antca,^^. 123-126. 



