356 



Lower leg 



Hind foot 



Muzzle to eye . , 

 Ear 



SkuU, see p. 367. 



Sab. South. Brazil and Uruguay. 

 Ty^e in collection. 



a. Aged al., cJ . Taquaia, Rio Grande Dr. H. von Ihering [C.J.; 



do Sul. 



I j Ad. al. I , San Lorenzo, Rio Dr. H. von Iherinff [0.]. 



"■ ] Skull, f o • Grande do Sul. 



p i Ad. sk. ) Maldonado (C. Bar- Zool. Soc. (Voy < Beagle '). 



I Skull. I ° • win). {Type of species.) 



. I Ad. sk. i , Haslar Hospital Collection. 

 **• ] Skull, f ^- ^ , 



15. Didelphys brevicandata. 



Mus sylveatris americanus, Seha, Thesaurus, i. p. 50, pi. xxxi. fig. 6 



/animal) (1734). 

 Didelphys brevicaudata, Srxl. Syst. Regn. An. p. 80 (1777) * ; Zimm. 



Geogr. Oesch. ii. p. 227 (1780) ; Bodd. Elmch. Anim. i. p. 77 



(1785). 

 Didelphys brachyura, Sohreb. Sciug. iii. p. 648, pi. cli. (animal) (1778) : 



Pall. Act. Ac. Petrop. 1780, ii. p. 235, pi. v. (animal) ; Cfmel Linn. 



S. iV. i. p. 108 (1789) ; Kerr, Linn. An. K. p. 196 (1792) ; Donnd. 



Zool. Beytr. i. p. 353 (1792) ; G. Cuv. Tabl. EUm. p. 125 (1798) 



Bechst. Syst. Uebers. vierf. Thiere, ii. p. 685 (1800) ; Shaw, Gen. 



Zool. i. pt. ii. p. 479 (1800) ; E. Geoff. Cat. Mus. p. 145 (1803) ; 



Desm. N. Bid. (SK. N. (1) xx. p. 147 (1803) ; lurt. Linn. S. N. 



i. p. 67 (1806) ; G. Cuv. R. A. i. p. 174 (1817) ; Besm. N. Bid. 



am N. (2) IX. p. 429 (1817) ; Besmoul Diet. Class. d'lL. N. v. 



p. 492 (1824) ; Temm. Man. Mamm. i. p. 53 (1827) ; Gray, Griff. 



Cuv. An. K. V. p. 190 (1827) ; Less. Man. Mamm. p. 212 (1827) ; 



Besm. Bid. Sci. Nat. xlvu. p. 398 (1827); J. B. Fisch. Syn. 



* This species has been commonly known as D. brachywa, Sohr., but, apart 

 from the dates on the title-pages of Sohreber's third Tolume and of Erxleben's 

 work, D. brevicaiidata is shown to be the earher name by u, reference to the 

 quotations in each book. Both works appear to have been published in parts, 

 whose issue went on concurrently. 



In Sohreber references to Brxleben begin on p. 457 and refer to as late a 

 page as 448 of the latter's work. Bterything after p. 457 of Schreber is there- 

 fore later in date than all before p. 448 of Brxleben. On the other hand, 

 in Erxleben the references to the text of Schreber begin with the genus Canis, 

 p. 533, after which page, therefore, Erxleben would have to give way to 

 Schreber up to and induding the latter's genus Cmm, ending on p. 374. The 

 question is further complicated by the separate publication of Sohreber's lettered 

 plates, which would of themselves give priority to his names whenever their 

 earlier appearance is shown by Erxleben's references to them. 



In the case of the present species, no reference to the other being made by 

 either author, the general rule as to pagination comes into operation, and 

 Erxleben (p. 80) clearly takes precedence over Schreber (p. 548). 



