2. PEEAMELEB. 247 



(1862) ; Zreffi, Austr. Vert. p. 13 (1871) ; ScMeg. Dierent. p. 164 

 (1872). 

 Perameles arenaria, Oould, P. Z. S. 1844, p. 104. 



Stkiped Bahdicoot. 



Size small, form, light and deHoate. Fur coarse, but not spiny, 

 except very slightly on the sides of the body. Underfur thick and 

 close, slaty grey. General colour grizzled olive-grey ; rump more 

 or less striped. Muzzle long and slender. Ears (PI. XXI. fig. 7) 

 long, narrow, pointed, laid forward they reach from 6 to 8 millim. 

 beyond the anterior canthus of the eye, their backs greyish flesh- 

 colour, slightly darker on the anterior part of their terminal half; 

 metatragus broadly triangular, about as long as broad, its tip thinly 

 haired. Head and back grizzled grey, the hairs tipped either with 

 black or duU orange. Sides of rump with a tendency to a similar 

 striping to that of P. gunni, but this, in the present variety, very 

 indistinct, only a single darker, bounded by two lighter vertical 

 bands generally visible. Chin, chest, and belly white. Outsides of 

 forearms and backs of legs dark grey ; rest of limbs white. Soles 

 (PI. XXI. fig. 8) hairy, black posteriorly ; naked, granulated, flesh- 

 coloured anteriorly ; well-defined round pads at the bases of the 

 fourth and fifth toes. Tail nearly half the length of the head and 

 body, rather thick at its base, but contracting abruptly in the 

 middle, distinctly bicolor, brown above and white below for its 

 whole length. Mammae 8. 



Shall light and delicate ; muzzle long and narrow, tapering less 

 evenly than usual, more abruptly contracted opposite p.^ ' Length 

 of nasals from 5 to 6 times their greatest width. Interorbital 

 region as in P. nctsuta. Anterior portion of zygoma broadened and 

 partially twisted outwards. Palate imperfect as in P. gunni, the 

 anterior palatine foramina extending to halfway between i.° and 

 the canine ; middle pair of vacuities running from just behind the 

 canine to p.? ; posterior pair large and open, opposite p.* to the 

 end of m.^ In addition the palate opposite m.^ and m.* is perforated 

 with numerous small irregular vacuities. Foramm rotvmdwn partially 

 tubular behind. BuUse rounded, hemispherical, transparent, com- 

 pletely ossified ; their antero-external rather greater than their 

 antero-internal diameter. 



Teeth small and light, their proportions as in P. nasuta, except 

 that the canines are small and feeble as in P. gunni. 



Dimensions. 



<?.. ?. 



a (in spirit). b (in spirit). 



Adult. Adult. 



millim, millim. 



Head and body 222 216 



Tail 106 108 



Hind foot 52 52 



Muzzle to eye 42 41 



Ear 34 34 



Skull, see p. 249. 



