PHALANGERS 235 



clinging to her back. The species derives its name from its superficial resemblance 

 to a small fox. In colour its thick fur is grey above and yellowish white under- 

 neath, with the bases of the ears white and the tail black. It inhabits the forests 

 of the mainland, with the exception of Cape York Peninsula ; its Tasmanian repre- 

 sentative (T. v. fwliginosus) is larger and more stoutly built, with longer hair, of a 

 browner or redder tint, and has little or no white on the ears. In both races the 

 ears are long and narrow. The short-eared phalanger (T. caninws), which has 

 smaller and more rounded ears, is a native of southern Queensland and New South 

 Wales, where it frequents the scrub in preference to trees. It is a nocturnal animal, 

 closely resembling the common species in habits. 



King-tailed Nearly allied are the ring-tailed phalangers, or opossums, also 



Pnaiangers. known as crescent-toothed phalangers, from the crescent-shaped 

 cusps on the crowns of the cheek-teeth. The members of this group, which inhabit 

 Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, differ from the true phalangers not only in 

 outward appearance, but in the absence of a gland on the chest, and in the first toe 

 of the fore-paws being opposable to the others. With the exception of the yellow 

 phalanger (Pseudochirus archeri), the Australian and Tasmanian species are 

 characterised by the medium size of the ears, in which the length exceeds the 

 breadth, whereas in the yellow phalanger and the Papuan species the ears are 

 short and broad. The Papuan members of the group also lack a white tip to 

 the tail, which is present in all the Australian and Tasmanian species except 

 P. lemuroides. 



Flying- As an example of the flying members of the group, mention may 



Phalanger. }j e ma de of the flying-phalanger (Petauroides volans) of Queensland 

 and Victoria, which is furnished with a flying-membrane similar to that of the 

 flying-squirrels. Practically this animal is a phalanger with a membrane for 

 flight, the dentition and the structure of the skull as well as the tail being of the 

 same type as in the ring-tailed phalanger. Outwardly the flying-phalanger is 

 distinguished by its long silky hair — dark brown above and white below — its thickly 

 haired ears, and especially by the flying-membrane, which extends from the fore- 

 foot to the ankle, but becomes much narrowed on the fore-arm and lower part of 

 the leg. Locally it is known as the taguan flying-squirrel, and is the largest of 

 the flying-phalangers. 



striped The handsome striped phalanger (Dactylopsila trivirgata), so- 



Phaianger. called on account of the broad, black and white stripes running down 

 the back, has the tail of the same type as the last two groups, but is provided with 

 an unusually long fourth front toe, supposed to be used for extracting insects and 

 their larvae from beneath the bark of trees. 



Squirrel- A small species peculiar to Victoria, known as the squirrel- 



Phaianger. phalanger (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri), is nearly related to the next 

 group of flying-phalangers, almost the only difference being the absence of a flying- 

 membrane. 

 Squirrel Flying- The squirrel flying-phalangers are small or medium-sized mar- 



Phaiangers. supials, with a broad membrane, extending from the extremity of the 

 fore-foot to the ankle, by means of which they are carried f'6r long distances 

 through the air. Among these, the yellow-bellied flying-phalanger (Petaxirus 



