110 HORN EXPI'iDITION XAItRATIVK. 



only a .single inniinturo .spoi-iiiicn of wliicli has as yot- l>ocn (losciihcil hy Mr. rjldlicld 

 Tliomas. The exact locality of th(^ latt(M- species is doulitful, tlioui;li jirol)al)ly i( 

 came from Central Austraiin, and Mr. I>yrne who has carefully enquired into the 

 matter thinks it possible that the lilacks ai'e acquainted with it in tlie neighbour- 

 hood of Charlotte Waters ; hut- on this point he cannot feel quite cei'tain. 



Mr. r>yrne has however made an interesting disco\ei-y in the form of a new 

 species of Poragale. The specimens in question are of much smnllei- size than P. 

 /a_i^(ifis and are also of a darker colour, whilst Mi". Thomas' sjieciuien of P. /ci/nira 

 is characterized 1)y its almost white colour. 



The new species is of about the size of a small rabbit with long dark grey 

 silky hail- ; it has the ciiai'actfu-istic long ears ;ind white tip to the l,ail but the 

 latter i.s nothing like .so strikingly marked as in the case of the larger speiries P. 

 /agofis. The natives distinguish clearly between the two, calling the larger one 

 Urgatta and the smaller Urpila. 



Thanks also to Mr. liyrne and ]\Tr. (iillen a new species of the allied genus 

 Pei'ameles has been discovered both on tlie P.urt Plains, near the Mel^onnell 

 Ranges and at Charlotte Waters. It is e\ idently more closely allied to the striped 

 bandicoot' (/*. />oui:;ai>ivi/Ici) than to any other and is called " Mulgai'-ucjuirra " by 

 the natives at Alice Springs and "Iwurra" by tho.se at Charlotte Waters. 



The specimens of Urpila and Iwurra came from about forty miles north- 

 east of Charlotte Water.s, and Mr. Byrne has sent me the following notes with 

 regard to their liabits, and those of the Urgatta and Chceropus ; — " Whilst the 

 Urgatta occupies the inner extremity of his burrow, the Urpila during the cold 

 weather lies within a foot or so of the entrance of his, and only use.s the inner 

 chamber during the summer. Tiiis peculiai'ity is taken advantage of l)y the 

 natives who spring on the surface of the ground behind the Urpila breaking it in, 

 and so cutting off his retreat to the inner chaml^er. He is thus compelled to rush 

 out through the entrance where a native is waiting to give him his quietus. The 

 Urgatta cannot be captured in this way, and has to be dug right out. Both 

 .species are nocturnal. The Twui'ra and Tubaija (Cha-ropus) are identical in their 

 habits, and build similar nests of grass and twigs in shallow, oval hollows scooped 

 in the ground. They ;ire captured in the same way, viz, by placing one foot on 

 tlie nest pinning tin' animal down, and then pulling it out with the hand." 



From the camp l)y the Finke in tlie Horn Valley we travelled south, following 

 the course of the livei- across the wide Missionary Plains which lie lietween th(> 

 South McDonnell Ranges on the north, and the KrichauiF Range in tiie south, the 



