360 DIDELPHTIDJE. 



hips deep rich chestnut. Chin rufous ; chest and belly grizzled 

 olive-grey, only slightly paler than the back. Front of arms and out- 

 sides of legs rufous, contrasting mth the grey of the lower surface ; 

 hands and feet dark brown. Tail about half the length of the head 

 and body ; only furry at its extreme base, the remainder closely 

 covered with short fine hairs, uniformly deep rufous in colour. 



Skull (PI. XXVII. figs. 5 & 6) long and slender ; muzzle very 

 narrow, especially in the region just anterior to the orbits. Nasals 

 unusually long in proportion, not markedly flattened posteriorly. 

 Interorbital space rather narrow, its edges smoothly rounded ; no 

 trace of postorbital processes or temporal ridges. Palate with a 

 single pair of narrow vacuities opposite p.*, m.', and m.^ 



Teeth small, light and delicate. Canines long and thin. Upper 

 premolars increasing in size backwards, p.* rather disproportionaUy 

 larger than p.' Molars very small and delicate, the length of the 

 three anterior about 4-7 millim. Lower p.* about equal to p.' Range 

 of lower molars about 6-2 millim. 



a (skin). 

 Adult 

 millim. 



Head and body 133 



Tan 71 



Lower leg (c.)33 



Hind foot (c.)19 



Muzzle to eye 15 



Ear 8 (dried) 



Skull, see p. 367. 



Hah. Brazil. 



Type in collection. 



Whether the peculiar coloration of this Opossum wiU be found to 

 be constant or not it is impossible to decide, but th.e species is quite 

 distinct from any other merely by the characters of the skuU and 

 dentition. The two specimens in the collection agree with each 

 other in all essential respects. 



1 Ad. sk. I J, Brazil. Lord Derby [P.]. 



"• ■jSkuU. \°- (TV^^e of species.) 



, I Ad. sk. I o No history. 



*■ \ Skull, f ^ • 



18. Didelphys henseli. (Plate IV. fig. 1.) 



Didelphys (Peramys) henseli, Thos. Ann. Mag. N. H. (6) i. p. 159 

 (1888). 



Hensbl's Opossum. 



Size markedly smaller than in any of the preceding species, 

 about equal to that of D. amerieana. Fur short, straight and crisp. 

 General colour much as in the grey-backed specimens of D. brevi- 



