278 DASTUKID^. 



Interorbital space broad and smooth, its edges rounded, parallel. 

 Anterior palatine foramen short, barely reaching to the level of the 

 front of the canines. Posterior palate with a pair of large vacuities 

 opposite m." and m.^, and with a second much smaller pair behind 

 them, halfway towards the back of the palate. Bullae evenly 

 rounded, prominent, their mastoid portion not much swollen. 



TeetTi (PI. XXV. fig. 1). Upper incisors slender, cylindrical, the 

 lateral ones subequal, scarcely flattened. P.'' twice the size of p.^ 

 P.* very small, cylindrical, single-rooted. Lower incisors subequal ; 

 i.' and i.' of about the same size, slightly larger than i.^ Canine 

 without a posterior basal ledge. Relative proportions of lower pre- 

 molars like those of upper. M.' narrowed in front, with scarcely a 

 trace of the antero-interual secondary cusp. 



Milk-premolar not known, but, if present at all, certainly very 

 soon deciduous. 



Bimensions. 



3. ?. 



a (in al.). e (skin). 



Barely adult. Adult. 



miUim. millim. 



Head and body Ill (c.) 120 



Tail 89 85 



Hind foot 23-5 21 



Ear 8-8 8 



Skull, see p. 299. 



Hdb. Queensland* and Western Australia. 



Type in collection. 



In their dental characters this species and its close aUy Ph. cristi- 

 ccmdata stand somewhat apart from the rest, and show an approach 

 towards Dasyurug. There does not, however, seem to be sufficient 

 reason for the foundation of a separate genus for their reception, as 

 was done by Krefft, since several of the Papuan species, notably 

 Ph. thorheckiana and Ph. dorice, form connecting-links between them 

 and the remainder of the genus. 



a. Imm. al., cJ • Albany, West Australia. Purchased. 



, j Ad. at. I J, Victoria Plains, W. A. (J. Gould CoU. 

 "■ ) Skull, f °- Gilbert). 



c. Ad. sk., $ . Victoria Plains, W. A. (J. Gould Coll. 



Oilbert). 



d. Ad. skull. West Australia (J. Gilbert). Gould CoU. 

 g i Ad. sk. I o Purchased. 



■ I Skull, j + ■ (Type of species.) 



3. Fhascologale thorbeckiana. 



Phascogale melas, Schkg. 8r Miill. Verh. Nat. Ges. Ned. p. 149, 

 pi. XXV. (animal & skull) (1839-44) ; Wagn. Schr. Sdug. Svpp. iii. 



* Krefft records the species from Bockhampton, and two young specimens 

 from Queensland, sent to me for determination by Mr. De Vis, appear certainly 

 to belong to it. 



