KODENTIA— GEOMYID^}— THOMOMTS TALPOIDES UMBUINUS. 113 



along the fore border is an inch, along the opposite border much less. The 

 length of the slit leading into the pouch is an inch. These dimensions are 

 as they appear in the dried state ; in life, it will be remembered, the parts 

 are very mobile and distensible. The pouch is thickly furry on the side 

 next the body, more thinly so on the opposite wall. The whiskers are 

 numerous, the longest about equaling the head, and so extremely delicate 

 that they are best seen held up to the light. The eye is minute, about two- 

 tenths long. The ear appears chiefly as a slight circular raised border, and 

 is little larger than the eye. Of the fore feet, the third claw is the longest, 

 about half the total length of the foot ; the second and fourth are subequal, 

 and about a tenth of an inch shorter ; the fifth does not reach half way to 

 the end of the fourth ; the first does not attain the base of the second. All 

 are much compressed, curved, and acute. The palm is naked ; the back of 

 the hand is clothed with bristly hairs, the longer of which overhang the 

 bases of the claws. The soles are naked, like the palms ; the hind foot is 

 contained about two and a half times in the length of the tail ; the second 

 and third digits, with claws, are longest and subequal to each other ; the 

 fourth is considerably shorter ; the first and fifth much shorter still ; the latter 

 rather the shortest. The tail is cylindric-tapering, without much enlarge- 

 ment at the extreme base. It is well clothed with short hairs, and con- 

 tained about 2? times in the length of head of and body. 



On viewing a dried specimen, with everted pouches, the most striking 

 feature of coloration is observed in the contrast between the nearly pure 

 white lining of the pouches and the sooty -blackish of the face. On the side 

 next the body, where the pouches are most furry, they look quite white ; 

 less so on the opposite walls, where the skin shows through the scant hairs. 

 The middle parts of the head above the snout, cheeks, and chin are sooty- 

 blackish ; in some specimens with a white throat-patch {confer Richardson) ; 

 in others without this. This sooty color is prolonged over the nape as an 

 obscure dark median band, and also particularly tinges the auricular region 

 and temples. The general coloration is difficult of description, and varies, 

 too, in different specimens. Selecting the most heavily colored example, 

 No. 730, it is seen to be of a rich, ruddy-brown or reddish-chestnut, brightest 



on the sides, where it is almost " red ", obscured on the back with sooty- 

 8 z 



