116 MACRO POBID^. 



Edb. Soutli Australia. 

 Type in collection. 



I Aeed sk. I , Soutli Australia. Sir G. Grey [P. & 0.]. 



"• ] Skull. '^^ (rypeoTspecies) 



r Imm. St. ) South Australia. Sir G. Grey [P. & C.]. 



*• "i Skull f ,-r, a...-, 



j Imm. sk. I South Australia. Sir G. Grey [P. & O.J. 



"• ) Skull. ( 



11. POTOROUS*. ^yp^ 



Potorous, Demi. N. Diet. as. N. (1) xxiv. Tahl, MHh. 



p. 20 (1804) P. tridactylua. 



Hypsiprymnus, III. Prodr. Syst. Mamm. p. 79 (1811). . P. tridactylus. 



Ehinarium naked, variable in its extent on the upperside of the 

 muzzle. Ears very short, rounded. Fore claws long, rather slender, 

 the median much longer than the outer ones. Hind feet very short, 

 the whole hind limb not disproportionally longer than the fore ; 

 soles nakedi coarsely granulated. Tail shorter than in Bettongia, 

 tapering, covered with short closely adpressed hairs and without any 

 trace of a crest. 



Skull lightly built, long and narrow, except in P. platyops. 

 Interorbital space broad, flat or slightly convex, its edges square, not 

 ridged, but in old age forming short postorbital processes. Anterior 

 palatine foramina very short. Palate with a single pair of rather small 

 vacuities opposite the posterior molars, and entirely confined to the 

 palatal bone. BuUse very slightly swollen, nearly flat. Lower jaw 

 long and slender, not strongly convex below. 



Denmwn :-I. |^, C. i, P. ',^^^„ M. 1^^^x2=34. 



Upper incisors small and light, i.' long and pointed. Canines 

 small and thin, compressed laterally. P.^ (PI. XIII.- fig. 12) long 

 and trenchant, though considerably shorter than in Bettongia ; 

 without trace of internal ledge or postero-internal talon, its outer 

 and inner surfaces with from two to four shallow vertical grooves. 

 Deciduous p." similar but smaller. Molars quadrangular and qnadri- 

 tubercular, evenly but slightly decreasing iri size backwards, except 

 that m.^ is generally rather smaller than m.'' Lower incisors very 

 long and slender. 



Mange. Australia (south of the tropics) and Tasmania. 



As would be inferred from the decreased size of their hind feet, 

 the members of this genus are far less saltatorial in their method of 

 progression than any of the preceding Macropodidce. This difference 

 is thus described by Mr. Gould, on the authority of Mr. Richter :-^ 



* By no poBBible interpretation of the rules of nomenclature can the familiar 

 name oi Hypsmrymniis be used instead of Poiorotjs, the latter name having been 

 superseded in favour of the former by Ilhger without the slightest justification. 

 That change, although protested against by Desmarest, has been accepted vpithout 

 inquiry by the great majority of authors. 



