THE CHCEROPUS. 753 



md rather pleasing p; tern, the dark stripes being made more con- 

 spicuous by bands of whitish-yellow. These marks continue as far as 

 the root of the tail, and a single, narrow dark line runs along the whole 

 upper side of the tail, which is of the same color as the body. The fur is 

 rather light upon the head, and the under parts of the body, together 

 with the feet, are white, slightly tinged with gray. 



The LONG-NOSED BANDICOOT. Perameks nasuta, is not unlike the pre- 

 ceding animal in form. The face, head, and body are of a brown tint, 

 pencilled with black on the upper portions, and the sides are ol a pale 

 brown. The edge of the upper lip is white, as are also the under por- 

 tions of the body, and the fore-legs and feet. The fur is very harsh to 

 the touch. The total length of this animal is about twenty-one inches, 

 the tail being five inches in length. 



The genus contains eight species, one of which, Paramelcs Gunii, is 

 peculiar to New Guinea. 



GENUS CHCEROPUS. 



The solitary species of this genus is a very pretty little animal with 

 something of the appearance of the mouse-deer. The name, Cliceropus or 

 " Swine-footed," has been given to it from the iact that the fore-feet have 

 only two toes of equal length, with hoof-like claws, which leave a track 

 very much like that of the hog. 



The CHCEROPUS, Cliceropus castanotis (Plate LXII), is about equal in 

 size to a small rabbit, and the soft, woolly fur is much of the same color 

 as that of the common wild rabbit. 



It is an inhabitant of New South Wales. Its speed is considerable, 

 and its usual haunts are among the masses of dense scrub foliage that 

 cover so vast an extent of ground in its native country. Its nest is sim- 

 ilar to that of the Bandicoot, being made of dried grass and leaves rather 

 artistically put together, the grass, however, predominating. 



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