DASVURIDE 139 
rinus, Tasmania and Victoria; D. geoffroyi, nearly all Australia ; 
D. hallucatus, North Australia; D. albopunctatus, New Guinea. 
Remains referred to D. viverrinus occur in the Australian Pleis- 
tocene deposits. 
Phascologale1—This genus comprises a considerable number of 
small Marsupials, none of them exceeding a common Rat in size, 
differing from the Dasyures in possessing an additional pre- 
molar—the dentition being 7 $,¢4+,p3, m4; total 46,—and having 
the teeth generally developed upon an insectivorous rather than a 
carnivorous pattern, the upper middle incisors being larger and 
inclined forwards, the canines relatively smaller, and the molars 
with broad crowns, armed with prickly tubercles. The muzzle is 
pointed. Ears moderately rounded and nearly naked. Feet broad 
and short. Fore feet with five subequal toes, having compressed, 
slightly curved, pointed claws. Hind feet with the four outer toes 
subequal, having claws similar to those in the fore feet; the hallux 
always distinct and partially opposable, though small and nailless. 
Tail long, very variable in its covering, being either bushy, crested, 
or nearly naked. Pouch represented merely by a few folds of skin. 
Mamme varying from four to ten in number. The food of these 
animals is almost entirely insects ; some species pursuing their prey 
among the branches of trees, while others are purely terrestrial. 
They are found throughout Australia, and also in New Guinea and 
the Aru and some of the adjacent islands. 
P. cristicaudata, a species with a thick compressed tail orna- 
mented upon its apical half with a crest of black hair, differs from the 
others by the very reduced size of the fourth premolar in the upper, 
and its complete absence in the lower jaw, thus forming an interest- 
ing transition in dentition towards Dasyurus. It constitutes the 
genus Cheetocercus of Krefft, but is included by Mr. O. Thomas in 
Phascologale, the frequent absence of the fourth lower premolar in 
P. thorbeckiana indicating that the total absence of this tooth in the 
known specimens of this species cannot be regarded as of generic 
importance. All the members of this and the two following genera 
can be at once distinguished from Dasyurus by the absence of white 
spots on the fur. 
Sminthopsis.2— The genus Sminthopsis includes several small 
species allied to Phascologale but characterised by the narrowness 
of the hind foot, and by the soles of the feet being either granulated 
or hairy, instead of naked. 
Antechinomys.2—The last genus of the Dasyurine is Antechinomys, 
represented only by 4. laniger of Queensland and New South Wales. 
This elegant little mouse-like creature, which has large oval ears and 
1 Temminck, Monographies de Mammalogiec, vol. i. p. 56 (1827). 
2 Thomas, dann. Mus. Genov. ser. 2, vol. iv. p. 503 (1887). 
3 Krefft, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1866, p. 434. 
