150 MR. R. COLLETT ON ECHIDNA ACANTHION. [Feb. 3, 



from Central and North Queensland in the years 1881-84', there 

 were nine specimens of the North-Queensland Echidna, all of them 

 collected in the district west of Rockhanipton, under 23" S. lat. 



I shall endeavour now to give some remarks on these specimens. 

 In my opinion there can he no doubt of their being different from 

 E. aculeuta ; and as they also seem to differ from E. laivesi. Rams., 

 from New Guinea, described in March 1877 (Proc. Linn. Soc. New 

 South Wales, vol. ii. p. 30), a species still only imperfectly known, 

 but to which they are, at any rate, very nearly related, I have thought 

 it best to give the North Queensland Echidna a special name ; 

 and at the last meeting of the Scientific Society of Christiania 

 (Dec. 14, 1884), I communicated its diagnosis and a brief description 

 of it under the name o{ E. acanthion. 



Echidna ACANTHION, Coll. 1884. 



TacJniglossus, sp. inc., Armit, Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xiv. (Zoolngv), 

 p. 411 (Cardwell district), 1878. 



Echidna hystrix, Murie, Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xiv. (Zoology), 

 p. 413 (Cardwell district), 1878. 



Tachyglossus lawesi, Ltk. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1884, p. 1.50 

 (unknown locality). 



Echidna acanthion, Collett, Forh. Vid. Selsk. Christ. 1884, no. 13, 

 pp. 1-12 (Rockhampton district), 1884. 



Diar/n. Snout of moderate length, or rather short, slightly bent 

 upwards, and to the length of the skull as 1 to 2-2;j. 



The skull, which is to the total length as 1 to about 4, is broadest 

 below, and more or less narrower towards the parietalia. The 

 breadth is to the length of the skull as 1 to 2"5. 



The dorsal spines are powerful and closely set, of unequal size ; 

 wliitish yellow with black tips ; some, which are longer than the 

 others, form irregular rows along the back, the rest being shorter, 

 with the black tip broader ; they begin midway between eye and 

 ear, and extend on the sides a little beyond the margin of the 

 belly. Flattish bristles, intermingled with hairs, cover the front, the 

 fore feet, and the belly. Breast and throat covered with hairs. The 

 hairs on the back very short and scarce. 



The soft parts of the body brownish black, sometim.es with a 

 clearer tint on the fore limbs ; in a young male the throat was 

 yellowish brown. 



The second claw on the hind foot is very long, the third short and 

 slender, being scarcely half the length of the second. 



Total length about 450 millim. 



Locality. Dr. Lumholtz informs me that he found this species 

 fairly well distributed over the eastern part of Central Queensland. 

 In the coast-range near Herbert river in North Queensland (18° S. 

 lat.) it was also common ; it occurs here in the ranges covered with 

 dense scrubs. It is called " Gombian " by the natives, and is tracked 

 by the tamed dingoes, and it is considered here, as everywhere else, 

 a great delicacy by reason of its fatness. 



' Vide Proc. Zool. Soc. 1884, p. 381 (and p. 406). 



