18 Original Articles. [Jan., 



tivora, Edentata, Pachydermata, and the great order of Euminantia, for 

 which its fine grassy plains wonld appear, and as we know by expe- 

 rience are, well adapted, are alike unknown to Australia in a state 

 of nature. But let us see a little more narrowly of what the Placental 

 series of Australian Mammals does consist. 



The Eodents of Australia, although, as we are informed by Mr. 

 Gould, "numerous in species, and almost multitudinous in indivi- 

 duals," are certainly not well developed as regards generic forms, 

 being only represented by three genera of the family Muridae. These 

 are the cosmopolitan Mus and two forms peculiar to the country, 

 Hydromys and Hapalotis, of which three genera, altogether nearly 

 thirty species, are found in Australia. 



Of the Bats of Australia, we can hardly say that enough is yet 

 known to allow of deductions being drawn as to the presence or ab- 

 sence of peculiar forms. Mr. Gould has figured twenty-three species 

 of this order in his great work. Four of these belong to the fruit-eat- 

 ing family Pteropodidae, so extensively diffused throughout the Indian 

 Archipelago, and are, perhaps, of comparatively recent introduction 

 into the Australian Fauna. The Insectivorous families of the Chi- 

 roptera are represented by four genera, but it is a noticeable fact that 

 but one of them (Nyctophilias) is a form peculiar to Australia ; the 

 other three, Molossus, Rhinolophus, and Taphozous, being genera of 

 wide distribution. 



The Carnivora, as I have already stated, are only represented in 

 Australia by the semi-domesticated Dingo (Canis dingo). 



The subjoined table will serve to show at a glance, the results we 

 have thus arrived at concerning the Australian Mammal-fauna. 



Terrestrial Mammals of Australia. 



Order. 



Family. 



No. of Species. 





Implacentals. 





Monotremata 



OrnithorhynchidfB 

 Echidnidae 



1 



2 



Marsupialia 



Macropodidse 

 Phascolomyidaa 

 Phalangistida? 

 Peramelidse 



49 



4 



19 



8 





Dasyuridpc 



24 

 107 





PL ACENTALS. 





Rodentia 



Muridse 



29 



Chiroptera 



Pteropodidas 



Ehinolophida? 



Noctilionidae 



4 

 3 

 1 



Carnivora 



Vespertilionidae 

 Canidse 



15 

 1 



