300 ■DA.BTnS.JDM. 



The smaller species of this genus present unusual difficulty in 

 their discrimination, and the present arrangement must be looked 

 upon as merely provisional until a larger number of specimens 

 properly preserved in spirit are available for examination. 



Synopsis of Spedes. 



I. External Chabacteks. 



A. Face -with well-defined dark stripes. Size 



large, head and body, and tail, each 



more than 110 millim. long 1, S. ■mrgimxe, p. 300. 



B. Face not, or very indistinctly striped. 



Size smaller, neither head and body, 

 nor tail, attaining 110 millim. 

 a. Soles with distinct transversely striated 



pads , 2. iS. hucopas, p. 302. 



6. Soles without striated pads ; with gra^ 

 nulated projections only, 

 a^. Tail thin, not incrassated. Mammse 

 8. Sole naked and granulated 



nearly to the heel 3. <S. taurina, p. 803. 



6^. Tail short, incrassated. MammEe 10. 

 Distal half of sole only naked and 

 granulated 4. 8. erassicavdata, p. 308. 



II. Ceanial Chakaotbes *. 



A. SkuU broad and stout. Canines long. 



Eudimentary postorbital processes pre- 

 sent fl. S. virginiee, p. 300. 



B. Skull long and narrow. Canines short. 



No trace of postorbital processes. 

 a. Premolars separate; upper p." dispro- 

 tionally larger than the subequal p.^ 



and p.^ 2. S. leucopus, p. 302. 



6, Premolars touching one another, the 

 upper ones evenly increasing in size 

 backwards. 

 a^. SkuU larger and stouter. Canines 



of medium size 3. jS. murina, p. 303. 



6^. Skull smaller and more delicate. 



Canines very small 4, & crassicaudata, p. 306. 



1. Sminthopsis virgiuisB. 



Phascologale virgimae, De Tarragon, Hev. Zool. 1847, p. 177 ; Collett, 

 P. Z. 8. 1886, p. 648, pi. Ix. (animal, skuU, and teeth) ; TTios. Ann. 



* Owing to the close resemblance existing between the skulls and teeth of the 

 different species of Sminthopsis it has been found impossible to mate this 

 synopsis very definite in its details, but it is nevertheless thought useful to 

 draw attention to such characters as, by reference to the fuller descriptions, will 

 assist in the identification of specimens. 



