1903.] MAMMALS FROM BRITISH NEW GUINEA. 201 



of about equal extent; interorbital region broad, scarcely con- 

 cave, its edges thickened, but without distinct beading ; palatal 

 foramina minute, narrow, of about the same length as m.^ ; 

 anterior palate concave mesially, with swollen ridges laterally ; 

 posterior palate extending behind m.'' a distance equal to the 

 length of m.^ Bullae small, smooth. 



Dimensions of the type, measured in skin : — ■ 



Head and body 300 mm. ; tail 320 ; hind foot (s. u.) 60 ; ear 24. 



Skull— greatest length 68 mm. ; basilar length 65 ; greate>st 

 breadth 35; nasals 27x8-6; interorbital breadth 11-3; inter- 

 parietal 8-3 X 14-5; zygomatic plate 9*2; palate, length 33; 

 diastema 20 ; palatal foramina 3-7 X 3-1 ; length of upper molar 

 series 10-2, breadth of m.^ 3-1. Upper incisors, combined breadth 

 4-7, depth 4-9 ; lower incisors, combined breadth 2-4, depth 5-3. 



Hah. Avera, Aroa River, British New Guinea. 



Type. Male. B.M. No. 3.12.1.10. Collected by A. S. Meek. 

 Two specimens, male and female. 



So like was this Rat to the large Papuan Uromys^ of which 

 Mr. Meek also obtained examples, that it was taken for the 

 same species until a closer examination showed its many peculiar 

 characters. Externally, indeed, it could only be distinguished by 

 its rather darker colour and its slightly hairy tail. 



It would be of interest to find out what this Rat fed on to 

 account for the peculiarities of its dentition. Perhaps hard- 

 shelled nuts, such as cocoanuts, might demand these powerful 

 cutting-incisors, while the small and delicate molars would be 

 sufficient to deal with the soft contents. 



Perameles ornata, sp. n. 



A small species with prominent black markings. 



Essential characters all very much as in P. longicauda Peters 

 & Doria *, to whose immediate neighbourhood it is brought by 

 all the characters used in the synopses of species, both external 

 and cranial, of the ' Catalogue of Marsupials ' t. Coloration, 

 however, quite unique, for with a pale brown general body- 

 colour there is a prominent deep black mesial line running from 

 the muzzle down the back to the base of the tail ; this line 

 commences between the eyes, broadens to about half an inch on 

 the crown and nape, narrows on the anterior back, and broadens 

 again on the rump. Thi-ough each eye theie is also a black 

 streak, starting at the root of the whiskers, and running to the 

 base of the eai-s ; between the median and lateral dark bands 

 the head is grizzled whitish. Under surface dull creamy whitish 

 throughout, not sharply defined laterally. Rump with an addi- 

 tional black line on each side, running downwards parallel to the 

 mesial line and passing on to the back of the hind legs. Ears 

 of medium length, rounded, dark brown, a small blackish mark 

 behind their posterior bases ; metatragus short, triangular. Arms 



* Ann. Mus. Genov. xvi. p. 672 (1881). 

 t P. 229 (1888). 



