220 



PBKAMELID^. 



. 3 ._i 



4' 



M. ^144x2 



rudimentary or absent, second and third toes slender, united; 

 fourth the largest, long, and with a large claw; fifth small, but 

 always present and clawed. Ungual phalanges cleft, as in Manis. 

 Clavicles absent. Tail long, hairy, not prehensile*. Stomach 

 simple. Cteoum present. Pouch present, opening backwards. 



Dentition : — i. ^7-2":":^ ' ^' i' "• iToT 



=46 or 48. 



TeetJi rooted, sharp, cutting, insectivorous f. Upper incisors 

 flattened, subequal. Lower incisors proclivous, the roots of i.' and 

 i.2 not covered by bone. Canines slender and pointed. Premolars 

 narrow, simply pointed. Molars quadrate or triangular, multi- 

 cuspid. Tooth-change always present, the milk-p.' functional 

 and long-persistent. 



Kg. 5. 





PeroMeUs ohesula. — Jaw3 and hind foot, showing combination of polyprotodont 

 dentition with syndactyly. 



Bange. Papuan and Australian subregions. 



This family is a very distinct and sharply- defined one, its only 

 ally being the Basijuridce, from which it diflxjrs in many important 

 respects. Owing to the syndactyly of the hind feet of its members, 

 it has been commonly considered as forming a connecting link 

 between the Polyprotodonts and Diprotodouts ; but, judging from the 

 wholly Polyprotodont character of the rest of their organization, 

 even down to the structure of their carpal and tarsal bones, all of 

 which show far greater resemblances to the Dasj/uridce than to the 

 Pludanijeridce, it seems probable that this presumption is wrong, 

 and that their syndactyly has arisen entirely independently of that 

 of the Diprotodonts, a view under which we should look upon the 



* Said to be slightly prehensile in Peramoles hroadbcnti only, 

 t The molars roundt^l and somii-rooted in Prraf/r//r ^ar/nf/s only. 



