MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES 329 
back is a dirty or creamy 
white, interspersed with 
various-shaped blotches of 
nut-brown or black ; thechin, 
breast, and under-parts are a 
purer white, and the limbs 
grey or reddish brown, or, 
as shown in the photograph 
over-leaf, mottled like the 
body. The BLACK Cuscus 
of Celebes is, as its name de- 
notes, a much more sombre- 
looking animal, and is alsothe 
largest species, its dimensions 
equalling or exceeding those 
ofalargecat. The uniformly 
tinted GREY CuscuSsofTimor, 
Amboina, and other of the 
Indo-Malay Islands is very 
similar in size and aspect, 
excepting for the half-naked 
tail, to the common ring- 
tailed phalanger. All the 
cuscuses are of rare 
occurrence ineven their most 
favoured habitats. On one 
occasion the writer came 
across an example of the 
grey species in the scrub 
forest of Thursday Island, 
Torres Straits. In _ this 
instance, however, it is 
doubtful if the animal was 
not an escaped pet brought 
over from the neighbouring 
coast of New Guinea. 
Much interesting  in- 
& he, 
formation concerning Bp derintssten af 9 SA ES Sidney 
different varieties of the RING-TAILED OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER, AND NEST 
cuscus is contained in Dr. This is the only Australian opossum which builds a regular nest 
Alfred Wallace’s interesting : 
work “The Malay Archipelago.” An anecdote of one which was brought to this naturalist 
during his residence in the Aru Islands — the headquarters of the great bird of paradise — is 
thus related: “Just as we had cleared away and packed up for the night, a strange beast 
was brought, which had been shot by the natives. It resembled in size and in its white 
woolly covering a small fat lamb, but had short legs, hand-like feet with large claws, and a 
long prehensile tail. It was a Spotted Cuscus, one of the curious marsupial animals of the 
Papuan region, and I was very desirous to obtain the skin. The owners, however, said they 
wanted to eat it; and though I offered them a good price, and promised to give them all the 
meat, there was great hesitation. Suspecting the reason, I offered, though it was night, to set 
to work immediately, and get out the body for them, to which they agreed. The creature was 
much hacked about, and the two hind feet almost cut off, but it was the largest and finest 
