HALMATURUS DERBIANUS, Gray. 



Derby's Wallaby. 



Spec. Char. — Vellere intense fusco, h\c atque illlc rufescente, et hicanescente ; collo, et artubus rujis , striga nuchali fusca ; 

 Cauda siib-brem, robusta, et pilis br embus adpressis instructa. 



Descr.— Face grizzled grey, reddisli and dark brown ; on the upper Up a buffy-white mark which extends backwards 

 under the eye, and blends with the general colour of the face ; back of the neck, shoulders and arms rufous ; a 

 distinct blackish mark commences at the occiput, and continues downwards until it becomes lost in the colouring 

 of the back, which is grizzled black and dull white, caused by the middle portion of each hair being dull white, 

 and the tips black, the base of all the fur being deep blue grey ; hind legs and tarsi grizzled with rufous and 

 black, the former colour predominating ; throat, chest and all the under surface huffy white ; arms the same as 

 the tarsi, but rather darker ; under side of the tail buff. 



Male. 



feet, inches. 



Length from the nose to the extremity of the tail 3 1 



„ of tail 1 H 



,, „ tarsus and toes, including the nail 6 



„ „ arm and hand, including the nails 4i 



„ „ face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear ... 4i 



„ ear 2^ 



Halmaturus Derbianus, Gray in Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. i. New Series, p. 583. 



This species is a native of Kangaroo Island situated at the mouths of Spencer's and St. Vincent's Gulfs, and would 

 appear to be confined to small islands of a similar character, since I never observed or heard of its being found on the 

 main land of South Australia ; and from information received from Swan River accompanying the skin of an animal 

 which would appear to be identical with the present species, I find it is there confined to Rottnest and Garden Islands : 

 if upon comparison with further examples these two animals should prove to be identical, the islands of the south- 

 western portion of Australia would seem to be the peculiar habitat of the species : I have never heard of it to the east 

 of Kangaroo Island. 



Although closely allied to the Halmaturus Billardiern of Van Diemen's Land, it exhibits in its smaller dimensions 

 more grizzly hair, and the longitudinal white mark on the cheeks, a decided difference from that animal. Like many 

 others of the small Wallabies, the present species loves to dwell among the densest underwood : hence the almost 

 impenetrable scrub of dwarf Eucalypti, which covers nearly the whole of Kangaroo Island, will always afford it a 

 secure asylum, from which in all probability it will never be extirpated ; the vegetation being too green and humid to 

 be burnt, and the land too poor to render it worth the expense of clearing. It is very abundant in the ravines and 

 gullies, through which it makes innumerable runs ; and such is the dense nature of the vegetation, that nothing larger 

 than a dog can follow it : still it is taken by men residing on the island in the greatest abundance, both for the sake 

 of its skin and its flesh : these men procure it principally by snares, a simple noose, placed on the outskirts of the 

 brush; but they also shoot it when it appears on the open glades at night. An example of this little Vl^allaby, which 

 is about twice the size of a Hare, was presented by J. B. Harvey, Esq., to the Zoological Society in 1839 or 1840, 

 in whose Menagerie it is now living in perfect health. 



Considerable difference exists in this, as well as in the other allied species, in the colour of the hair, which varies 

 very much, not only in the intensity of its hue, but also in being much redder in some specimens than in others. 



