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BETTONGIA OGILBY]|

Ogilby’s
Sulby’s Jerboa Kangaroo.

Gould. 5

 

Bettongia Ogilbyi, Gould, MSS.
Hypsiprymnus Ogilbyi, Waterh. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 185
Bettongia Ogilbii, Gray, List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus.,
Hypsiprymnus (Bettongia) Ogilbyi, Waterh. Ne ER
Bettongia Gouldi, Gray ?

Mullmandel & Walter, inp

p93:

of Mamm., vol. Tee oe Ie

aE ean

Tur Bettongia Ogilby: is as abundantly distributed over W

d estern Australia as the raps . 2
South Wales, but while the latter appears to be confine the B. penicillata is over New

Wa d to the country within the range
the districts near the coast. Besides specimens from Swan River :
3

Mr. Harvey, procured at Port Lincoln, and I have also see

hood of Adelaide ; those from the last-mentioned locality h

s, the former inhabits
I have received others from the late
n examples in collections formed in the y
ave the rufous tints of the t
from these distant countries ar
Tl B. Osilbyi alwavs : ar

le B. Ugioy: always appeared to me to have a longer

eighbour-
ail and tarsi somewh:
less highly coloured, but in other respects specimens ie pee
fs e perfectly similar.

1ead_ and proportionately longer ears - nf
what more slender tarsi than B. penicillata: these. | r i i iifvcne tc

é ars é - penciiata; these, however, are only slight differer

, y sught differences; but the darker

of the tail, and the rufous colouring of the
| , and constitute a style of colouring never seen
in any example of the eastern species, or B. pemcillata of New South Wales

In Mr. Waterhouse’s remarks on my specimen of B. Ogilbyi,

colouring of the body, the rusty red hue of the base and sides

feet, are characters always observable in the western animal

a. ee eee published in the volume of the « Naturalist’s
Library,’ on the Marsupialia, he says, ‘* This Species 1s very closely allied to B.

Lil,

pencillata, but its tarsi are
proportionately rather longer and more slender, and differ in being of a deeper hue; the ears are longer,

and the apical half of the tail is black both above and below. In B. pemcillata the black hair is confined to

2

COW.

the upper surface of the tail; on the under part, lengthened, brown, adpressed hairs extend to the tip; this
¢ ‘ i}

Nell

)
>

under part is, moreover, much more densely clothed than in the present species, in which the hairs are not

sufficiently numerous to hide the scales: this does not arise from the wearing away of the hair, as is often

O GaULIB

the case ; for the under side of the tail is better covered than the sides.” In his more recent work, «A Na-
tural History of the Mammalia,’ Mr. Waterhouse is rather doubtful as to the distinctness of the southern and
western animals, and remarks, “ All that can be said is, that the specimens of the tufted-tailed Bettongie,

GILA

from the western and southern districts, are generally somewhat darker in the colouring of the feet and tail

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than those from New South Wales; but it is certainly, in some cases, difficult to distinguish these, which I

NG

a, e

can but regard as local varieties, by a difference of colouring.”

“This species,” says Mr. Gilbert in his notes on the ‘Mammals of Western Australia,’ ‘ appears to be
equally abundant in all parts of the colony, but to evince a preference, perhaps, for the white-gum forests.
It makes a nest of dried sticks or strong coarse grass, under the shelter of the overhanging grasses of the
Xanthorrhea, or a bunch of dried grasses or sticks; the entrance being on one side and lengthened out so as
to form a tube or porch. When driven from the nest it generally resorts to a hollow tree or stump; if this
is not to be found, it makes a long circuit before returning to the nest. This animal is one of the favourite

31K IEC

o
rs

i
GUNN

CS er Cy Ce ey i

articles of food of the natives, who are very quick in detecting the nest, and generally capture the little
inmate by throwing a spear through the nest and transfixing it to the ground, or by placing the foot upon

e . or fs i e . . . acer ste 3) A Vy) 4 < Y ala "OWS
and crushing it to death. It is almost invariably found in paurs, and, like the true acropi, the female throws

3QO

the young from the pouch when pursued.”

Fur dense, the under fur very abundant, soft, long and wool 3
with yellow on the sides of Ahie face and body; under surface of the body aint yellowish foes fe
clothed with yellow hairs ; hind feet brown, darkest on the sides, especially of the toes; Sa Me
brown; tail well-clothed, a very small space at the base covered with fur, like that of the ee a
this and extending to about the middle of the tail the hairs are of a rusty hue om the upper of an ie us e
ail is clothed with black hairs, which vary from rather ane ran
he longest : on the sides of the tail

ly, general colour brown, obscurely washed

brown on the under ; the apical half of the t

half to three quarters of an inch in length; those nearest the tip are t
tip they are of
, and of a black colour; the ordinary
sometimes rusty white, and at the

the fur both on the upper and

ing at the a deep brown colour; on the under
the hairs are comparatively short, and excepting at the

side of the apical half of the tail the hairs are longer than on the ‘
: ale rusty yellow

hairs of the back are rather broadly annulated with pale rusty y bl 1
: : : torcnersed hairs are black 5

point they are blackish brown; the longer interspersed hairs al ack 5

under parts of the body is grey at the base.

“Richter; add a lith.

The figures are of the natural size.

JS Would and Hl