3. DASTUETTS. 



267 



fourths coloured like the back, but wholly without white spots ; its 

 tip white, forming a prominent white pencil. Mammse 6. 



SJcuil rather lightly buUt, with a narrow slender muzzle. Nasals 

 evenly broadening backwards, their greatest about twice their 

 least breadth. Interorbital space rounded, depressed in the middle 

 line, its edges thickened, but not forming postorbital projections. 

 Intertemporal constriction usually less marked than in D. maett- 

 latus. Palatal foramen extending backwards to the centre of the 

 canine. Posterior palate usually fairly perfect, the vacuities mostly 

 very small. BuUse large and prominent, hemispherical. 



Teeth as usual. Combined lengths of first three molars from 15 

 to 17 mUlim. Upper m.* usually broader and heavier antero- 

 posteriorly than in D. geoffroyi. 



a (stuffed). k. 



Adult. Adult, 



millim. miUim, 



Head and body 440 (c) 400 



TaH 290 210 



Hind foot 65 60 



Ear 28 27 



Skull, see p. 272. 



Hob. Colonies of South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, 

 and Tasmania. 



Type not in existence. 



The great freq^uency with which black semi-melanistic specimens 

 occur in this species is a very remarkable and noteworthy fact, 

 especially as the black colour does not afi'ect the body-spots, which 

 are present in their usual position and number as much in the 

 black as in the ordinary specimens. The tuft at the end of the tail, 

 however, usually white, is, like the rest of that organ, wholly black. 



The two forms were long, and perhaps naturally, thought to 

 represent two distinct species, but Mr. Gould in 1840 satisfactorily 

 proved their identity by stating that he had himself found speci- 

 mens of both the black and grey varieties in the same litter. 



a. *Ad. St., cf- Liverpool Plains, N.S.W. Gould Coll. 



6.* Imm.sk. Maitlaud, N. S. W. Gould CoU. 



c. Yg. St. Gould CoU. 



d. Skeleton. Garden Island, Port Jack- F. M. Rayner, Esq . 



son, N. 8. W. {Voy. 

 'Herald'). 



e. Skull. New Sduth Wales. Purchased. 



f. a. Ad. (S & ye. st. South Australia. Sir George Grey 

 ■''" [P.&d]. 



h. Yg. St. South Australia. Purchased. 



i. *Ad. sk., ? , 14/11/38. Richmond, near Hobart, Gould Coll. 

 Tasmania. 



* Specimens marked with an asterisk belong to the black melanistic form. 



