1. BIDBLPHTS. 363 



„ l \ Ad. al. I p Taquara, Eio Grande do Sul. Dr. H. von Iheriiig; 



' ■ I Skull of a. I + ■ [0.]. 



I Ad. sk. ( San Lorenzo, Eio Grande Dr. H. von Ihering 



"• jSkuU. f do Sul. [0.]. 



d. Imm. skull. San Lorenzo, Rio Grande Dr. H. von Ihering 



do Sul. ■ [0.]. 



20. Didelphys americana. 



Sorex americanus, Mull. Linn. Natursyst. Swpp. vii. p. 36 (1776). 

 Sorex brazilienais, Erxl. Syst. Regn. An. i. p. 127 (1777) ; Schreb. 



Saug.m. p. 577 (1778); Zimm. Qeogr. Gesch. ii. p. 886 (1780); 



Bodd. Menoh. Anim. i. p. 125 (1785) ; Omel. Linn. 8. N. i. p. 115 



(1789) ; Kerr, Linn. An. K. p. 206 (1792) : Shaw, Gen. Zool. i. 



pt. ii. p. 535 (1800). 

 Didelphys tristriatus, IB. Abh. Ah. Berl. 1811, pp. 107, 112 (1815) ; 



Kuhl, Beitr. Zool. i. p. 63 (1820) ; Sehinz, Cm. Thierr. i. p. 252 



(1821) ; J. B. Fisch. Syn. Mamm. p. 269 (1829) ; Less. H. N. 



Mamm. (Compl. Buff.) v. p. 365 (1836) ; Waterh. Cat. Mamm. 



Mus. Z. S. p. 64 (1838); id. Jard. Nat. Libr., Mamm. xi. p. 107, 



pi. iii. (animal) (1841) ; Wagn. Schr. Saug. Supp. iii. p. 52 (1848), 



V. p. 250 (1855) ; Sehinz, Syn. Mamm. i. p. 511 (1844) ; Waterh. 



iV. U. Mamm. i. p. 518 (1846) ; Burm. thiere Bras. i. p. 140 



(1854) ; Gieb, Saug. p. 716 (1859) ; Natt. Pelz. Bras. Saug., Verh. 



z.-b. Wien, xxxiii. Anh. p. 116 (1883) ; Jent Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. 



p. 302 (1887;. 

 Didelphys trihneata, Lund, Blik. Bras. Byrev., Dansh. Afh. viii. 



p. 237 (1841) (nom. nudum). 

 Peramys tristriata. Less. N. Tabl. R. A., Mamm. p. 187 (1842). 

 Hemiurus tristriatus, Gerv. n. N. Mamm. ii. p. 287 (1855). 

 Microdelphys tristriatus, Burm. Erldut. Faun. Bras. p. 84, pi. xvi. 



fig. 2 (animal), pi. xi. fig. 7 (skull) (1856). 



Common Theee-steiped OposstrM. 



Size medium. Fur short, straight and crisp. General colour 

 grey or rufous, dark-striped dorsally. Pace grey, a dark central 

 stripe commencing between the eyes, and continued down the centre 

 of the neck and back ; cheeks more or less rufous. Ears of medium 

 size. Ground-colour of back olive-grey anteriorly, gradually passing 

 into deep rufous on the rump and hips, the three dark lines generally 

 very prominent, the median one, as already noted, commencing 

 between the eyes, the lateral ones on the sHoulders. Some speci- 

 mens, however, have the whole back nearly uniform rufous, the 

 stripes scarcely darker than the rest *. Chin pale rufous ; chest 

 and belly rufous or whitish olive-grey. Mammse 5-5-5=15, the 

 outer series placed in such a curve that the anterior pair are in line 

 with those of the inner set, and might almost be reckoned as belong- 

 ing to them. Arms and legs reddish grey. Fifth hind toe reaching 



* This may be a question of season, as there is in the Paris Museum a speci- 

 men with the anterior half of the body indistinctly rufous-striped, and the 

 posterior half black-striped as usual ; the specimen would be therefore in process 

 of change. 



