THE SPOTTED PHALANGER 
27 5 
Fur dense and woolly, of n dirty white colour, and irregularly 
clouded or spotted with brown or black; under parts of 
bead and body white. 
Inhabits the islands Amboynn, Waigiou, Banda, and New Guinea. 
This species is subject to considerable variation in its 
colouring, and this is not only due to ago, but M. Temminck, 
who has examined many specimens, informs us that lie can 
perceive slight differences in the hue of the fur of individuals 
brought from different islands. The author just mentioned 
describes the P. maculata as being rather smaller than the 
two preceding species. Its tail is nearly equal to the head 
and body in length; about half is clothed with fur, the 
remaining (naked) portion is covered with ridges, and is of a 
yellowish colour. The ears are small, well clothed with fur, 
and hidden; the forehead is arched; the tip of the muzzle is 
naked and black. The fur is short, dense, and woolly, and 
intermixed with the ordinary fur are some longer hairs, which 
are longest and most abundant in the young animal. On the 
upper parts of the body the fur is usually of a dirty yellow ish 
white tint, but exhibits numerous irregular blotches of dark 
brown: the face is covered with coarser hairs, and these are 
of a yellowish, and sometimes rusty yellow tint: on the head 
and sides of the neck, the hairs of the fur exhibit a mixture 
of whitish and grey, hut the tuft which covers the ears is 
generally white: the chin, as well as the whole of the under 
parts of the body, and inner side of the limbs, are pure white; 
usually immaculate: the feet are of a bright rust colour. 
The hairy portion of the tail is white; sometimes exhibits a 
few dark spots, but is usually uniform in tint. The claws are 
yellowish. The eye is represented in the figure given by 
Mossts. Lesson and Garnot, as being of an orange colour, and 
with a vertical pupil. Sometimes the upper parts of the body 
