THE PERAMELES NASUTA. 191 
inches. Length of the fore-foot, from the carpal joint to 
the point of the middle claw, 1| inch. The joints of the 
metacarpus and toes admit of very free motion. The 
lower surface of the fore-foot naked to the carpal joint, 
concave, and covered with a soft white cuticle. From the 
flexibility and extent of motion of the toes, the fore foot 
can grasp and surround objects smaller than a pea, and 
only the wrists and points of the claws appear capable of 
resting on the ground in walking,— -a structure which 
would better adapt the animal for climbing on trees than 
walking on a flat surface. There are five toes on each of 
the four feet. The outer and inner toes are only rudimen- 
tary, without nails, naked, two lines long, extending only 
half an inch from the carpal joint to their free extremities, 
and are nearly opposed in their position to the other three 
toes, which chiefly form the foot. The three middle toes 
are long, slender, and quite free to the metacarpal bones. 
The second toe, or indicator, measures 10 lines; the 
middle toe, or pudicus, 11 lines; and the fourth toe, or 
annularis, 7 lines from the metacarpal bone to the point of 
the claw. The claws are long, slender, slightly curved, 
compressed laterally, flat on their lower concave surface, 
arched acutely above, round and depressed at their points ; 
they form sheaths over the last phalanges or ungual bones, 
which extend a considerable way into them. They are of 
a dehcate, translucent, horny texture, of a yellowish or 
amber colour ; and, from the fineness and sharpness of the 
points, they appear to have been very little used in scrap- 
ing or digging the ground, if ever employed for that pur- 
pose. Geoflroy, however, conceives, from the structure of 
the claws, that both species of Perameles are peculiarly 
formed for burrowing in the earth. The claw of the second 
toe is 5 lines long ; that of the middle toe, 6 lines ; and 
that of the fourth toe, 3 lines. The hind legs are veiy 
