FETA URINE OPOSSUM. 4 59 
tion before referred to, has very_ accurately de- 
scribed. 
Petaurine opossum. 
The size, colours, and form of the petaurme, or 
great dying opossum of New Holland, conspire to 
render it one of the most beautiful of quadrupeds. 
It measures about twenty -two inches from the tip of 
the nose to the beginning of the tail, which is twenty 
inches in length. The body is about the size o-f 
a half grown cat, or a small rabbit, and the general 
appearance of the animal is similar to that of a 
fly ing squirrel ; an expansile membrane, covered 
with fur, stretching from the fore legs to the hind, 
on each side the body, and thus enabling the 
animal to spring to a considerable distance at 
pleasure. 
The general colour of this species, is a very 
fine sable, or deep grey-brown above, variea 
w ith a cast of ferruginous ; beneath, it is nearly 
white ; a stripe of darker, or blacker brown than 
the rest, runs along the hack, from head to tail ; 
the fur near the edge of the flying membrane, on 
its upper part, has also a blacker, or darker tinge 
than on the other parts, while the edge itself is 
white; thus forming a beautiful contrast of colour 
round the whole border of the membrane ; a dark, 
or blacker shade than that on the rest of the fur, pre- 
vails on the upper parts of the shoulders, extending 
over each side of the neck. The tail is nearly equal 
to the whole length of the head and body, and is 
extremely full of long, soft fur, of a blacker cast 
than the rest, particularly towards the end, where 
it is longer, or more flocky than towards the base ; 
the whole is of a roundish, or subcylindric form, 
but from the disposition of the long fur, has a 
slightly flattened appearance towards the extremity. 
