Butramys parvus Broom (Marsupialia) from Falls Creek 

 area of the Bogong High Plains, Victoria 



by Joan M. In w 



\ live female specimen of bin ninths 

 „, (lU(A \s.,s collected on 23 February 

 [571 by Ihe author when carrying QUI 

 , mammal trapping programme close 

 in halls Creek at approximately 

 l7^Km (5900 ft.). This is only the 

 second specimen of this species col- 

 lected in Victoria A study of Ihe 

 specie* and its ecology is in progress. 



History or Si-mis 



Robert Broom. I Scottish doctor 

 0 nd naturalist, located bones of a 

 small marsupial m the Wombeyan 

 Cave, N*-v> South Wales in 1X94. Me 

 ,| C serihed these a> a new genus and 

 species. Biirnnnxi pirym Broom, 

 IS'">. At that stage the .dimities Dl 

 this species, were not known, and 

 despite work on Ihe Wombeyan fos- 

 sil niaieiial which was carried 001 

 In Rule <l95f\ 1964). and on .sub- 

 <equcnilv located Buchan Caves 

 mitenal by Wakefield (>$$>>■ OK 

 status of «. parvus remained conjec- 

 lu/al. 



In 1966, a small possum was 

 found in a ski hut at MS, Holham. 

 Victoria, by Dr. K. Shorlman who 

 took it to the Fisheries and Wildlife 

 DepHrtftieflti Melbourne (Ride IS>70). 

 ti was identified as a living Hmramys 

 tn Mr. N. V Wakefield I his sped 

 men, a male, was kept m the hope 

 thai more specimens would he 

 located, hu1 attempts to do ibis were 

 iiiisucee>sful. and it died nine months 

 later Its skin and skeleton are lodged 

 m the Nat.onal Museum ot Victoria, 

 registered number C7290. 



May. 1971 



Marty in 19711, a live Bn/nwns 

 w. : -. trapped in the Kosciusko National 

 Park. N.S.W.. by Dr. F, anil Mis. 1 

 Mc"l. Cow an, from Canada, who were 

 working there with a team (turn 

 C.S.I. ICO.. Canberra. Further field 

 work led to the capture of two more 

 specimens which were taken to Can- 

 berra for study. 



On 19 and 20 February. 1971, 

 the ..uithot attended an Alpine Forum 

 conducted by the Natural Resources 

 Conservation League of Victoria and 

 held at Ml Beauty in north-east Vic- 

 toria. Following this, she spent live 

 days in the held [Capping mammal 

 species at increasing altitudes from 

 Howmans Track 1128m. (3700 1"!.) 

 lo Ihe granite strewn peaks above 

 Falls Creek at 1798 m. (SsOOfT.). 

 It was in the latter area, approxi- 

 mately 7.2 km. (4.5 miles) south- 

 west of Falls Creek ( l.at. 36 - ?}' S. 

 Long. 147 15' Rl that B specimen 

 of Bmrwnyx was trapped. (Plate l>. 



During the following week, three 

 more specimens of Burramys were 

 iranped ai Vtt Molham by oflicW 

 the Fisheries and Wildlife Dept. 



Materials ^Nf) MUHons 



Traps were of the folding r.lum- 

 ,1-nuin i\pe. and included Shermans 

 23 x S \ 9 cm- and Flliotl's 32.5 x 

 9,S x 10 cm Twenty-one traps were 

 scl in the "tea on this occasion. 

 Bait used was walnui, a peanut butter 

 honey and oatmeal mixture, «» hoth 

 The Umrtiwys was captured in R 



., ,„,!.., ol Vrt'cl-Taln. Vjtitm.il Muslim i>( 



133 



